Long Distance Carving Instruction

[Paul_Guraedy]

My cousin, Ila Kay, wanted to learn woodcarving. She lives in Dallas (TX) and I live in the Ozarks (AR). Last summer, she managed to get up here for a few days of basic carving instruction, and I do mean basic. Ila Kay also wanted some assistance in repairing a decoration that had belonged to her Mother.

We knew that our carving time was limited. Then I heard her exclaim, “Oh ****!” Assuming that she had either cut herself or whacked off part of the decoration, I jumped up, from a carving I was doing, and started screaming, “Spread your fingers! Don’t touch anything!” Ila Kay had been using a tube of super glue when it split and covered both of her hands. Took us most of the rest of the day to get that stuff off of her. Luckily, Grandaughter, Katie, 13 is at the stage of constantly changing fingernail color ….lots of cleaner available. My frien’s blood on a carving is easier to deal with!

Anyway back to the carving. Ila Kay’s first carving was a goose ornament (modified from a design by Joe Wannamaker). We got most of the carving roughed out in the time we had and she finished it after returning home. A rocking horse was chosen as the next effort (don’t know who did this design) and then Ila Kay did “Opus” (a design I did because I loved that comic strip). If she hit a problem or did not understand a procedure, she would call me, we would talk about it, sometimes I would have Diana take a photo of me demonstrating a “how to go” and send it to her, sometimes she would take a photo of “a mistake” and send it to me and we would decide how to work around it; but it is possible for folks who are located in a “no nearby woodcarver zone” to utilize the digital camera, internet and cell phone to learn woodcarving.

[Mr. Chips]

Great idea Paul!
Looks like Ila Kay is on her way.
Thanks for sharing.

Randy

[cut up]

Great Idea. I live in OKC area and one of my granddaughters in San Antonio has expressed an interest in learning to carve. We've had one occasion for a 1 on 1 in person for a brief time, but I've been thinking about using Skype when she gets ready for more instruction. We just haven't been able to get our times synchronized.
Michael

[carverswoodshop]

lol i am always on skype,,, its fun and it does work

arleen zomer lol if you have any carving question, i am only on when i am logged on the computer,,, it works but you will need a good internet connection,,

carverswoodshop
YouTube - ‪carverswoodshop's Channel‬‎

[Paul_Guraedy]

Never heard of Skype so I looked it up. I think I will stick with the current system...that I understand and can use easily.

Basically, I send photos to Ila Kay from all four angles looking down on the carving and from all four sides in profile. I leave them large enough that she can enlarge any portion that she needs to look at. I also send a step by step set of instructions on where to start, what we are tyring to accomplish and where to go next. If she does not understand how to make that cut or what I am doing we get on the cell phone (both are AT&T and our plans do not charge minutes for these phone calls). If there is still a question, I can have Diana take some pics of me making the cut or whatever.

The big disadvantage is that some mistakes are made before we realize that the instructor was not being real clear. Then I fall back on what one of my first instructors told me about when to start teaching, "....when you can correct most of the mistakes that your students make." So far we have been able to correct the errors we make ....without having to redesign the carving!

I think this offers possibilities for folks who want to try something that they are not familiar with and do not have an instructor nearby. There are enough of us on WCI that we should be able to work with folks who are just getting into woodcarving as well as those that want to try a new genre.

[Claude]

Most relatively new laptops have video cameras built in to them. If you each have a Mac, then you can use the iChat function. If either of you, or both, have a PC and AOL, you can use AIM (AOL Instant Messaging) for video chats. Mac's iChat will talk to AIM, also. If you don't have AOL, then get SKYPE - allows you to type back and forth, as well as see each other and talk. You can even pass files (such as JPG photos) while you're typing/speaking/viewing.

Claude