How long do you stay a beginner?

[STAR]

This might be a cheeky question but it is in good fun so I hope all take it that way.

My question is' How long does a beginner stay a beginner? or put another way, When does a beginner stop posting in the beginner's section and move on to the individual sections of this forum.

I suspect it is not the number of months you have up since starting carving but really the number of hours and carvings you have clocked up.

I have just finished my third carving, the Black miniature Dexter Cow. I am reasonably happy with it and will post a picture here during the week. The nect carving will be much more difficult for me as I will be trying to follow the style of the caricature carvers and attempt to have that outlook.

Maybe, I should just keep practicing drawing caricature stlyle objects and people because it is a new idea for me.

But, back to the question , when is a beginner not a beginner?.

Pete

[aulddiy]

As you've said its not a serious question. I consider myself a beginner, hoping it means my carving skills will improve! Well I can hope even if I'm 71 and been carving for 4 years. Then again an indentured apprenticeship lasted a minimum of 4 years .\So I do n't know, to call myself a beginner is an attitude but the most important attitude ,for me, is I love to carve.

[Paul_Guraedy]

Where to post? Wherever it is germaine to the subject. It is not so much the person as the question/observation that is important. We are all beginners at some aspects of woodcarving. I have been carving since 1980 and have never done chip carving. Certainly I would be a beginner there.

away, if it is too far off topic, one of the mods will move it to where more folks will find it.

[William]

There are so many different types of wood carving it may
depend on the type they select for themselves.

If someone is interested in "Folkart" then they would not
be a beginner after the first carving but thats the nature of
folkart there is no point of reference.

I don't consider myself a beginner when working on stylized
decoys but when I try human realistic carving that may be
considered sculpture and use someone tike Fred Zavadil
as a point of reference then I'm absolutely a beginner.

Bill
^v^

I didn't see Pauls post when I did mine but that's how I feel too.

[Ezzylearner]

For me, I see myself a beginner each time I start a new project. Safe carving to all.

Lawrence (or call me Ezzy, if you like)

[BeaverDon]

Until you've tried everything once!

[Steve Reed]

Pete, I think it's more of a state of mind than anything else. Carving, and art in general is an intensely personal thing. One man's "masterpiece" might be another's kindling wood. The point is in the creation. Certainly no one is going to jump your case for posting in any forum, as mentioned above. I've been carving for 30+ years and don't consider myself a "master" at all.
By way of explanation, someone once asked Andre Segovia (master guitarist) how long it takes to learn guitar. His response was "I'll let you know". I believe he was 90 at the time.
Happy carving
Steve

[Claude]

Well...that is an interesting question... Our local carving competition here in NoVA says one can be a Novice carver if carving less than 2 years and have not won a blue ribbon.

I've been carving off and on for probably 50 years, but still consider myself a beginner at some aspects of carving. I have never done a chip carving, for example, so I'm a beginner there.

For posting - as Paul says - post where it seems most appropriate. If you want people to see a caricature carving, then that would be the best forum, as not all caricature carvers read the beginner's forum.

Claude

[STAR]

Originally Posted by Claude

Well...that is an interesting question...

For posting - as Paul says - post where it seems most appropriate. If you want people to see a caricature carving, then that would be the best forum, as not all caricature carvers read the beginner's forum.

Claude

--------------------------
Thanks all for the replies.I am still trying to get my head around how best to reply to the answers because I guess it depends on your personality where you post but in truth your peers judge you on reality not your ego.

At this stage, my ego says I have improved on my style but it is not really caricature, nor any other style. You have to start somewhere and caricature is where I would like to head.

I think for this Black Dexter Cow I will stick it into the beginners section because that is where I feel it is best suited at this stage and try for my next carving to be something really simple in a more developed caricature style if possible.

Pete

[Robson Valley]

30(?) years ago, I started carving wood. Low-relief wood-cuts using a common tool in my trade = scalpel. I wanted to make prints. None of them ever got printed and I have one last surviving example. Carving "in-the-round" began seriously some 5-6 years ago, maybe more. I will forever be a corner post in the beginner's camp for several reasons. I don't care to compete. I can't ever seem to get my final fit and finish to look as "done" as in the work I see posted in this forum. Best of all, in every one of my carvings, at some point, I say to myself: "Dang! I should have known better than to try that cut."
For the most part, I am happiest to watch the revelation of whatever I have seen in a particular piece of wood.