[JimK]

Hello,
My name is Jim and while I am not new to carving I have never done any realistic animal or bird carving. Mostly I have done caricature type carving and walking sticks, that sort of thing. When I lived in the Denver CO area I went to a few classes to observe some very talented bird carvers and always wanted to try my hand at it. What I have in mind is a realistic (or as close as I can get) Mourning Dove, perched on a sign.
I am looking for any and all advice, patterns, instructions etc. I have done some power carving. Mostly shaping but I think that I can handle the detail work. I have a few projects ahead of this one but I really am excited about giving it a shot and thought that I would start gathering knowledge now. Anything that you can share will be much appreciated.

Jim

[Juhani]

Reference, reference and more reference. Google is a good place to find pictures that can be used for reference. If you have studied your subject and "know" it it becomes an easier process. I havent done much bird carving myself but I have found this to be the biggest thing...

[Paul_Guraedy]

The advice given "reference" is the key. Get as many photos as you can. Do not pass up the opportunity to observe live species if possible.

I would like to expand on this just a little. When starting a bird carving, I like to find a couple of silhouettes of that species. This will often show you major characteristics and the parts of that bird that separates it from others. Field guides do this very well.

Perching is the most often position for people to observe doves, usually on wires. When doves do this they assume a “squat” position with the legs and feet pretty well hidden. I would think that this would be typical of signs; but, is something that you would want to confirm through research.

Since you are new to bird carving, or even if you weren’t, I would strongly recommend making a clay model. Get some of the non-hardening artist’s clay. Even a dove of life-size probably would not require an armature. This would make it easy to try different head and tail positions (just cut them off and try something different). What do you want the dove doing (grooming or just sitting)? How wide is the sign (feet and toes curled over the side or dove resting down on them)? A lot of this should be decided before you get very far along with the planning. Making a clay model lets you try different things and it is a lot like woodcarving. EXCEPT you can put clay back on if too much is cut off.

Welcome to the world of birdcarving and good luck.

[JimK]

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking at and gathering pictures from all sides and views. And have several Doves that hang around the back yard that I like to watch. I never really thought about making a clay model. I may have to give that a try. What about the feather texturing? Is there a way to do that without the fancy wood burner? I do not have one. It may be a good excuse to go buy one but I am wondering if there is a way to do it with out one.
To answer some of the questions, the sign will be between 1/2" - 1" thick. The feet will wrap over the front of the sign. I want the Dove perched with its head looking slightly to the left. Not that I am locked into that pose. It is just what i see in my head. Where would I find a pattern for such a thing? Is there a decent book that has he step by step instructions on the Dove?

Jim
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[Paul_Guraedy]

Jim, I really think that you would be going in the wrong direction to look for a step-by-step “how to” on your dove. Making a clay model would get you around this process and will allow you to carve the dove you see in your head. From this step you can then find articles on specifics such as feather, feet, eyes, bill and apply them to your dove.

First, take a look at a field guide for birds. It will give you the overall dimensions of (I assume a Mourning Dove) your dove. Since doves are fairly “smooth” birds it should not be too difficult to measure a photo, note the head and tail size and this relationship to the body size. Use your photos to determine the lay of the wing in relation to the body of the bird. Bill, head (w/eye), wing, tail, feet…once you have these properly set…you have your bird.

Unless you are wanting to carve for competition, I would not worry too greatly about exact measurements. Go with what looks good to you artistically. For instance, a friend carved a very small wild turkey. The head size was kept in full ratio to the body and tail size. It looked terrible. A pinheaded turkey. The overall piece would have been much better if the head had been slightly exaggerated in size.

Now to feathers. They can be done by stoning. Using a small (I prefer white stone) cylinder, you can form the vanes of the feathers. I think this might be a little too pronounced on a dove and would recommend getting a burner. There are several on the market that do not cost a great deal. As you say, this may be the time to justify the purchase.

There have been a number of articles in “Wood Carving Illustrated” concerning carving birds and feathers. I think it is also apropos to mention the competition. No one should carve birds without at least being aware of the helpful information in “Wildfowl Carving”. Both can be searched “on-line” for the needed articles. I have a complete collection of “Wood Carving Illustrated” and go back to the mid 90’s with “Wildfowl Carving”. If you find articles of interest and want to know whether they might be of interest, just contact me with the reference and I would be happy to sum up the article. You could then decide on whether or not you wanted to make the purchase of the back issue.

[JimK]

Thanks Paul,
That advise is very helpful. I will do a search on Wild Fowl carving today and see what is out there. I will see about getting a burner soon and practice with it ahead of time. I just need to get a few projects done so I can get started. Thanks again for all of the help

Jim