My First Gnome

[meipo]

Dear All,

I just did this first gnome of mine, second carving I have ever done. I started by following the WCI bonus article -- "6 minute gnome". About half way through, I sort of got lost and strayed off on my own. To make it worse, the wood started splitting after I roughed it out, and the gap got bigger as I progressed. That's why I decided to let the eyebrows be asymmetrical so as to cope with the wood split. To be honest, I did not have a clear plan of how I wanted it to look. The post, facial expression and the fact that the gnome is whistling: the carving "told" me what to do.

Since I am currently a "loner carver" with no one to show me anything, what I did is all based on what I see and my imagination. I know I have made a bunch of mistakes (some fixed, some are not), and I am sure there are more I cannot even see yet. What I need from you is comments and advice as to what I can do to improve myself.

Here are some of the things I can see and need help with:
1/ The narrow space between the eyes and the nose: I do not have any tool that is narrow enough to go in to clean it out. All I had was a bench knife. I picked and picked and picked. It's kinda messy. How do you normally clean out that space? What can I do to make it look better now?

2/ The "dimples" near the temple on the side of the face. The right side of the gnome seems to have more problems than the left. I do not know if it is the wood or I used the wrong tool, or my techniques: the edge of the blade keeps catching end grains either direction. That's why you can see stray lines in that area right above the cheek. Same problem near the bottom of the gown on the left. How do I make a divot like that without such problem with end grains catching?

3/ Since the piece is carved out of a 2"x2"x8" stick, by the time I knew the gnome is on one knee and that the butt sticks out a little, I don't have a lot of wood to allow for it anymore. How do you handle that situation? Also, the back side in particular, has a lot of flat surface. What is the right way of treating it? I did not like the flat look of a sawn and sanded surface. So, I made shallow cuts with a chisel to "clean" it out. What do you think of it?

4/ Given the splits in the wood, I don't think I am going to paint it. Should I oil it with some boiled linseed oil? I am not sure if I want to sand it smooth. The basswood gets slightly fuzzy after sanding. But, then, without sanding, how do I have a smoother finish, particularly on the face?

5/ I left quite a few stray marks all over the place. They were not there during the phase of roughing out. The more I tried to refine the cuts, the more stray lines I get. I learnt that part of it was the way I used the bench knife. I paid more attention and cleaned out some of them, but they are still all over the place. Can you tell me what my problems are and how to prevent them in the future?

6/ I have temporarily penciled in the eyes. Given the cartoonish face, what do you suggest I do with the eyes now? Carve the iris in and make it look darker, or what?

Sorry about the long message, but any advice and comment is appreciated.

meipo,
the new woman with knives

[Thor]

I think your knome looks great. If this is your second carving, then you need to ease up and pat yourself on the back. Each one gets better.
I know you are asking good questions to learn more and I am sure you'll get some helpful suggestions. This is a great place for that. My first carvings were no where near that good or clean.
Whatever finish you put on it, paint or oil, will bring out the detail and make it even better. Congrats on doing well.
Thor

[Tom-H]

I think it's a fine little Gnome. And I agree, leave it unpainted. Heck it's already got the rustic look that many strive for. And if I were you I would try to recognize that their are some unique features to this little fellow. These features could become the things that make your Gnomes stand out from the others. Great job, regardless of whether it's a thirdt carving or the 300th. Tom H

[Ashbys]

The gnome loos like a gnome to me , and for a second carving using only a knife it is impressive.

Now lets see If I can help answer your questions.

1)

1/ The narrow space between the eyes and the nose: I do not have any tool that is narrow enough to go in to clean it out. All I had was a bench knife. I picked and picked and picked. It's kinda messy.

