reintroduction of teaching sticks

[Mottles]

I'm new to carving and being new I have tried to obsurb everything like a sponge. This thread is no different and I do feel I learn best by a real time person showing by example. I don't think I'd want someone carving my piece for me either. But I would like an instructor who could demonistrate carving technique. Show me on a blank piece of block how they would make the cuts correctly. Then set the piece in front of me so I can learn and translate it to my own work. My background is in fine art painting and you see a lot of this very thing there also. The temptation is great to take someones brush and show them how it should be done. But you have to resist that temptation. So I always have a blank canvas divided into squares and I will demonstrate what I'm trying to show the painter. I like to demonstrate how I would approach a subject or object--then the person could visualize and translate to their canvas. Yikkes got a little off track OK a lot. LOL
I bought one of the resin cast study sticks an realistic Indian from www.littleshavers.com and to actually have it in my hands as a study model will be really helpful. I love the old time carver's tradition of actually carving one from wood and handing it down.
Kathy

[Thomp]

Mottles,

i wasent aware rick-in-seattle sold the study-teaching sticks in
http://www.littleshavers.com catalouge pg14, they are great in all the different studys he has,

i looked at your wood carvings and i think you could help with a teaching stick of how you did the eyes on "Gimli" charter you have posted.

the stick im currently making is a effort to teach but it has a usefull means of teaching myself how to make an old mans features stand out,

most all heads are oval, some are more round and some nearly squair.

in elderly thinner men with no teeth, the chin juts out the mouth srinks back under the nose the nose gets a hooked appearance creases from nose to jaw are more prevelant and the ears are bigger for some reason 'I WAS TOLD ONCE THAT as you age your nose and ears never stop growing" i dont know if this is true, or we just loose toned muscle and weight or we just srink as we get elderly, as our beltline rises above out navles..

this subject of the stick im currently making has tought me some tricks i never tried. with the mouth chin and upper lip, also grim expresson of unsadisfied grumpy old men..

hope you can see the details in future pics,
enjoy
thomp
mli

[Old_Gord]

Hi Mike;
Maybe this web page will help with your ear carving;

Yep this URL is bad, dang thing worked when I first tried it , now it doesn't so I'll remove it as I see someone else has posted one that works.
OG

Originally Posted by mwilleson

I'll be waiting to see what you come up with. I have one for an eye. I went to a two hour seminar with Bob Mau and that was the project. Turned out to be easier than I expected and looks pretty decent.

Now if I could only figure out how to carve an ear I'd do one of those too....and a nose...and a mouth....and a....well, you get the picture.

I need to find more two hour seminars.

Mike

[Old_Gord]

Mary Finn has a book, called "Carving Egg Heads" , but the first 1/2 of the book actually shows you how to make separate practice sticks for eye's, nose and mouth, all step by step.

OG

[Linda L]

I got a stick from Rick, too. Now I just need to make some of my own!

If you need it whatever it is, Rick probably has it, and a great guy, tooCheers !

Linda

[Mark N. Akers]

THomas:
Very good study guide,I have alot of these sticks in my shop starting with a study stick Fred Carrington did in the late 70s.They are very helpful and the Bishop's have a good one on a closed hand and a open hand.

[Mottles]

Quote---looked at your wood carvings and i think you could help with a teaching stick of how you did the eyes on "Gimli" charter you have posted.

Wink Thank you Thomp2, but I really don't feel qualified to do one as a teaching aid. My Gimli's eyes are full of mistakes. If I do one though I will be happy to post it here in your thread. I do feel I've learned a lot since Gimli....Now if you ask me to draw or paint an eye from beginning to completion I'd say absolutely! LOL
Kathy

[Mitchell]

Thomp, Rick's sticks are designed by Harold Enlow.

Here's a link to the exact page if anyone is interested.

http://www.littleshavers.com/CatalogPage14.html

There's a little bit of a tip in the current WCI magazine on carving a mouth that can be used to start a carving study guide.

[Thomp]

Originally Posted by Old_Gord

Mary Finn has a book, called "Carving Egg Heads" , but the first 1/2 of the book actually shows you how to make separate practice sticks for eye's, nose and mouth, all step by step.

OG

Old gord,

sounds like it would be a great book.. and im looking for it localy...

I was out and about tonight and stopped at books-a-million, looking for this book or something that might be in line with the subject. wife dropped me off and i was $2.00 short for the purchase. allowance, you know., anyway they closed before my wife picked me up, she was at WALMART$... .

but i found a book, within there grim selection on woodcarving, not the one mentioned, but one with a lot of characure faces in it, ill get back tomorrow and get it if its still around.
but i do plan on finding the egghead book i printed the ibsn and cover out ..

thanks for the information

[Thomp]

Originally Posted by Carolina Carver

THomas:
Very good study guide,I have alot of these sticks in my shop starting with a study stick Fred Carrington did in the late 70s.They are very helpful and the Bishop's have a good one on a closed hand and a open hand.

Yep mark i seen them hands, I would love to have them but $50.00 is hard to part with at the moment. i keep the link and referance them if i cant figure out how i need to make a hand position, but i guess thats really cheating huh?