Thick fur

[WhiteShaman]

Hello all,
Can anyone direct me to a tutorial or instructions on how to carve or burn a thick fur look in wood such as the fur on a koala bear?
Thanks in advance
James

[Paul_Guraedy]

Realistic thick fur is hard to achieve. I am trying to get this look on a fox I am carving (see Red Fox WIP). I am using the turned head as a reason to "ripple" the fur on the back of the neck, I then did some deep stoning with a diamond disk, followed by some shallower stoning and then surface stoning. I then took my bench knife and made deep cuts so that the fur will look separated and deep. Hope this helps, I am learning as I go on this deep fur thing.

[WhiteShaman]

Originally Posted by Paul_Guraedy

Realistic thick fur is hard to achieve. I am trying to get this look on a fox I am carving (see Red Fox WIP). I am using the turned head as a reason to "ripple" the fur on the back of the neck, I then did some deep stoning with a diamond disk, followed by some shallower stoning and then surface stoning. I then took my bench knife and made deep cuts so that the fur will look separated and deep. Hope this helps, I am learning as I go on this deep fur thing.

Hi and thanks Paul.............

I'm not sure what you mean by 'stoning'. What is stoning with a diamond disk?
In fact, what is a diamond disk?
Can you tell that I'm new to this.....lol
thanks again...James

[Paul_Guraedy]

Morning James, I did a posting called Stoning Fur and Feathers that hopefully explains this. You can get there by clicking on my name, then all posts by, and it is near the bottom of the first page. A diamond disk is a flat disk for the micro motor that is used mainly as a kind of saw. I use it to make deep narrow cuts to give fur the look of more depth. Let me know if this is not enough explanation.

[Wildbirdcarver]

Frank Russell has put out a DVD..."Fur, Feathers and Fins" for about $30 IMO it is well worth the investment. He is a great teacher also. Shows you how to use the various burs (power carving). etc.

[WhiteShaman]

Originally Posted by Paul_Guraedy

Morning James, I did a posting called Stoning Fur and Feathers that hopefully explains this. You can get there by clicking on my name, then all posts by, and it is near the bottom of the first page. A diamond disk is a flat disk for the micro motor that is used mainly as a kind of saw. I use it to make deep narrow cuts to give fur the look of more depth. Let me know if this is not enough explanation.

Thanks Paul..........I will check that out! Much appreciated!

[WhiteShaman]

Originally Posted by Wildbirdcarver

Frank Russell has put out a DVD..."Fur, Feathers and Fins" for about $30 IMO it is well worth the investment. He is a great teacher also. Shows you how to use the various burs (power carving). etc.

Yes, i noticed that in my searches...............Thank you.

[WhiteShaman]

Originally Posted by Paul_Guraedy

Morning James, I did a posting called Stoning Fur and Feathers that hopefully explains this. You can get there by clicking on my name, then all posts by, and it is near the bottom of the first page. A diamond disk is a flat disk for the micro motor that is used mainly as a kind of saw. I use it to make deep narrow cuts to give fur the look of more depth. Let me know if this is not enough explanation.

Ok...i checked it out and first off.....thank you very much for taking the time to post all that. Looks awesome!
Secondly.............what an awesome approach. I will definately give it a try.
Thirdly, what are your thoughts on short thick fur in regards to the fact that the hair just stand straight up 90 degrees to the skin?
Have you ever tried 'poking' in and out with some tool of some kind. It would have to be very small and thin. I saw a website where the guy does this with a wood burner but he did a mouse and it wasn't the look I want.
I want a look similar to sheep's wool.........................
Thanks again for all your help Paul!

[WhiteShaman]

Like this...................

[mpounders]

I am trying something similar to that with a "mohawk" hair-style on a carving I am doing, using a fine awl. I'm trying for the spiked look, but the awl will chip out if you get to agressive near some of the edges, which may not apply to what you are doing. I'm not sure if it is effective, as it looks like a lot of dots, but I'm still experimenting with it.