[Kenny_S]

Here is a bottle stopped I finished. I was disappointed in myself as it is rough and no clean cuts. Hurried this one and shouldn't have. Will I ever learn.
You all can Critique it and the main thing wrong,is the cuts aren't clean. Plus he looks like he has been smok'n some sea weed!
However, I believe the photo shot is clearer than before the suggestions.

[BobD]

The photo is great Kenny! I can see all the cuts!

Bob

[Ron Davidson]

Don't be to hard on yourself Kenny that's our job. He looks pretty good to me and I don't think he's smokin something maybe smelled a skunk or something.
Ron

[Thor]

Ken, the charactor is rough as well as the carving texture. Seems pretty correct to me. He actually looks just like a displaced neighbor of mine that spent most of his life on the sea and now lives land-locked in the mountains with that expression on his face. The photo image sure is good.
Thor

[squbrigg]

I think it's a darn good carving Kenny. Salty looking character, with a startled expression. Good work.

Bob

[Kenny_S]

You are all way to kind for sure.
Yep, That is one of the problems BobD, you can see all the "Rough" cuts. Not "clean" cuts. As I stated before, I hurried this one up and slapped paint on it it without cleaning it up. No nostrils,ears and only painted on eye brows. Eyes carved in a little to deep. A straight on look which lends to a scared looking or spaced out looking face.
One thing is for sure, My carving can only get better and another, is sharpen your tools before you start.

Now with that all said, I invite others to comment, Good or bad.
Maybe this is a lesson in what "Not" to do.

[Marci MN]

This is interesting. When you say "clean it up" what does that mean? Do you go back and do all the cuts again? I have this problem of fuzzies all over my faces, is that what your referring to on yours?

And one more question to you folks carving bottle stoppers.. what do you use them for? Or are they just collectables? One can have just so many bottles to stop..

[Kenny_S]

In a way Marci, You go back and make the cuts clean. By that is making sure there isn't any roughness to the cuts like from this one's beard to his mustach, both sides of the nose going up to his eyes.

First bottlestopper for me, but plan on a fireman head on the next one. Yes, I believe they are collectables.

[Nancy_G]

I think he's super. I wish I could carve one like him !!

I did print a copy of him and changed just the pupils of his eyes with a ball point pen so he doesn't look scared or spaced out or any better -- he just looks different, huh?

I always like to see the pupils touching the edge of the lids somewhere. Look in a mirror --- yours are.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Ha ha Nancy, thats what I was going to say to do, but you did it better with the picture....makes a big difference, as for the rest Kenny no big deal really if you had taken a sanding sponge and gone over it just a little bit, and did the eyes like Nancy shows, would have been a completely different carving....