A two day class in Whittle-Carving was held August 7 and 8, 2010 at the Ashland Area Woodcarvers meeting location in the Steelworkers Hall. Twelve members of the club participated in the class of learning to carve using only a knife. Pictured in the photographs are left of club sign, Gina Woods and right of the club sign is Jeff Reihs. In the middle row are left to right: Pat Ramey, Allen Woods, Rick Eskins and Henry Ramey. In the back row are left to right: Roy Prince, Ed Brown, Jerry Prince, Guy Purcell, Butch Myers and Charlie Brown. Read the rest of this entry »
MINIATURE Carvings are normally under two inches tall and for competition purposes must fit within a two inch cube including the base. The three Miniatures in the photograph at the left begin on the left with I. B. Whittled (two inch tall) in center is Jughead (one and three eighths of inch tall) and Santa head on golf tee (two inches tall). Each were carved using only the tip end of a knife blade.
The very tip end of any blade that comes to a quick point is the detail blade portion of the entire blade as only a fraction of the blade is doing the carving. The next series of photographs show several Miniatures and the knife that carved the miniature figure using only the tip end of the blade. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: woodbeecarver in Noggins
SCRAPPER – Bobble Heads are whimsical carvings done only with a knife using scraps of wood, thus the name “SCRAPPER”. The Old Carvers Law states: “Leave no wood uncarved,” so Scrappers developed as a way to utilize small scraps of wood as a novelty and fun carving. There is no practical use for these Scrapper Bobble Heads other than they provide a way to practice carving faces while using scrap pieces of wood that this Old Carver finds is hard to throw away. It is like the fellow who bought a new boomerang and could not throw his old one away. Read the rest of this entry »
Charles and Doris Leverett hosted for a second time a three day Whittle-Carving class in their Northeast Alabama carving studio on July 16,17 and 18, 2010. Eight students in the photograph are left to right, Hugh O’Neal, Terry Vance, Bob Zenoble, David Wilson and back row left to right: Murrel McCurley, Harry Rutland, Don Mertz, Charlie Leverett and Greg Douglas.
The three day class emphasised learning to “think inside the block” by learning to see a carving project within a block of basswood. Several exercises were introduced to begin the process of “seeing inside the block,” and opening the block to expose the carving subject. Read the rest of this entry »
A FACE-EYE STUDY has been put in a pdf format and can be viewed and printed by going to “BEE HIVE” under the left hand column and click on “FACE-EYE STUDY”.
This is one of the educational projects used in the classes I teach about Whittle-Carving or carving only with a knife. Read the rest of this entry »
A WHITTLE DOODLE is a carving done only with a knife that is in essence “doodling with a knife.” Like doodling with a pencil, doodling with a knife is a free hand and free minded endeavor that does not have an overall plan. Doodling is what comes as one is doodling. Even though several Whittle Doodles have been done over the years and some themes are repeated, yet no two are exactly alike. To carve only with a knife is a challenge in and of itself that brings a special kind of satisfaction when the end result turns out better than imagined. Each Whittle Doodle, like any carving project, is a new journey that brings its own surprises and serendipity discoveries of imagination. Read the rest of this entry »
Inspiration for carving projects comes in various ways. Upon receiving a Father’s Day card with the picture of a chimp in a cowpoke outfit was just the ticket for the next carving project. Using the general guideline for carving six inch tall Cowpokes, this carving simply changed the facial detail into a primate rather than a human. Every carving project is a new learning experience making Top Banana a journey of learning while having fun with the challenge. Making it more of a challenge, Top Banana was carved using only one knife made by Ralph E. Long with a scimitar blade shape. Read the rest of this entry »
MINIATURE Carvings are normally under two inches tall and for competition purposes must fit within a two inch cube including the base. The three Miniatures in the photograph at the left begin on the left with I. B. Whittled (two inch tall) in center is Jughead (one and three eighths of inch tall) and Santa head on golf tee (two inches tall). Each were carved using only the tip end of a knife blade.
