[wood-whittler]

the santa is very nicely done joy, over time you will develop your own style the key is to carve alot and make little changes here and there,maybe start with the beard make it longer or the moustache you can change it and if you do this over a period of time you will start having you own style. your carvings are great so just keep up the good work.


bart

[gene messer]

Joy .. Wonderful work ..
We all learn and borrow from someone when we do anything .. That's why there's books and studies for us to know techniques left by those before us ..
In time your create your own style and then look out ! .. Their be others asking you how you do your's ..
Thanks for sharing
Gene

[Kenny_S]

What do you mean, you are not creative? Very creative, taking two different styles, putting them together and come up with a very nice carved and painted Santa. Job well done. I like it!

[Colin_Partridge]

Joy really nice Santa you have done very well. I have one of Dave Francis's santa's he is a fabulous carver.
Colin

[susieq]

Good Job, Joy......
He is lovely. Nancy_G is right, we all started out by trying to copy work we saw, found in books, etc..... You learn how to use your tools while doing this, and you experiment with new ideas inserted into a pattern from a book. Before you know it, you are dreaming up your own Santas. You will have your own "look" before you know it. It happens without even trying, so don't try too hard. Just have fun and do what makes you happy. One day you wake up and you're there.... and you, my dear, are well on your way.
susieq

[Banjo]

You guys are too nice but your encouragement couldn't have come at a better time. Yesterday, I messed up 2 nice pieces of basswood trying to get another Santa started. And I thought I was making progress!

No fooling, this is a great group of people and thanks for making me feel so welcome.

Joy

[susieq]

Joy,
Quit being so hard on yourself.....you say you messed up a piece of basswood or two? So cut it down and make something smaller. Maybe an santa head ornament? It's the learning process.....

One of my early lessons.....don't leave carvings unattended on the dining room table while you are painting them, if you have a big puppy..... I went to make coffee one morning before I picked up my brushes again.....while I was making the coffee, our large boxer pup got curious and grabbed THE VERY BEST ONE of several ornaments I was painting. By the time I realized through my morning fog, what was going on, Toby had completely destroyed the ornament. I was getting ready for a show so I took a picture of Toby and put it beside the chewed remains of the ornament on my table at the show, along with a sign that read: "carved by Toby". Everyone got a good laught out of it.
susieq

[Nancy_G]

I remember maybe 12 - 14 years ago I carved a long string of really nice (in my opinion ) Santas. I thought I was really hot. So I started a big, really complicated one and you've never seen such a mess. It could not be fixed no matter how I tried. To teach my ego a lesson I kept that awful thing setting on my work table for a year. I can STILL "see" that thing.

It's 4 or 5 steps forward, then a step or 2 backward. You're still going in the right direction.

[Mottles]

Hi Joy, good combination I like it very much. Keep up the good work!
Kathy

[Blake Lunsford]

Very nice santa! I wouldn't be complaining at all! It looks great!

Blake