When you "pick" wood it opens the fibers which results in getting a fuzzy or rough finish, without knowing what bench knife your using it is hard to make make a statement of how to improve the cut. It looks like the eyes and the bridge of the nose are raised. Which helped complicate the carving. because now your working between two elevated planes. By picking you were able to get the wood out but it resulted in the wood fibers being raised causing it to become rough. By using angle cuts and a flat sliceing cut you might have been able to cut cleaner but the area might have been too small. A number d5/3 gouge would have given an eaiser cut.
To clean it now, I would suggest sandpaper, as the fastest way and it will blend the area.

2/ The "dimples" near the temple on the side of the face. The right side of the gnome seems to have more problems than the left. I do not know if it is the wood or I used the wrong tool, or my techniques: the edge of the blade keeps catching end grains either direction. That's why you can see stray lines in that area right above the cheek. Same problem near the bottom of the gown on the left. How do I make a divot like that without such problem with end grains catching?

When working in the round or with lamaneted block the grain of the wood will change. Often causing one side or the other to accept cuts more eaisly resulting in a deeper cuts or an unbalanced side. Rotation of the piece while cutting will improve this so you may well end up cutting upside down. Using angles cuts will help control this as well. This is something you will improve on as you progress and become more aware of the grain changes. Practice will improve this. If you think of the the wood as a rolled up twisted together book , the pages would be the fibers of the grain, the direction of the twist would be the direction of the grain. If you cut the page with the directicon of the twist it will cut eaisly, but if you cut against the twist it will grab and pull and what to tear before you get the cut. This is the same problem you have in carving the wood. The grain wants to give eaisly on one side and the other wants to grab and pull you in. Practice give you the knowledge of when to control your cut more.

3/ Since the piece is carved out of a 2"x2"x8" stick, by the time I knew the gnome is on one knee and that the butt sticks out a little, I don't have a lot of wood to allow for it anymore. How do you handle that situation? Also, the back side in particular, has a lot of flat surface. What is the right way of treating it? I did not like the flat look of a sawn and sanded surface. So, I made shallow cuts with a chisel to "clean" it out. What do you think of it?

As you do more you will learn to round the piece more. Most beginners carvings reflect this. You will find over time and practice there is more wood there than you think. If you can sand it chances are you can cut it unless the area is a blend line that the cut needed is less than .010 of an inch or about the width of a human hair.


4

/ Given the splits in the wood, I don't think I am going to paint it. Should I oil it with some boiled linseed oil? I am not sure if I want to sand it smooth. The basswood gets slightly fuzzy after sanding. But, then, without sanding, how do I have a smoother finish, particularly on the face?

You said the wood split after you were carving it and then split more while you were working on it. Splits are normal at they are caused from the wood drying as well as the pressure from the wood itself pulling together. This is the same reason a relief carving will bow. As you releive the wood the remaining wood pulls into itself resulting in the bow or stress relief cracks. I have to ask was the wood dry before you started?
If the wood is still drying out I would expect there to be additional cracks. There are many different products to reduce the effects, an oil finish could help reduce the cracking depending upon the water content still present in the wood.

5/ I left quite a few stray marks all over the place. They were not there during the phase of roughing out. The more I tried to refine the cuts, the more stray lines I get. I learnt that part of it was the way I used the bench knife. I paid more attention and cleaned out some of them, but they are still all over the place. Can you tell me what my problems are and how to prevent them in the future?

Practice and awareness of your knife edge will improve this. I still get stray cuts from time to time, as I am paying attention to what I am doing and not to what is behind ot close to where I am cutting , practice will improve this.

6/ I have temporarily penciled in the eyes. Given the cartoonish face, what do you suggest I do with the eyes now? Carve the iris in and make it look darker, or what?

There are many different ways to get this. Paint them , as your only using a bench knife and they will give a nice effect.

Hope this helps

Ash

[meipo]

Thanks, Thor and Tom for your comliments and encouragement. As I said, it was supposed to be a "6 minute gnome". It definitely was not so for me. Em, I'll say at least 2 afternoons and 2 evenings in total, plus some impulsive short refinements afterwards. I have no carving friends around here, so I have no idea if I am doing well, or if I am "retarded", you know.

