Your Face

[Ron T]

My sister made a comment to me that got me thinking. She said, “All your carvings have your face.” I rarely use pictures, so most of the faces that I carve come out of my head. I said, “What do you expect? I’ve been looking at that face everyday for over sixty years.” When I get stuck on a feature, I look in the mirror at my face for reference, bad idea.

How do you carve a face? What references do you use? Do you use yourself as a model?

[Claude]

Originally Posted by Ron T

...How do you carve a face? What references do you use? Do you use yourself as a model?

The best reference I have available is my camera and my mirror, especially when I want to see how a "smile" line appears on a real face.

Claude

[sccarnes]

i thought i had seen you somewhere before,
by the time i look back from the mirror, i would forget,
me i have to have a picture,
maybe someday i can make it up , but not now,
besides all the great carvers have done the hard work, that is for us lazy guys,

don't they tell you in art school to copy the masters, then you can grow, hope i don't grow any bigger, around that is,
Sam

[Ron T]

Claude, I think I remember you posting that tehnique for me on eyes. Thanks, again.

[Kenny_S]

Oh good grief, My face is carved up enough! LOL

[Scott Hagerty]

It's always interesting, everywhere I show one of my carvings, someone says "that looks like so-and-so". Quite a few say it looks like me, though.

I don't use pictures or models for mine, I just study faces and use them from memory.

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I carve what the wood tells me to, and I do from time to time get people who say ooo that looks like so and so. I do carve faces to look like people if thats what they want, otherwise I jsut make it up as I go with just a general idea of what I want. I also have used a mirror to see which way a smile line runs with what expression.
GoodLuckHaveFun
CarveSafeEveryone

[Joy]

I keep a mirrow on my carving table and I also feel my face and then feel the wood. And with all that I still never get my faces round enough.....maybe I have a flat face.

Also after reading Doris' post about the view from the top and bottom being the most important view for the face I have been taking pictures of people from under their chins and from the top of their heads. That is a real revelation!

[Sharon of the Dell]

My woodspirits usually look a little like me or someone in my family because I use a mirror and feel my face also. They all usually have a different(big) nose and fat cheeks like most in my family have! LOL

[K Karver]

I look at a lot of pictures. Had a friend - since passed away - who had a small ruler and wanted to measure every thing. I can't do that. I draw lots on my carvings and draw stuff on paper. I have not done much looking in the mirror. Maybe I should try it more. All those strange lines which make carvings look more realistic. Its in the details.