Carving a turned head question

jillsy · #1 01-09-2008, 05:51 PM

Here's a question for the more experienced folk - I'd like to try and carve a figure with a slightly turned head. Is this possible or do I need to carve the head separately and add it on? I've had it in my head to either carve a cute polar bear or folk art sheep. Everything I ever carve is looking straight. I'd love to carve one of these animals with a side view, but then slightly looking over his shoulder (like he's walking, but then glancing over at you).

Any advice? I've been looking at pictures of resin figures, but I just can't "see" how I would carve it.

Always, thank you.

squbrigg · #2 01-09-2008, 07:25 PM

Go for the solid carved piece. If you don't try, you'll never know or ever improve. I just like pushing the limits and trying things I don't think I can do. You can always cut off the head and carve another one and glue it on.

Try this ....... use a center line for the body as usual, but use a second center line for just the head, oriented in the direction you want him/her to be looking. Like they show for carving a birds head turned from the body. Unlike a bird, a persons body can bend and twist, so you can also adjust the shoulders, arms and spine to suit.

Let us see how you do, we all can learn from each other that way, good or bad, and don't be shy of showing your mistakes, we all make them!

Good luck,

Bob

snickerbocker · #3 01-09-2008, 09:09 PM

Hey Jillsy,
By all means do the head turned, try drawing a center line representing the spine or backbone if it is an animal, that is the way I do it. Good Luck and post your attempt.

jillsy · #4 01-09-2008, 11:10 PM

Thanks for the advice, but please bear with me as I double-check what you wrote. Here's an example if I were to do a sheep:

1. Draw the side view of the sheep's body
2. Draw the head slightly turned, instead of looking ahead
3. Bandsaw pattern (this won't show entire head since it'll be turned)
3. Draw straight line....this is where I get confused....from top of body to the bottom. And then draw a line angled from top of head to where his nose ends? Is that right? And from there, carve towards the line?

It also seems that by carving from one block of wood, that I'll need to take away a really large amount of wood from the body to have a rounded head?

See? I'm having trouble visualizing, but now that you both mentioned drawing in the straight lines, I think I'm starting to get it.

doris · #5 01-09-2008, 11:39 PM

jillsy, i would recomend not to bandsaw the head, if you want turn it. to musch risk you dont get the pattern right, and if your carving turns the head just a little more, wood would be missing...just cut a box there where the head will be. then on the top ot the box, draw a line that indicates the turn of the head. try to never cut away this line completely, redraw it constantly. use this line for orientation. look often at your carving from top view, rotating it, so that the head "seems" looking straight instead of turned for you... also draw a second straight line over the face, through the nose, a vertical one if the head is not tilted too. this gives you feed back from front view where the nose will be. i found it best to carve first the nose, or at least the wedge where the nose is inside. it lets you see the turn of hhead...
your last question...no, you dont need more wood than in looking straight, actually you need a little less, since the chin and nose is rotating away. put yourself in front of mirror, and rotate head slightly, use a second mirror to observe your side... hope this helps a little. just try it, once you get started you will understand :-)

Thomp · #6 01-10-2008, 07:45 AM

jillsy,

i recently been carving several hounds, from tom wolfe books,
one hound in particular, featured a image on the fly of one book, positioned laying with head on paws, it's head was 1/4 turned, from the body, so from this a single pose photo in one of his books i tried it, if the pose or picture was overhead it would have helped more in feature placement, i wrote it off as a failure, but kept it in sight on my desk and now after seeing it daily, setting there over a month i got the game plan thought out how to save it..

this might not be the answer to your question but its how i worked it out with my old defunct memory..

the solution i found is to decrease the size of the dogs body to match its pin head and no neck...

squbrigg · #7 01-10-2008, 07:53 AM

Doris makes good sense. Thinking of the sheep example, consider the top down view. Draw a center line up the spine from the tail to the base of the neck. Then draw an oval the shape /size of the sheeps head on cardboard (don't forget a centerline on it) and place it on top of where the head will be and play around with it's position till you're happy, then trace the final shape on your wood. Join the spine to the head with an arc, and keep those lines reinforced as you carve.

Side view, the same idea. Draw a body on card board and head seperate, cut out the shape and play around with the positions, till you're happy. You can do the same for the legs, neck and even ears, pin them if you like, and test the shapes/positions, then trace around the final one.

The same will work for people too, cardboard pieces and pins. You can bend and shape the body in all kinds of positions. The art stores sell a wooden manaquin for body study, but you can make one just as easy.

Bob

snickerbocker · #8 01-10-2008, 10:37 AM

Jillsy,
What they said about a view from the top the line would follow the spine from the head to the tail. I am no good at drawing different views of things so I work my model up in clay and then I can see what needs to be done. If you are good at the drawing start with the side view of it looking at you and then get the top view. Like Thomp's pictures and like Bob described.

snickerbocker · #9 01-10-2008, 12:57 PM

Jillsy,
Phil told me to tell you about Harold Enlow's book "Carving the Western Figure", there is a pattern for a calf in it that has all the views including a top view. It also has pictures of the bandsawed blank. This could be adapted to a sheep very easily, but most of all it gives you the views you are looking for, good luck.

jillsy · #10 01-10-2008, 02:00 PM

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Although it seems hard, I'm finally seeing what you mean. Thanks for the ideas and pictures. Together, they really helped pull it together for me. And yes, I'll have to check out that book too.

I posted a site a while ago about being "burned out" at carving. I think I should have called it, "Bored out" instead. I see other carvings that display "action". I think I've grown bored and frustrated with all my carvings being stationary. Problem is, I'm still learning, so I didn't want to try making active carvings until I got the general basics down first. My mind wants more than my hands can deliver!