[David_Aaron_Sercel]

I just finished this carving of a Common Yellow-throat. It is lifesize and was carved from tupelo wood and painted with acrylics.





[img]
http://www.bcoimagelibrary.com/library/data/44yellowthroat_l.jpg[/img]

[Colin_Partridge]

David,
You just keep on getting better and better I just love your work great job as usual on the common Yellow Throat. I always love to see your carvings thanks for letting us share it with you.
Colin

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

David, you are really a good bird carver, but I would like to make a suggestion, I know that Muehlmatt (spelling?) and some others do the lumpy look, but personally, and that is just that, my personal opinion, ..... I don't care much for it, none of the birds I see are like that. They may have the feathers down tight against their body when they are alert and ready to go, or fluffed out, but they are still basically smooth. Does anyone else feel that way or am I 'out on a limb?' LOL Please don't take offense, there is nothing wrong with your bird or your carving, it is the style, the lumpiness I don't care for...

[Paul_Guraedy]

I am basically a bird carver and, personally, I like something different such as the 'lumpy' look. I believe that we are sacrificing art on the altar of realism. The undulatlions add to the beauty of the overall carving. I am curious though. Would you give us some details on the carving (tools, burn or grind the feathers, painting) and how did you do the feet (looks like brass, which I am planning on using on a barn owl), limb (how did you attach it to the base) and leaves? I think this is a very good carving and like it very much. I hope my next bird turns out this well.

Paul Guraedy
Alpena, Arkansas

[David_Aaron_Sercel]

I use a flex-shaft tool for the rough shaping and the go to a micro-motor for the detailing. The wing feathers are burned, and so is the tail, but the rest of the bird was stoned. The leg was made from 3/32� brass rod, and the toes are pewter. The brass rod for the leg was bent into shape and soldered to the limb, which was also made of brass, prior to attaching the foot. I solder everything together because that is stronger then gluing it. The leaves were cut from copper foil.

I have a demonstration of how I did one bird on my website if you are interested, although on that one I woodburned the entire bird and did no stoning: http://www.jaminmark.com/das/process1.html

The lumpiness is a little exaggerated, but I do that to show off the shapes of the bird better. Whereas the feathers would lay flatter in real life, in a carving I find that it gives it a fluffier look to exaggerate the bumps and puffs a little.

Nice bird David. We all have different things that we like to incorporate into our carvings. I have a good friend that dosent take his carvings to competetions as they never won top prizes. They are great, and he can't make enough of them. No one that I know ,sells as many carvings as he does. Gets good prices for his work. If I were judging his work, he would win hands down. His carvings have personality, and are uniquely original. I like to see carvers do their thing. I mean no argument by my comments, only my thoughts.

[David_Aaron_Sercel]

That is the way I look at it. I’m not really that interested in entering competitions, and the ones I do enter are usually at art shows where my work is being judged against other types of woodcarving, bronze and stone sculptures, etc., and where the judges aren’t coming from a strict anatomical perspective but are judging it on artistic grounds; so I’m willing to sacrifice a little realism to gain more personality or artistic expression, and that is mainly what people are looking for who are going to be buying them. Sometimes, it seems, the very things that would make a carving lose in competition are the things that appeal to the customers. I remember at one show a bird carver had mentioned that the way I had a birds head cocked to the side wasn’t really natural, and that it would be more level in real life, but the person who bought that piece mentioned that what drew them to it was the personality it had with its head cocked to the side, kind of like it was looking curiously at something. That is kind of what I try to shoot for – getting the expression I want – even if that means sacrificing a little realism.

David, Again, you've done a great job i like your talent and artistic approach to a great carving, base, painting, layout, burning, stoning, you tackel it all very professionally.

Keep showing us the pics, I would like to know how you get the pic's into the message board though?

Coffeeman

[David_Aaron_Sercel]

Coffeeman, You have to have the photos uploaded to the internet, either to somewhere like Picturetrail or another website. Once you do, right click the image you want to post and a menu will drop down. Go down to the last item on the menu which is 'properties' and select that. A window will open with info about that picture. Halfway down in the window is an internet address labeled 'Address (URL)'. Copy that address and paste it into the reply window on the message board. Select the text of the address and then click this button: wich is located above the text window. This should place the right sets of code around the image.

P.S. those instructions are for if you are using a Windows.

[jamesfa]

another fine carving David and your quite right each person must decide what it they are trying to express. and you seem so have researched your market and know what your customers what.