What a fictional and mythical character like Gandalf of “Lord of the Rings” looks like can only be determined by the imagination of interpretation. There can be a verbal description that dresses up the readers imagination of an image. An artist can draw and paint an artistic interpretation as well as a cartoonist can give another visual description. An actor playing the part of a character certainly puts a flesh and blood interpretation with an audible and visual signature on the look and sound of the character. A wood carver can offer another creative interpretation as the action of the cutting tool sculpts another interpretation. Read the rest of this entry »
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The RULE OF THUMB has since ancient time been a common form of measurement as well as an expression of speech. It is defined as a general or approximate principle, procedure or rule based on experience or practice. Carpenters often use thumb width or length from first knuckle to thumb tip as a quick and easy “one inch” measurement. The length of the thumb is approximately “three inches” or equal to the width of four fingers.
Often an artist will sight past an upright thumb at arms length to gain approximate perspective of a distant object. No one knows for sure who originated the “Rule of Thumb” but it has been suggested that Leonardo DaVinci used its principle in his study of human anatamony and artistic proportions.
Carvers can use the “Rule of Thumb” for a quick and approximate measurement while carving to visualize proportions, sight comparison measurements or one inch incremental measurement. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: woodbeecarver in Noggins
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More Tee Noggins carved in golf tees as a humorous way to fulfill the OLD CARVER’S LAW : “Leave no wood uncarved.”
Sonny is an avid fisherman whose fish stories are bigger than his actual fish brought home in the fish bucket. He is always telling about the BIG fish that got away ending up by saying, “I never seen a fish so big!” Of course those who have heard the same story over and over again agree that he NEVER did see a fish so big. As his story is told over and over again, Sonny begins to believe his fish stories, so much so that he begins to dream about catching the really BIG fish. So often has he had that dream the fish actually lives in his mind and memory. If only there was a camera that could take pictures of dreams then there would be proof of the BIG fish. Read the rest of this entry »
Bill Fournier, a woodcarver from Charleston, South Carolina was kind enough to give his face to a ” Real Life Face Study” to illustrate the value of studying faces to be able to carve faces. Perhaps the best model any carver has is one’s own reflection in a mirror whereby one can “make faces” to see how the muscles in the face change due to the mood. The more a carver becomes familiar with the human face that much easier it is to carve faces in wood. Such a study also will create a good mental image to guide the imganation of the carver in the carving process.
Bill has a very expressive face be it a full grin or a sober face. In the gallery of the various facial views of Bill notice how his eyebrows, eyes, smile line, mouth, cheek and character lines change as the expression is changed. A Real Like Face Study will help a carver to begin to notice facial features in other people as well as carve “real life facial features” into carving faces in wood. So, let’s face it through the photographic gallery of Bill’s face. Read the rest of this entry »
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CY CLONE is carved out of a six inch by an inch and a half square block of basswood. The pose is of an old geezer in deep thought as he holds his hands behind his back. The mental image of Cy Clone had been napping in the study hall of the sub conscious for a good many years. A smaller version was carved ten years ago as a study go-by which also took a nap. The idea woke up to become a current carving project in preparation for class go-bys. The photographs above begin with a completed Cy Clone. Two instructional photos of how the block is opened standing beside a carved example are in the middle. The final photo is of a completed Cy Clone with two versions of carved to form examples of Cy Clone. The original idea came from Harold Enlow’s 1989 book on carving hobos. Some carving ideas take a while to work their way from an observation to an imagination of a carving subject and finally to reality. The photographs that follow are for study using observation, imagination and comparative visual instruction. Read the rest of this entry »
JESSE of the animated movie Toy Story series is an animated cartoon character. Carving JESSE as a caricature of a cartoon character is a reversal of what is commonly understood about caricatures. A caricature is an exaggeration of realism that sometimes appears to be almost a cartoon interpretation of the real thing. Caricatures and cartoons are separate forms of art and interpretations while having similar characteristics. Caricature carvers often will study cartoon drawing as reference for exaggerating a realistic human face and figure. Sometimes a caricature carving will tell a cartoon like story in its visual appearance. That said, a caricature is still a caricature and a cartoon is still a cartoon standing on their own merits.
A caricature carving is intentionally designed and carved to be a caricature in order to emulate a humorous visual story. A caricature is never a carving that has turned out bad, thus making it a caricature as is so often said by an amateur carver who says, “If this carving does not turn out to be a realistic cowboy at least it can be a caricature cowboy.” A bad carving does not make a caricature even though a poorly designed and carved caricature can become a bad carving.
A caricature is determined by either its style or theme. Andy Anderson, Emil Janel and Harold Enlow wrote the book, so to speak , on a style in caricature carvings inspiring carvers to learn a style of caricature carving. But within that style of caricature carving there developed the theme of caricature carving which has branched out into many other styles of caricature carving. Some caricature carvings are very exaggerated while others are very subtle in their caricaturization, thus remaining true to the theme more than the style of certain types of caricature carving.
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CAVEMAN was a recent carving project carved using only a knife to experiment with using the tip of the blade to texture the animal skin sleeveless robe the caveman is wearing. Also, his face was carved to emulate a larger jaw structure to his skull and his hair is long and scraggerly to depict his caveman characteristics.
Every carving is a learning project and every new carving subject compels one to discover how to carve into wood what the imagination envisions. CAVEMAN was carved out of a four and a half inch tall by an inch and a half square block of basswood and finished with artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil. The four photographs offer a visual study of a carving project that is “so easy that a carveman could do it.” “Yabba-dabba-do”
