Here are some of the painted figures who were subjects in previous posting on the Study of Go By’s.  A splash of color gives an added dimension to a carving.  The colors invite a further investigation of each carving to discover the subtle details that add a sense of movement, a telltale detail of added interest as well as character in facial features.  Allow each photograph to be a lesson in observation to study the ebb and flow of the story being told by each carving.  (Click on each photo to enlarge and then use the back arrow to return to main page) Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Hammack’s latest creation is entitled “The Brawl”  which  is highlighted in a series of photographs of the progressive process of carving in a block of basswood. Read the rest of this entry »

Rich, Holli and Skylar Smithson, owners and manufacturers of Helvie Knives  are passionate about the Kokomo Humane Society and have created a “One of a Kind” knife collection as a prize for a raffle fund raiser. The photographs and written description invites all who would like to participate in this fund raiser by purchasing a raffle ticket. Read the rest of this entry »

A friend had an antique folk art Fraternal Order of Eagles wall plaque that was missing an eagle that had broken off.  The friend wanted an eagle carved to replace the broken one so this became a project of carving a “folk eagle” using traditional carving tools.  The WOOD BEE CARVER is primarily a knife carver but will on occasion use the “real” carving tools in addition with a knife. Read the rest of this entry »

Jim Hecker recently carved an accordion player and has documented the carving process and progress with photographs and a brief written description. Read the rest of this entry »

Breaking the tip on a carving knife is inevitable.  It happens because the tip is the thinnest and narrowest part of the blade and takes the most stress and pressure when it is used for making entry stop cuts and for carving in a circular motion.  It can be slowed down by always remembering to begin the slicing action before twisting the point of the blade to make a circular cut. If the tip bends over or breaks do not panic or blame the knife maker.  Simply follow the tip to reshaping the tip of a carving knife described below with a photo tutorial for a cutting edge that curves up at tip. Read the rest of this entry »

A Go By Study of faces can help any carver to “see” and imagine what is in a face in order to carve faces in wood.  The first photograph above shows a head carved to basic form.  The middle photograph shows descriptions of the major cuts at the landmarks of the face at the eye, the juncture of the nostril, smile line and upper dental curve and the mouth mound.  These cuts make good foundations for carving in the details of the eyes, mouth, teeth, nose and ears as seen in the finished carved head and face in the third photograph.  The Second row of photographs are of three views comparing the two head. Read the rest of this entry »