[gene messer]

Kathy .. that is a top knotch job there .. Like the way you did the beard and mustache ..

And what kind of red is that you used on the hat ? .. That is some of the deepest red I have ever seen on in a color .. It's beautiful the way it's done ..

A beautiful piece for a Christmas ornament on anyones tree..

Great job Kathy ..

Gene

[Merle Rice]

Hi Kathy, It seems that you and I have nose problems. LOL. You corrected in fine. You have STICKTOIFNESS. It paid off. Nice work, as usual. Merle

[Mottles]

Hi Gene & Merle, thank you both so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to look and comment.

Gene, the color I used for the hat is 'Cranberry Wine' acrylic by DecoArt Americana. In the image the color actually looks darker than it really is from the bottle. Nevertheless, it is a very deep reddish/purple and I think a very rich color. I'm not sure how it would look as a washed or glazed color. Might be pretty, let me know if you use it on one of your carvings.

Merle, I think I have discovered part of my nose problem, I don't stop-cut my gouge deep enough into the outside of the nose wing. I have another half-block I'm working on and have cut in much deeper on the nose wing. Hopefully, that will solve my problem. I keep my gouges stropped during and after carving which I think helps. As for "STICKTOIFNESS" I'm a bet stubborn (OK a lot) and I hate to waste good basswood. Also, I was lucky that I had enough wood that I didn't lose--to still be able to make the nose right.

Merry Christmas,
Kathy