[Mottles]

Wood Spirit

Finished piece 4 ½ inches tall, carved from 5" Tall lx 1.75 inch Pine block

Hi All: Started this yesterday and gave up today! LOL

This is my first carving-- a wood spirit, it’s not very good, but I want to learn. As a beginner it’s important to me for you all to please give me your thoughts for improvement. I lost count of the many times this carve was headed for the trash. But something told me to keep trying because that is how you learn.

I really messed up the eyes and found them to be the most difficult. I also noticed that I had different angles on each side of the nostals. My bench knife was used for the entire carve–which I found a disadvantage. The blade seems to long for this small figure. I kept hitting areas I didn’t want cut and trouble getting to other areas I did want to cut. I finished with a light sanding. Oh about the garden gloves they worked really well except they are too big. I’m waiting for a carving glove and thumb guard which should arrive later this week (thanks Hi_Ho for telling me about Warren Cutlery).

I have such a respect for all you carvers and since I have attempted one myself–the admiration for you all are even more. So anything you can help me with will be most welcome.
Kathy

[Colin_Partridge]

Kathy that is great for your first cqrving especially when you did it with just a knife and one monster garden glove LOL. Not one to use a carving glove even the ones that fit properly I can associate how awkward that must have been. As I said it is really good for your first attempt and I have seen your burnings so I know you will only get better. Looking at the cuts you made I am wondering if your knife isnt a little dull. Also I am sure I dont have to tell you this but as in your burnings there are no straight lines in nature. I just finished doing a carving demo for my grandsons school ( I carved pumkins) and I they all asked many questions and wondered how I made them look realistic. I was telling them how there are no straight lines in nature and they all tried to tell me there was. In the end they all agreed that all straight lines are made by humans not nature. Also I ephasised how every thing is to do with light and shadows as I have seen on your burnings. That is the only constructive critisism I have now if I get up the nerve to try these two burnings I have on the back burner I trust I will recieve much more advise than I could give you. Great job Kathy and congratulations on stepping out of your comfort zone.
Colin

[Thor]

Oh Kathy it's wonderful!
That piece of pine looks like a challenge to anyone too, so don't beat yourself up. The face looks like it has an Aztec influence....very fun. You'll love it when you try basswood. It's a more encouraging wood. this is a great first attempt.
I am glad you're getting the carvers glove. Carving and holding is very scary to me, and when I finally got my glove, my hand held carvings immediately got better.
There are a lot of tutorials on line of how to carve little wood spirits, that will help you be more pleased with things like eyes too. That's how I improved my first attempts, and now they are a lot easier.
By the way, that sunflower painting on your web site is amazing. I love the mine picture too. For that matter, the whole experience of looking through the pages was a real good time this morning. Your talent with color is tremendous.
I look forward to seeing more of your carvings.
Thor

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Kathy...first, as I told you before, I was afraid the knife was a little large for that size carving especially when you haven't carved before.......second....save it! You will be glad you did after you have carved for awhile. It very well could be the knife needs another stropping too. Maybe you should take a look at Rick www.littleshavers.com he is carving in the flat plane style and you can do that with the knife....at the very least you will learn a lot looking at his carvings.....bravo keep after it!

[AlArchie]

Besides encouragement, it sounds like you are looking for advice. The "straight line" business is true. Almost everything you see is curved, bent, tapered, twisted or otherwise "un-straight"!

You did well deciding to begin your face by carving on the corner of the block. A real face will slope back from the point of the nose and chin, at about that same angle, with some switches in surface direction.

Regarding those angles and changes.....if you take the tip of the nose as the most forward part of the face, taper-cut BACK from the tip to the bridge of the nose, deep enough to allow you to round off the forehead. Even though the forhead will round back along those same angles as the cheeks and chin, it is still the "flatest" surface on the face.

Now you can cut back the cheeks to around the area of the flare inthe nostrils.

The lead edge of the lips is a little out from the lowest point of the undercut nose.

Depending on what you want the chin to do, it can be anywhere from quite extended from the lips, to receeding.

