"Tips" from the pages of Wood Carving Illustrated - Sailor with Flag

Sailor with Flag
A patriotic carving unfurls
a few challenges
By Ross Oar

My “Sailor with Flag” composition was inspired by two events more than 40 years apart. The first was my service in the Navy from 1958-1960, as a torpedo man aboard the USS McCaffery. The second was an upcoming reunion with my shipmates where the carving would be my contribution to a fund-raising raffle.

Before finishing this caricature, the United States was rocked by the September 11, 2001 tragedy. That’s when I decided to add the American flag to make the project more patriotic.

Preparation
I first sculpted a clay model of the sailor. Clay offers a three-dimensional form from which to copy; it also serves as a model for establishing more animation than I might achieve otherwise with paper patterns and illustrations.

While I’ve had many years of experience carving figures, the unfurled flag was something I had not done. To visualize how to carve it, I used a piece of heavy paper laid flat and drew the rectangle for the flag, adding the stars and bars. I then rolled the paper like a cone, folded and glued it to a dowel to have a model to study when I carved and painted.

I based the sailor’s uniform on one I wore while serving aboard the USS McCaffery, a destroyer escort for the aircraft carrier Wasp. The insignia on the sailor’s left arm is the torpedo man’s rating. The service awards carved on the chest represent “marksman” and “service time.”

As for most of my projects, I used basswood. The wood is easy to carve and holds details well. I believe it is the best wood for carving caricatures. The sailor was created from a basswood block about 5 in. thick by 6 in. wide and 14 in. long. The basswood flag began 8 in. long and 4 in. square. The flagpole is a length of dowel.

Carving Tips
My arsenal of tools included a 11/2-in. carving knife, no. 9 and 10 gouges, a 6mm fishtail gouge, and a 75-degree 12mm V tool. After bandsawing the cutout to shape, I started with a no. 9 12mm gouge to rough out the two pieces. Then, I gradually worked on the details, not overdoing any one area. Making a lot of small cuts with gouges gives me a cleaner-looking surface. Typically, I cut across the grain a lot because basswood yields the desired cuts without splitting or chipping.

For the inner part of the flag, I used a knife and several different gouges—especially no. 9s and 10s. I finished the inside with a fishtail gouge and the outside with a knife to make it smooth.

Painting Notes
I used watered-down acrylics for most of the project, keeping them on the light side so viewers can tell there is wood underneath. While colors can be darkened by adding more paint, they cannot be lightened. I did find that applying oil paints to the face and hands of the sailor allowed me to blend and texture colors to achieve more accurate skin tone.

As I do with other carvings, I painted the face and hands first. These are areas that can be problematic and may take some time. To achieve skin tone, I mixed small amounts of yellow and red oil paints on plastic lids from cottage cheese and butter containers, playing around with the colors until the mixture suited my eye.

The sailor’s uniform is an acrylic blue, but I stippled burnt umber under the arms and in other places where I wanted to create shadows. To highlight high spots such as where the shoulders and elbows stand out, I stippled with white, adding more water to the paint so the material looks stretched.

To dry the acrylics quickly, I used a hair dryer. For the oil colors, I added a cobalt dryer, which helps dry the paints in a day. This additive is available at most hobby and artists’ supply stores.

A few words of advice: Take your time and be as meticulous as you can with the painting. Poor painting techniques will ruin even a great carving.

Fair Winds and Following Seas
The reunion was held in Portsmouth, Virginia, October 2002. My carving was such a hit that it sold more than $600 in raffle tickets. The money will be used to help fund future reunions.

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Ross Oar began carving in his father’s machine shop when he was only nine years old. His carvings, depicting all aspects of life, have included commission pieces ranging in size from three inches to six feet high. An award-winning carver, Ross invented the Oar Carver Pocketknife and the Oar Sharpener, the latter featured in WCI’s Issue no. 22. Ross holds other patents as well. He and his wife, Barbara, own West Falls Woodcarving, in West Falls, New York.