I am curious to how you all decided your project and material to use. Do you see a pattern you like? Or do you find ideas from nature or another carving you have seen? Do you choose your wood by what is easiest to carve or use your favorite. Or do you choose a wood which would complement your carving? For me I take ideas from clip art or nature or from books I have seen. As far as wood I love to use Walnut so I try to evolve my project from that.

Dale

[Captain_Bandaid]

Dale, Interesting question. I seem to flit about looking for projects that will pose a challenge to my skill level, thus elevating my skills. I look at other peoples interesting ideas and try to find a way to use the idea without copying their project directly. Just finished a Welsh Love Spoon and I am now researching Celtic Knot work. I think I may try something like a Celtic Icon of a Saint, or a page from The Book of Kells in relief. Who knows, I may even finish that Greenman I started last year! I follow where the Muse leads, I am in no hurry to do any particular thing. My 'problem' is that I am doing the same type of thinking regarding my other passion, blacksmithing. Still working on ways to integrate the two. I may forge a nice vine-and-leaf frame for some of my relief carvings. Well, you can see how my mind wanders! It's a miracle I ever settle on anything!

I never seem to end up with what I started out to do. Somehow something happens and it comes out different, sometimes totally so. Even if I start out to make another one of whatever, the next one is usually so different there is no relationship between one and two. If I try to force myself into carving something it just doesn't come out correctly. A good example is the ornament exchange. No matter how hard I tried I never did get one that was any good. My best carvings usually come from wood that I've picked out of a brush pile someplace and just went where ever it took me. I particularly like Juniper (us Texans call it Cedar). It's a beautiful wood (except during allergy season) with neat twists and turns to the grain and multicolors; particulary suited to woodspirits and the like. Another wonderful wood, but a real pain to carve, is Osage Orange. But, if you stick to stylized carvings and go where the grain takes you the results can be striking, even with hand tools (I'm a died in the wool whittler).

Incase you missed it awhile back here is a link for creating knots easily http://www.clanbadge.com/knots.htm

I admire your passion for blacksmithing. There is a blacksmith located in the complex I have just moved into. I had a chance to visit with him yesterday and I was impressed by the amount of detail you can work into metal. I will leave that to you pro's. I'll stick with wood it's easier to fix a mistake

Dale

[Ric]

Captain:
We are still waiting for you to carve one of those Finnians.

Ric

[quote author=Dale_O link=board=GeneralC;num=1058913959;start=0#0 date=07/22/03 at 17:45:58]I am curious to how you all decided your project and material to use. Do you see a pattern you like? Or do you find ideas from nature or another carving you have seen? Do you choose your wood by what is easiest to carve or use your favorite. Or do you choose a wood which would complement your carving? For me I take ideas from clip art or nature or from books I have seen. As far as wood I love to use Walnut so I try to evolve my project from that.

Dale[/quote]

Dale, I usually have a rough idea what I am about to carve, then I find a photograph or create a drawing that approximates the shape I want.
After scanning it into my computer, I use a photo editing program called 'PictureIt' to adjust the shape and print it out at the correct size.
Most of my carvings are painted so I use Basswood almost exclusively.

[Callynne]

I don't seem to ever have any problem with ideas, just keep getting more and more. When I think of something, a Santa for instance, I immediately sketch it. Later, when I'm ready to carve I'll do up drawings of all sides, everything I carve comes out pretty darn close to what I've sketched.
If I want to do an animal I look for lots of pictures, that helps me get the pose close to what I want and the features correct. Hubby is a huge help there, he's an avid hunter and outdoorsman so he can tell me if things look 'right'.
I only use basswood, so much nicer than the ends of two by fours I started out with!! Callynne