Pointers on Drawing ALL sides of a Pattern

[mobjack68]

Good advice above.....my best guess is this, the first time you take a block and draw the front and side view on the block....and when cut that out on a saw, you will immediately see how the views are generated on the block.....You won't need a "back view" ...you will cut the front view and anything that needs to be different on the back?? You would develop the features as you cut.
Obviously your sketching/drawing skills are well developed and you have a great grasp on the necessities of transferring same dimensions from side to front/front to side......
welcome aboard...and please grace us with your artwork....'specially for those (me) that lack adequate drawing skills

[Big Barn]

I know this tid-bit of advise will go against your grain - but don't go too fast or expect immediate results. I've found if I go too fast I tend to get unexpected results that turn into either something really small or fire starter material (or a need for band-aids). Slow & steady. Also, for your drawing, you will need to be careful around the head/neck just like the legs. Those areas will be a potential weak point too. You also said something about using pine - I wouldn't recommend pine at all - only to be used as a pattern. I'd go with my personal favorite - Butternut, but Basswood is right up there too. Or you could try something a little harder like poplar or walnut depending on the finish you want. Overall, I'd say you got the first part down really well being creative (which I'm not). I tend to see something in gift shops & improve it (that's my opinion of course) with my touches.

[PaPa Smurf]

can you draw me a front and side if I give you a picture???????????

[pinefeathers]

Welcome to the forum.
From the looks of your sketch, you appear quite adept at creating the second view of your pattern. Transferring key points then free-handing the view is the only way that works. If you are making a pattern from a photo, you must compensate for "depth of view." e.g. the far side legs appear shorter than the near side.
The video by Lynn Doughty is excellent. This method was also used by Mary Guldin, who created patterns for Chip Chats magazine for many years.
If you intend to do blade carving, then basswood is the choice of most carvers. Power carvers prefer tupelo. Keep us posted and updated as you progress.