Fur ! What's the best way to put fur on a carving ? V-gouge, knife, woodburning ....or what ! ???

[sheltiecarver]

That's a pretty tall order - kind of like what paint is best, or what wood, or what tool. Â*So much depends on what effect you are trying to get. Â*I like woodburning, very precise and done quite painstakingly, for a really realistic animal, if the fur or hair is pretty visible. Â*You could paint over the burning, or, if you do a nice job, you could just leave it, especially if the color is about right. Â*A v-tool or a veiner (a really deep U )gouge, works well on something not quite as realistic, or with a pretty wood like butternut or catalpa, and it goes a lot faster. Â*You can use power, like maybe a dremel, with an inverted cone shape in either stone or diamond to do something similar if you have pretty good control, but the cuts might be shallower. Â*I don't sand much, but that is a good finish for a small horse, or something where the scale would make the hairs seem to merge, sort of. Â*Good luck.

[masker001]

Hi Old Fred,for my animal carvings{like the wolf or dogs} I use a small veining tool to carve the fur in.To me it gives the fur a more realistic look,since the fur on these animals isn,t of consistant depth.On other animals{like deer or moose,I rough up the body for the short fur and burn in the heavier areas.Hope I have been of some help.

[Callynne]

Â* Â* I agree with the advice already given. Â*Before I got my woodburner I used a small Dockyard v-gouge. Â*I prefer the woodburner though, easier to work across the grain when following the hair pattern. Â*The only thing I'd add is that when I'm all finished burning and painting I like to use an antiquing medium. Â*The one I really like I get from WalMart. Â*It is from Folk Art and can be thinned with water, makes it really easy to remove some if it's too intense. Â*Good luck! Â*Callynne

I use a V-tool for hair, and a veiner for fur on Caricatures and Santas, if I were doing realistic fur, I would probably use a woodburner.

The Veiner will give you a softer appearance that a V-tool.

When using a V-tool, you need to remember that it isn't the bottom of the V that matters most when you paint.

You definately do not want any of the original surface left behind to reflect as a flat spot.

On smaller carvings, I have used a cylinder type stone in my foredom and dremel...it makes a pretty good random fur appearance.

Sorry, forgot to mention, only use the edge of the stone

I prefer to use veiners for hair and fur...the shorter the hair and the smaller the animal---the smaller the veiner. Â*The longer the hair, the more curve I try to put in the random gouges. Â*Then I come back and woodburn for an even more realistic look.

The neatest part of hair/fur comes when you paint it. Â*After the last coat of paint is applied and completely DRIED, I drybrush for highlights. Â*Sometimes I use a dirty yellowish color to simulate golden sunlight in some high spots, but usually I use a dirty white. Â*This makes a life-like appearance of sunlight showing through the top layer of the hair. Â*People tend to touch the fur and say how lifelike it looks when you add this dimension. Â*Doesn't take but a few minutes and the difference is noticable.

Seems like when I use a v-tool, the wood tends to split out more and it is harder to get a good curved-random look....besides the v-tool is harder to sharpen than a veiner!
I rest my case on that issue alone.
Donna T

Donna,
If the wood is splitting when you use a V-tool, the wings of the tool should be leading the cut. Most V-tools are ground at 90 degrees to the shank, after many sharpenings, the apex of the V will usually be leading. That is fine for shallow cuts and for getting into corners, but not for deeper surface cuts.

All of those methods mentioned are good. I use some or all of them depending on the size of the carving and the texture of the fur on the animal I am carving, a short haired dog would have much finer hair than a mountain goat or a griz! You need to see what works best for you on the piece you are carving.

The Moonraker