[armsth]

I anm new at caricature carving.
Purcased all or most all the carving books but I cant seem to get it.
I start a caricature and by the time I am finished i drift into a sculpter.
kinda dissapointed. can anyone give me some help,also I cant seem to type
either

[TreeWizard]

The fun in carving is trying many different things and developing your own style. Maybe a cross between a caricature and a sculpture will trend a new style and others will try to copy you.

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Carve what comes naturally, that's what I say. I feel your pain. I find it impossible to follow directions in a book or even follow a pattern. So I just whittle away and what happens, happens.

[K Karver]

Hi Armsth,

Getting started is always tough. You have had a few years in this world to know that, and I hope every one of them a blessing. My best suggestion if you really want to carve better is get close to someone who is carving, watch and imitate, ask questions, have them look your pieces over and make changes that you can match. Learning from a mentor is the best way.

John K Karver

[Mark N. Akers]

Armsth:
The best part of caricature carving is first have fun,don't get caught up in anatomy,all rules are off.Just make it fun,don't get frustrated,keep on keeping on.

[gene messer]

Armsth

Mark couldnt of said it better .. have fun at first .. the fun of learning ..

gene

[bbeery]

Don't know where you are located, but attending a carving class where an instructor can give you some pointers might help; it helped me when I was first starting. I still attend several seminars a year; one at the Campbell Folk School in NC and the other at the "Round-up" in Evart, Michigan.

[real good]

Armsth your trying to hard . forget the books, do your own thing ,just let it go good luck Jack

[Claude]

Armsth:
Go to the Tutorials section of the board, find the link to Gene Messer's flat plane carving videos and take a look. Follow along and try to match what he's doing. After you're done, set it on the bench, and then go try to do another one by just looking at the one on the bench, and try to modify it a little. If it's a man in a raincoat, try to change it to the same man, but wearing bib overalls. Try to change his from bald to a full head of hair (or vice versa).

This will get you started carving something that is not realistic. Once you've done a few of these, you can then try to convert a realistic pattern or photo into a caricature. You can also study the editorial cartoons in your local newspaper - they usually are caricatures of political figures.

Or, just do as Mark says, and carve to have fun.

Claude

[tucker1931]

Armsth, take a tip from an OLD man, I've been at tthis for roughly 6 months now, carved a bit of this and a bit of that, nothing that would blow anyones mind, but, I've had a hell of a good time doin it and really, that's all that matters. If you've got a fire place or wood stove, you'll never need to worry about kindling wood ever again, at least that was the case with me. Take yerself a piece of wood and start hackin, but for gosh sake, wear a glove, guys our age really seem to bleed a lot so be carfeul.
Cliff