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Don will teach at Woodcraft of Dayton on Saturday, February 19, 2011 from 9 am to 5pm. Don teaches a completely different style of carving which he calls Whittle-Folk Carving. In this class you will learn his A-B-C’s of face carving using a 1 ½” x 3” block of basswood. The figure will be a larger version of the shelf squatter. Also, using a basswood hen egg, bottle stopper heads or bobble heads are other choice of projects for this one day class. Once you complete this project, you will understand the principles of whittling in folk art style. Don has some tutorials on his web page www.woodbeecarver.com that will help you prepare for this class. There are also some “Cool Links” for your further study. Don is an accomplished carver and an excellent teacher so this class promises to be a wonderful learning experience and a fun way to spend a Saturday. This is a beginner skill level class. Bring a carving glove and a small whittling knife. Cost is $70.00. You can sign up by e-mail at: dayton-retail@woodcraft.com or call Woodcraft at (937) 438-1282
EGG NOGGINS are heads and faces carved out of a basswood hen egg to be used as a bottle stopper, a bobble head, mounted on a base or free standing on its bottom (as in the first photogrpah on the left.) The variety of faces to be carved is under the freedom of imagination and the experimentation of the carver. Egg Noggins are excellent for the practice of carving faces since the head and face is basically round and egg shaped. Basswood hen eggs cost an average of one dollar each from woodcarving vendors through their catalog or at woodcarving shows as well as Woodcraft stores. Also use only basswood hen eggs as some eggs are made from harder wood making for difficulty in the carving process. Read the rest of this entry »
THINK INSIDE THE BLOCK can be taken one of two ways. One is to “think inside the block HEAD,” as in using one’s head in the carving process. One can not carve what one does not see inside their head, inside imagination and inside creative dreaming. The other “think inside the block,” is to look deep into a block of wood with imagination to see the carving to be set free during the carving process.
That which is in one’s “Block Head” is all of one’s carving experiences and desire to carve an idea that awaits to be set free. Each carver builds upon what one has already experienced while at the same time allowing the carving process to lead into new experiences of creativity. But that will never happen unless the carver puts the carving tool into the block of wood to begin the process of removing excess wood to set free the carving inside the block. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: woodbeecarver in General
CHRISTMAS
Is the Gift of Love
A Memory remembered,
A Memory being made.
May the blessing of Memory
Be a gift of Love this
CHRISTMAS
Bobble Head Santa was the subject of a posting on November 28, 2010 which was the beginning of a fun project. The four photographs above are of a second Bobble Head Santa. Every carving project is a learning experience in that while one is carving, one is also learning innovations one can make in carving a second similar project. Thus there is great value in repeating a project subject over and over again to learn from each one. No two will be exactly alike since the creative process is continuously making revisions and subtle changes to enhance the over all appearance. The procedure used for carving a Santa Bobble Head can be duplicated for any other theme as is illustrated in the second bobble head that follows.
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The carving of Santa and Snowman in the middle of a wreath is a Harley Schmitgen design that was carved from one of his rough outs. This photograph was used as our Christmas card in 2009. My sister was so taken by the unique design that she commissioned me to carve two smaller versions of the Harley Schmitgen original. Harley, who is an Emeritus CCA member, is noted for his relief portraits carved out of two inch thick wood that looks like it is a much larger carving in the round. The two carvings that are the subject of this posting were each carved in the round out of a five inches tall by three and a half inches square block of basswood. Traditional gouge carving tools were used in this carving project. Read the rest of this entry »
Bobble Head Santa is a fun little project carved out of a basswood hen egg for the head and the body carved out of a three inch tall by an inch and half square block of basswood. The spring was made using stainless steel wire wrapped around a quarter inch diameter bolt and then epoxied to the head and the body. Artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil was the primary finish while the white fur trim of the hat and coat were painted with acrylic white paint.
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Hugh O’Neal of Munford, Alabama is a carving friend whom I met two years ago while teaching a carving class at Charlie Leverett’s Northeast Alabama carving studio. Hugh is a good example of the benefit of participating in a carving class in that he was inspired to grow in his carving abilities. Already an accomplished carver in his own right, Hugh learned a couple of “door opening” lessons that led him into his own room of creativity. The WOOD BEE CARVER’s method of teaching is to teach the “how-to’s and the method” while each student carves his own style. Hugh has done just that by taking a few of the simple step-by-step procedures to transpose his imagination into a very artist style as is evident by the photographs that follow. Read the rest of this entry »