And Ash, thanks for answering my questions. Now more questions after the original questions:
1/ What is an angle cut, and what is a flat slicing cut?
You are correct in your observation that the eyes and nose are raised. That makes the space between an eye and the nose about not much wider than 1/8". How do I stick sand paper in there without hurting the nose or the eyes?

2/ If you compare the right temple and the left, the left side is much smoother. Every time I try to clean out the right, if I cut up, the knife catches something at the bottom of the dip. So, I try to clean up cutting down, then it catchies something else at the same spot. Given the gnome is done this way now, I can't change the ciraction much more, can I? Any way I can fix those lines then?

4/ I got this 2"x2"x9' long stick from Woodcraft for $4.50. I thought it was a good deal at a time for practicing. It turned out that it has quite a few knots and stiff fibers inside. However, compared to the piece of scrap 2x4 I used before, or a piece of poplar I had my hands on, this is much easier to work with. When I got it, it seemed reasonably dry already. I was just disappointed that it crackd more and more along the road. Anyways, what was done was done. I hope the oil will nourish it a bit and make things look better.

Thanks so much for your time and advice. I really appreciate it.

meipoHappy

[Kenny_S]

Cute Gnome

[Claude]

Meipo: Where in Maryland are you? There are some carvers on this forum from Maryland.

Claude

[Ashbys]

Mepio,

Ok lets see.

1/ What is an angle cut

If you consider the knife as a flat and the surface of your carving as a plane if you produce a single stright cut with your knife into the plane you should have a right angle cut. Or basically if the knife is not tilted you should have 2 90 degree angles between the side of the knife and the surface of the carving. "a T effect if you will with the blade of the knife being the lower part of the t and the carving being the cross line of the t. An angle cut would be a cut produced from the knife being tilited on an angle producing a \ effect with the knife blade.
If you tilt the knife in one direction towrds the eye / and then tilt cut towards the nose \ you will get a hill effect /\ this would be produced by two angle cuts. By using the knife laying flat againt the surface you can get a flat cut or a "_ "type cut. By moving your knife while it is flat you will get a slicing action producing a longer "____" flat cut effect. Like slicing a tomato. This effect with combined against the hill effect will remove the hill while following the sufrace. You only need to use the tip to get this cutting effect.

You can fold the sand paper or use a nail file.

If you compare the right temple and the left, the left side is much smoother. Every time I try to clean out the right, if I cut up, the knife catches something at the bottom of the dip. So, I try to clean up cutting down, then it catchies something else at the same spot.

This is a change in the grain, your knife is catching the grain line it is typical with in the round carving. I would not worry to much about it at this time, when you do your next piece try to keep the knife from twisting and cutting in. It gets eaiser with practice.

I would assume the wood is dry, but there are many pulls which take place in wood. The wood is made up of many cells As you cut it releives pressure on other cells and they cells want to pull in. Sometimes the wood just reacts by opening up. It is just a part of the process of learning.

Hope this helps

Ash

[meipo]

Thanks, Ken. To be frank with you, the gnome carries a lot of the facial features of my husband. I did not think about it when I did it, and only saw it when it was done. I am glad you find it cute. It is double good news for me.

Claude: I live in Takoma Park, Maryland 20912. I know Susan Irish lives in Maryland, but quite far away from me. Otherwise, I might have been kneeling in front of her house offering myself as an apprentice like in old kung fu movies . . . So, who else lives around here?

Ash: Thanks again for the explanation. That does help me understand much better the previous message. Now that this is kinda done, I feel a little "depressed" because of the feeling that it is over. I am now pondering about what the next thing should be to keep the "high". Tell me: does it mean I have offically caught the bug now???

meipo

Bouncing S

[love2carve2]

Meipo,
Very cute gnome. Very nice job, especially for your second carving.

And uh yes you have caught the bug. And it is one bug you will not be sorry for catching.
Mary