Newbie Needs Help

[Michael Short]

I just started carving about 6 weeks ago and have been working on carving faces on the corner block. I have gone from roughout stage to trying to work on final carvings. I am having trouble doing the eyebrows. Is there a good tutorial out on the net or video that will help me under stand the cuts to make a decent eye brow? Right now they look more like scratches in wood then eyebrows. Thanks in advance.


Mike

[cut up]

I've not had too much experience with eyebrows, but here's my thoughts for what they are worth.
If you feel your own eyebrows from the forehead toward your eyes, there is a slight rise where the eyebrow is. You'll have to slightly exaggerate this line on your carving the entire length of the brows on the carving. Then when you put in your "scratches" it'll leave an appearance of hair.
I hope this rambling makes sense and is some help. I've not seen any demo's, video's, or tutorials on this subject. Hang on to your hat, though, because someone is bound to have a better explanation.
Merry Christmas,
Michael

[carver6]

If you look at most carvings, they nearly all look like they need some help.IMO That said I've never seen a tutorial about eyebrows. I'm not saying there isn't one but I haven't seen it. May take some experimenting. I don't have an answer.
Good luck
Garon

[Dagwood]

eye brows is nothing more than hair. sometimes less is better. use a small v-tool or gouge. i use both. make a series of "s" curves starting out from the nose side of the brow (almost up and down) to the out side of the face (ending up almost left to right). Mark Akers has some santas posted this week is holiday section titled Winding Down which shows some great eyebrow and beard work. hope this helps

[Michael Short]

Thanks for the response. I will check out Mark Akers Santas.

[Tom-H]

A simple technique that I share with some newer carvers involves paring some wood from the top of the eye area where the eye brows will be. Create a rised area at the top of the eye "sockets" by cutting towards the bottom of the hat. Create a little ridge over each eye. You can separate this ridge with a small gouge or knife cut to end up with two eye brows. Finally use your thumb nail to press into this ridges, starting at the nose and working outwards; and making a series of "cuts" that are the brows. Course you can do the same with a V-tool.

Hope helps.

Tom H

[Michael Short]

Thanks Tom. I will try that.

[Claude]

I do the same as Tom - using my detail knife, I start just above where I want the eyebrow to be and shave off a layer from the entire forehead. This results in an eyebrow ridge above the eyes. Remove a bit more between the eyebrows so the carving doesn't have a "uni-brow". Then I carve some shallow groves with a small v tool for the hair, just like Dwayne says: near vertical close to the nose, and becoming almost horizontal at the temple.

Claude

[Michael Short]

Thanks Claude. I am going to try the raised brow and I think the issue is that I have been making the brow cuts all vertical giving me the scratch look rather than a brow. I am going to angle the cuts as you suggest and see how those look. Thanks for the response.

[mobjack68]

Originally Posted by Michael Short

I am having trouble doing the eyebrows.
Mike

Welcome aboard...lots of encouragement and good advice in the above posts...
My best advice?? get some scrap wood/sticks and carve eyebrows..."eyebrow practice" as it were. and keep carving eyebrows until YOU are happy with your technique and the results. I use gouges to undercut the brow line and shape eyeballs, just works best for me (welcome to the vortex)
I read somewhere, written by an old timer, that in order to be "comfortable" carving something..you need to do it at least 100 times.....I am still a long way from some of that myself.
Lips give me a fit. Guess I need to carve "lip-sticks"...HHmmm