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“Carving Faces Workbook” published by Fox Chapel Publishing is the latest book by renown caricature carver and instructor Harold Enlow. It was Harold, who in the mid 1970’s published the first of his many instructional books and began his teaching career that has influenced more wood carvers than any one other person. Now in semi-retirement he continues to advance woodcarving to a new generation of wood carvers through a few seminars and his latest book. “Carving Faces Workbook” may be one of his best books among his already classic volumes that are still of great value to any wood carver.
“Carving Faces Workbook” retails for $19.95 but can be purchased from http://www.amazon.com/Carving-Faces-Workbook-Expressions-Characteristics/dp/1565235851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309218182&sr=8-1 at the reduced price of $12.11 plus shipping.
The WOOD BEE CARVER highly recommends Harold’s book to any wood carver who wants to learn to carve faces with life and expression. Harold is an Emeritus Member of the Caricature Carvers of America having been one of its founding members. Harold has been one of my mentors and a good carving friend who continues to make significant contributions to the carving community.
“Thank You,” Harold Enlow.
Will Hayden is an Emeritus Member of the Caricature Carvers of America who continues to carve as often as his health allows him to do so. This photo shows that he still is on the “cutting edge” of creativity. THANKS to Will for all his contributions to the carving world and for still sharing his good sense of humor through his carvings. Carve on Will Hayden.
Gunny Sack Glenn is another example of a Hobo caricature carving that has all the characteristics of a hobo with well worn, torn and patched clothing that is mis-matched and toes coming out of a shoe.
The first series of photographs show two hobos carved to the basic form along with the finished hobo. The purpose of such a photographic study is to carve with imagination in the viewer’s mind that which is between the form and the completed carving.
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Shelf Squatters are faces carved out of a inch and half square by three inch tall block of basswood with an area cut out of the back to allow for the block to sit on a shelf. This little photo display of the most recent versions of Shelf Squatters is for viewing with out any descripive explanation.
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Jim Hecker of Elk River, MN is a retired Lutheran pastor who has been carving as a hobby for some time. The Scandinavian Flat Plane style of carving has been his primary exercise in carving pursuit. That is until recently when he carried carving to the next level. The Next Level is to carve an original idea into a personal design that goes beyond what one normally carves.
Jim wanted to carve a birthday gift for a retired United Church of Christ clergy friend that would bear some resemblance of the recipient. “The Right Reverend” was the result of his imaginative planning, modeling and carving the final design. The photographic journey that follows presents overall views of this outstanding carving. Read the rest of this entry »
The Mystic Carvers Club hosted a three day seminar with three Caricature Carvers of America members over the Memorial Day weekend. It is called a CCA Carve-A-Long East for carvers living in the Northeast. It was held at the beautiful W. Alton Jones environmental camp of the University of Rhode Island. Students rotate among the three instructor for a one day class with each instructor. This year the instructors were Mitch Cartledge of North Carolina, Bruce Henn of Ohio and Don Mertz of Ohio.
The class I taught was the A-B-C’s of Face carving with a choice of subjects between a shelf squatter, a bust or an egg noggin. As part of the instruction the “Three Version Face Stick” was central to learning about opening up a block of wood to carve a face. Using only a knife to make slicing cuts each student learned a new appreciation for the knife as a carving tool. A one day class is always intense with so much to learn in such a small amount of time that goes so fast and yet each student survived. Read the rest of this entry »
My good friend Don Stephenson is a remarkable artist whose creative mind keeps coming up with unique carving ideas. He is so prolific with his artistic creations that I have nick named him the “IDEA MONSTER.” Recently he drew a pirate in the shape of an egg as an idea for carving a wooden egg. There was nothing for me to do other than carve a pirate first in a goose egg and then in a hen egg. The photographs that follow in this pictorial essay are the results of this journey on the high seas of carving adventure.
The next four photographs use the original drawing by Don Stephenson as a backdrop for the front and back view of the goose egg pirate and then both the goose egg pirate and hen egg pirate.
Cy Clone was carved a few weeks ago along with two partially carved examples for comparison purposes. Since that initial carving journey it became a challenge to “clone” Cy into additional figures of different sizes than the original six inch tall. In the photograph Cy is on the left while in the middle is Cy carved to basic form and the Cy on the right has been stained with one color of raw sienna artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil. The monochrome of one color is another way to present a carving with the understanding that “texture is color” as well. The colored Cy on the left and the monochromed Cy on the right each stand on their own while offering a different aesthetic approach to the same carving theme. The additional “clones” of Cy will all be monochromed in one color with their difference being their size. Read the rest of this entry »