[rick-in-seattle]

I carved this last night during my lunch at work; and painted it tonight.
For some reason, the beard doesn't show up right; it is actually a reflective blue/white.
The second picture shows a little of the blue/white.
It is about 3-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches.

[woody01]

Rich,
I find that the light has to hit the paint just right in order to see it reflect.
I am still trying to to learn more about how to apply this type of paint.
Woody01
I do like your carving!!!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Hey Rick! If you can whip those out that fast, how come your not in on the ornament swaps?? lol

[rick-in-seattle]

Dave,
It seems that around Christmas the only time I have to carve is at work during lunch or while waiting somewhere.
The business is growing so that keeps me hopping and the custom knife orders take what little spare time I do have.


P.S. (For those who have knives on order, thank you for your patience.)

[woodcarver55555]

I like that one. I always carry something with my to carve during my lunch. I work from 11PM to 7AM , try to carve a little when I get home to unwind before hitting the rack.

[rick-in-seattle]

WC55555,
I have a better contract than you, I work 11:00pm to 6:00am.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Rick, think how much time you waste eating! if you skipped breakfast lunch and dinner, think of the carvings you could get done! lol

[MDWine]

Thanks for showing him off, Rick. He really is a nifty little fellow.

Now, you had to know that some nube would want all of the details, and I'm so green I stink!

Did you carve his nose? I have examined the pictures closely, but can't determine if it is carved or not. (Your skill could have a lot to do with that!)

I was wondering, too, about the irridescent paint. That adds a very nice touch!

Thanks again!

[Just Carving]

Hi Rick

Nice Santa! Great idea to use the irridescent paint. I bet it'll look sharp with colored lights on a Christmas tree.

I'm guessing the first photo you took with a flash, and the second one without. The flash might be overwhelming the reflection--sort of like taking a flash picture straight on of a mirror--nothing but a big white burst. The second picture is good--looks like without a flash, but I'm wondering since you were at work, if there were fluorescent lights overhead--they'll give a greenish yellow tinge to everything. Some light also might cancel out a bit of the irridescence, too. A few tips from my fire photographer days--a lot of the emergency vehicles have reflective paint and/or tape--take a flash picture at a slight angle like you did in the second photo, and unless you can put a lens filter--magenta, I believe to counteract fluorescent lights--on your camera, or maybe the digital camera has a setting for that, avoid taking them in fluorescent lights. Another way to mute down the overwhelming flash, is to lay a tissue over the flash. You can use it single ply, or you can double it--if single ply is still too harsh. In some situations, the tissue will soften the burst of light and take the harshness out of it. Sometimes, it's also good when taking pictures of babies, the elderly, or anyone that has a sensitivity to the flash.

I have heard it here before, and I agree that it seems the best photos of carvings are taken outside in sunlight. I have been wanting to try taking some photos inside using a "Daylight" type of incandescent bulb to see if that matches the same effect as taking the photo outside. It would make life a lot easier when it's 20 degrees outside, or for night-life folks, too!

Not trying to be a "know-it-all," just offering some tips I've learned along the way....

[BobD]

If you set the white balance on your digital camera, you can get away with indoor lighting more easily. When we were putting together an article on photography, we got good results by putting the spiral florescents in regular clamp-on garage lights, put some cloth over the lights to diffuse the lights, and shot it without the onboard flash.

IF you have the choice, shoot without your onboard flash--it is notorious for giving you a glare.

Bob