Carving eyes

[Colin-Partridge]

I recieved a message this morning from one of the members on tips for carvings eyes and mouths. He said he had a problem visualizing them let alone carving them. As a woodspirit and treespirit carver the whole carving depends on the eyes they either make or break the carving. For me it is the very last thing I do before staining. My tip for carving eyes is this, visualize the eye for what it is a round ball all we see is just a portion of the eye. Its a little disconcerting for people that I talk to because I am constantly studying their faces because everyone is different. When I do my eyes I make sure that first I round them making sure I cut deep into the corners to create the illusion that I have carved that ball. Another trick I have learned is to set up a mirror on your carving bench when doing a face and look at yourself in the mirror not just staight on but also in profile. this can be done also with one of those medicine cabinets where you have the three mirrors. It can also double as storage for small items such as paints and burrs etc. I have one set up on my carving bench, hmmm! maybe thats why all my carvings look like me.
When I was asked this question I thought that it might be one that others here might have asked because I have been asked a hundred times how I create my eyes.
Hope this is of some use to some of you if not you can say it is just Colin babbling again.
Colin

Maybe I'm just a bit slow but I've finally realized a common thread that runs between every accomplished carver or artist I've met; they all see details where most of us see generalities. Show us an eye and we'll all tell you 'That's an eye.' Ask us to draw an eye or describe it and we're lost.
It might be facial features, the fur on an animal, the curve of a flower, whatever. The Devil's in the details.
I admire the ability. From your work and words you too have that attention to detail.
KettleKarver

[macktruck]

Colin,
I agree the eyes make a carving, my problem is i always rush to do the eyes. Invariably if i do a long session w/ no stop that's where i always find my chisels working towards. have to step back and maybe do some detail one something else.
macktruck

I like most carvers initially feared the eyes and carved them with trepidation. At this point I can approach them with confidence and anticipation. Done correctly they provide the character in caricatures. Do not start the eyes until you know the personality of the caricature. Give the caricature a personality and make the eyes an integral feature of that personality. Santa would not have beady little eyes. Some of it is intuitive and some of it takes a little fore thought.

[Kenny_S]

Colin, Now why would I want my ugly eyes on a girl carving?? Just kidding sir. Thanks for the tip. Need to try it. But, I am a carver who can not carve realistic eyes. I have a carver friend who has carved man many faces and has graciously said he would help me after I offered some conttonwood bark. , He and several of us neet every Monday evening to carve but I never raised to question as I was embarrased to say, I couldn't carve human eyes.

BTW, The Plains cottonwood bark is a dream to carve in. Like any other once you get through the outside layers.

BTW 2, I think I have created a carving monster out of my little bride. She is on her 5th bark carving and getting better at it. Seems like all the relatives wants one. And I mean all of them who has seen her first one. One ios going to Pullman Washington so I am keeping all of the bubble wrap I receive. Darling Sister-in-law is a supervisor for a Medical lab and gets all it there and she saves it. However :, I have to carve stuff for her.
Well, I have rattled on and on so best wishes to all, Have a nice and safe weekend.

The solution for me was seeing vice looking and practice sticks, piles and piles of practice sticks.

The brain is a very complicated subject. I taught pencil sketching at the university level for years but my main research was brain dominance i.e. how the brain functioned.

Most people draw what the brain imagines, not what the eye sees. It takes real concentration to see what is before you. The book 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' uses an exercise where students copy a line drawing of a human face upside down. The brain doesn't understand what it is or recognize it as a face so the student does a much better job drawing it in this position rather then rightside up.

I believe this same principle applies to carving. Study the object is detail, see every wrinkle, every hair, etc if you want to be able to carve it. Do it enough, and the brain will begin to see that object in detail when you call on it.

One exercise I used in class was to ask the students to draw their hand in detail; every hair, wrinkel etc. One very left brained student, layed his hand on the paper and traced a line drawing of it....to him, that was his hand in detail!

With all that said, I confess, I have trouble carving eyes also!!