Woodcarving Illustrated - How To Magazine for Carvers: Happy Christmas Gnome

Happy Christmas Gnome
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ross-oar on 01/13/2010 19:19:00
 
This happy fellow started out as a project in a beginner's carving class. The
compact figure is easy to carve, but provides essential practice in carving
faces and texturing hair. Intermediate and advanced carvers can quickly carve
one as a last-minute present.
You can create any number of variations by changing the hat and color scheme.
Turn the figure into a Santa by carving a traditional Santa hat and adding a
ball to the top.
Follow the dotted line around the outside of the main pattern when cutting the
gnome blank on a band saw. Leave a little extra wood to personalize and modify
the carving. The buffer zone also prevents me from amputating the gnome's nose
or toes if I slip when cutting with the band saw.
MATERIALS & TOOLS
MATERIALS:
*2¾" x 2½" x 7" basswood block  	*Acrylic paints: yellow ochre (hat, pants,
and mittens), green (coat, iris), white (hair, beard, mustache, eyebrows, eyes,
eye highlight), flesh (exposed skin), light red (lips), burnt umber (boots),
black (pupil)
TOOLS:
*Band saw  	*Carving knife  	*#9 gouges: 2mm, 5mm, 6mm, and 10mm  	*10mm 90°
V-tool  	*12mm 90° V-tool  	*8mm 75° V-tool  	*5/8" #3 gouge  	*¼" #5 gouge
CARVING WOODEN SANTAS, ELVES, & GNOMES
By Ross Oar
Woodcarving Illustrated Books presents its latest  how-to guide for carving the
jolly man in red and  his crew of friends–elves, gnomes, reindeer,  and much
more! Includes more than 20 delightful  patterns and two complete step-by-step
projects from accomplished carver Ross Oar.