If you check with a caricature carver, you can get some far better advice than this, but it is a start. I haven't carved a whole lot of faces, but the ones I have are pretty decent and I've used the above technique to rough them out. Now, detailing and definition is something I'll leave to those who know better.

Al

[jamesfa]

Mottles- for a first attempt with only one knife to work with your off to a start,your carving looks very Easter Island.
if you go to my picture trail in other stuff,or misc there should be a step by step face stick i made up for some one at the senior center to give them an idea.no question the eyes are the hardest followed by the mouth.
will try to find in my stuff some articles i my have about face carving.


Frank

[Kenny_S]

I have seen a lot worse for first carvings. You have a good start. You have recieved some gret advice already and I ditto what the rest said. Flat plan Scandinavia Carving can be achived by just a knife. Go to www.littleshavers.com and or ask Rick at littleshavers on what tools you need to start out. He can set you up very reasonable in prices. I wished that I had known about him when I got started years ago.

[Mottles]

Hi everyone, I really appreciate your comments and your thoughts for improvement. That is the very reason I knew I could depend on you all.
Colin: Thank you LOL, the glove is a little large but it was better than nothing. I didn't realize it until I looked at the image--the glove thumb and index finger of glove forms the way I was holding the wood spirit. My knife was sharpened at the factory which I understand it can be improved upon. My hubby gave me a leather belt lengeth he'd cut to use himself. Also he showed me several sharpening stones that belonged to his Dad who was a barber.
Your right there no straight lines in nature! grin
I'll look forward to your burns I think you might just surprise yourself. I've only been burning since September of this year and have so much more to learn.
Thor: Thank you, I did have some problems with the pine as some of my cuts would pickup the grain and splinter. I have a piece of basswood block that I should really just sacrifice and do another wood spirit using it. I found after I had almost finished this one the step by step thread on carving a gnome. It was in this forum and linked from a WCI article. I had already messed up the eyes and there was no recovering. LOL
Thank you for visiting my website and I'm so pleased you enjoyed your visit. I still have to add my Bodie Wagon woodburning, just to busy right now having fun. I had one of my friends the other day ask me how I could leave color work. My only response was I haven't left one foot is still in the box. LOL
Dave: Yes, probably for this size for sure...I would like to have a knife with a shorter blade too. I will save my first wood spirit and you are right it is good to save our first carving. The same thing hold true for our first drawing and paintings--it's just a storage problem...tee hee
I have been to Rick's site and I have seen his work and of course it's really good. As we talked about Saturday I don't want to buy more tools than I need. Even though the temptation would be great! Thank you for the encouragment.
Al: Thank you, I value you advice and that of the others greatly. You have broken down the steps in a way that is very understandable and make me feel it's doable. I really appreciate you taking the time to think this though for me. I will study your directions and give it my best effort.
Frank: Thank you too, I had to laugh because I thought my carving resembled some of the Easter Island Sculptures too. Only as I recall they didn't have beards. grin
I'll see if I can find your step by step and thank you for mentioning it.
Kenny: Thank you, there are so many things that I wrong with it. But I have to keep telling myself 'it's my first carving'. The only way I'm going to get better is to carve.

Well, again thank you all so much. Big
Kathy

[MelNM]

Kathy, you did real well for your first carving, specially dealing with pine. My first carving was also pine. You should of seen my first carving, my wife has it still somewhere, If I find it, I'll share it with you.

Your carving is pretty good for being your first carving, whats neat, in a short while you'll see major changes in the way your carving inproves. Think of it like your first drawing and look how much you have improved since then, with your artistic ability I expect to start seeing some major improvements real quick.

The only thing that bums me out is your first carving is way better than my first one.

[Mottles]

Hi Mel, thank you I have sinced carved on it a little more. Colins comments about shadows got me to thinking I didn't carve deep enough in a lot of areas and to much in others. If I would have not messed up the eyes I think it would have looked better. Good lessons learned!

Given your carvings along with others it does set the bar high and a real goal for me. I was reluctant to share my first carve, but I'm so glad I did. Working in the round is a real challenge I have done some clay sculpture. With clay if you take to much off it's much, much easier to replace it. Not so with wood!
Kathy