[2woodchippers]

Hi all, I have just posted more of my work and realize that I carve hands, feet, gloves, shoes, body parts, but almost never a face. I admire very much the caricature carvings, wood spirits, and green men that all of you do soooo well.
I think I never attemt any of these types of carvings because I can't seem to do faces,(my wife Eileen did the one above not me) any suggestions? references? or any other type of help you could suggest so that I feel comfortable carving faces. I would just love to learn, HELP!!!
Gary..... the other woodchipper

[Colin_Partridge]

Gary get yourself a book on faces or seach to internet on how to draw a face. ie: the face is divided into thirds in length. A face is approx five eyes wide. etc, etc. Carve your self a face and see how you like it. It is only a piece of wood if you dont like it throw it in the woodpile. Also while carving set up a mirror and look at your own face while carving it. Look at a profile as well as straight on. Then take the mirror and put it under your chin and see how the face looks from underneath. Give it a try you might just amaze yourself.
Colin

[2woodchippers]

Hey Colin:
All a great bunch of suggestions, I'm sure I can follow rules. Also I will look for a book.
The only thing you suggested that I may not try is follow the image in a mirror........I don't want to carve a fat man.
Gary

[Dylan]

I suggust Carole Jean Boyd's book Carving Cypress Knees. It's got some great instructions on face carving and is easy to follow. Anything by Jeff Phares is also good.

Dylan

[Ashbys]

If you want to carve a face, I suggest you look and study faces. That may sound a bit odd but there is more there than we ever really notice.

Here is what I mean, if we past someone we glance at them, if there is nothing unusual about them we don't " LOOK" . Then if there is something unusual about them , we "Look " to what is unusual. So we really have not yet looked at the person.

We expect certain things, eyes nose mouth and as long as those are there we begin to again glance. The human mind has the ability to accept massive information durning every moment of our lives, if we retained all the information, chances are our minds would shut down , so we instead filter the information. By not retaining it to memory.

By your doing hands , feet , gloves and other body parts , they are things which you yourself took an active interest in to learn. Working with our hand we notice them all the time , we look to where they are , we watch to protect them , we are aware of them , so the study of them is through our entire life.

Faces , are different , rarely do we really study them, we do not see our own face exept when we look into the mirror or a reflective surface, but we often feel them. A brush across our cheek, a rub of our nose, a rub of the eye, a brush through our hair or a touch to our chin or forehead. To this end we are very aware of the feel of a face. But to step that to the next level of real study you have to look at the face.

And when you start looking , you will become aware , of what really is there on a face. The lines , the history of the person, the depth of their past. Older faces show, pain , heartaches, joys, and even love of themselves and of others. Once you stop glancing, and start looking , with the talent you already have, you will eaisly connect the touch, with the look and produce outstanding faces.

Your first step is to start looking.

Garry

[2woodchippers]

Dylan and Garry:

Thanks for the book recomendation, and thank you Garry for your extensive thoughts and observations. I think you are right on the money with your thoughts, I do look at and study my own hands, I am facinated with the memory of hands that gloves retain and the memory of feet that shoes have. I am also facinated and challenged to show emotions with hands and feet. All that being said I am more than ready to carve faces, my problrm is that they always look flat (pie faced) I think this is because the way we usually look at a face is front on. At any rate you have managed to start me thinking along new lines. I love a challenge and will persue a face with renewed interest and enthusiasum. Thanks again for your sage wisdom and observations.........Gary

[Donna_T]

Gary,
One other suggestion that was helpful to me (my first [carved] faces were pretty flat, too)....get a piece of basswood, about 1 1/2 " square to 2" square. Carve the center of the face right down one of the corners. The easiest way is to mark off the 1/3 points that will be the eye troughs, the bottom of the nose, and the bottom of the chin. With the angles of the squared off wood, it will give you the feel for how much wood you'll need to take off a flat piece of wood to get the rounded look of a face. The reality is that from the center of the face to the ears, the face curves away from the center.

If you carve 6-8 faces up and down the stick, you'll get better.

Donna T

[Ashbys]

Here is a free program for doing face modeling , it might help , I know it helps me.

Ash

http://www.facegen.com/downloads.htm

Just download the demo and although you can't save the work , it does indeed work to show the human face , the small changes and the way the face is formed .

[2woodchippers]

Hi Kind folks:
I am just overwhelmed with all the help you folks have given me. Soooo many great s and suggestions. I will get the 2"X2" Basswood and practice (A great suggestion) I will look for the recommended publications, and download the lesson. It is such a thrill to have all this friendly EXPERT help at my finger tips.

Thank you............Gary

[Claude]

Gary: Here's the book I have: "Carving the Human Face: Capturing Character & Expression in Wood"
Author: Jeff Phares. You can go to the Fox Chapel web site (click the fox in the right hand column of the message board list screen, then click on the link to woodcarving, then Human figures.

Another good tutorial is right here. In the message board list, go to Tutorials, and then find the Mountain Man Mask by Mark Gargac.

Claude