Woodcarving Illustrated - How To Magazine for Carvers: Realistic Squirrel Ornament

Realistic Squirrel Ornament
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DesireeHajny on 01/17/2010 15:26:00
 
Given the right circumstances, realistic wildlife carvings make great holiday
ornaments. I created this squirrel holding a candy cane to combine my interest
in realistic wildlife with whimsical situations.
I carve this piece out of a solid block of wood, using a variety of power and
hand tools. After shaping the carving, add texture with power-carving bits and a
woodburner.
After you finish adding texture with the woodburner, mix a bit of water with
burnt sienna acrylic paint and apply it to the squirrel with a round brush. Use
the photo of the ornament as a reference. Allow the paint to dry. Dip a
stiff-bristle brush in white acrylic paint and scrub it on a paper bag to remove
most of the paint and evenly distribute the remaining paint through the brush.
Stroke the brush across the fur texture to apply a bit of white paint to just
the high parts of the fur.
Use a detail brush to paint the eyes black, the teeth and white stripe on the
candy cane white, and the red stripes on the candy cane red. Add a few dots of
black around the mouth to simulate whiskers.