[doris]

yeah, just dont feel bad about the noses... i not carve very long, and every face i made i tried different approach with nose. only apostle i was satisfied. i tried do this here on lady too, and not worked. so i made something different, but i cant say what yet... i will find, sitll beginning, still learning, and to me thats big fun too... so far, i expereineced if something looks odd, its better to carve on, it seems always improve... well, i admit, this sounds odd, but is like i experienced in my carvings until now.... i am looking forward to see what you are working on :-)

[Irishman]

Hello Doris....ooooo challenging project! Your still quite early in the carving for me to add any insight. I usually try a female for every 10 carvings as I find the features and soft lines frustrating at times. I can't suggest anything below the neck as I am yet to go with a torso with any of my carvings. I heard reference to the eyes and nose in a few postings here. When I was instructed on the female nose, the early stages was almost a triangle sitting on the face. The lips of course are fuller and the flesh above the upper lip turns up much more dramatically for the female. When you get to the eyes, the brow is arched quite a bit and and the eyelid is fuller. Here are a few pics for reference. Remember, I have a ways to go myself to perfect the female features but the fundamentals are there. I will be watching for your updates Doris as I am two carvings away from doing a female myself.
Patrick

[Irishman]

Here are two more finished females for reference.
Patrick

[Ron Davidson]

Doris I wonder if you would try an experiment for me. Try and as you are working on your face to stop when you think you are at a point where you question yourself. Just put down your knife and close your eyes and using your fingers take your time and feel the face and areas you question. Trust me your fingers will not lie to you and this may help. I think Lynn and some of the others may agree that sometimes your eyes will deceive and fool you. Try it and see what can it hurt.
Ron

[wade clark]

Ron,
So that's how you do it! Eyes in your fingers! hey, I might be as good as you if I had 10 eyes, but I'm limited to two.
I'm going to try what you say, closing my eyes and studying my work. With some practice it's bound to improve my carving.
Hope you're having a really good evening!
Wade

[doris]

patrick, yes challenging. i love challenges, and am not easily frustrated. if it not works out as i wish, then it makes my desire even bigger to try harder next time...thanks for the references, comes in very handy.

ron, yes i tried immediately. it is quite an experience, though i believe my fingers cannot feel as well as yours. also this carving is pretty small, the head of the lady is just 5cm high, so not much bigger than an egg. but i tried also on a larger head i have already carved, and compared with what i feel in my own face. thats really good advise. thanks. ... i wonder, do you have someone describe the fotos to you, or would you like me to do that for you next time i post ?

[mark yundt]

Not sure if this reference helps,but it's a nice side by side of male and female for comparison. sorry I don't have any other angles.I believe the others are right about refining the main structures first and working in the details later.Study all sorts of photos as well as actual people for reference,,really fix the forms in your head.It's funny how we have looked at faces all our lives, and yet when we go to carve them we can't figure out how something should be! How does this feature fit in?,,what does it really look like? Goes back to what I said on another post,,we look,,but do we really see?I'm not sure what age your woman is going to be,,this one looks fairly youthful I think.All the features should be (obviously ) soft and subtle,but this will change as character/age come into consideration.Also, considering the tool selection you have,, your progress is terrific!I'm curious as to the size of the piece?

[doris]

thanks mark, interesting to compare .. yes, i noticed that when learning to draw too, and learning to carve still needs more learning to see, its different. i mean i can draw a face, and despite that i seem not have fully understood to be able to carve...back to carving ... :-) ... oh the size, yes head is 5 cm high, the whole bust will be about 12-13cm. so all tiny. maybe that was mistake too. small is more difficult, i think now

[BobD]

Small carvings are MUCH more difficult, especially with your limited tools!

It's not the traditional European technique, but the Native American-style carvers (totem poles, etc.) use a flat chisel much the same as what you have, but they have ground in a long, tapered bevel that reaches at least 1/3 of the way up the blade.

Alfie and Steffan use these chisels for 80% of the work they do (they carved the totem pole at our open house). Most of the work is a slicing motion with only the corner of the chisel. You'd be surprised how much control you have after a few practice cuts. I can make V-cuts nearly as accurately as I could with a V-tool. And since you are using a slicing action, it doesn't compress or split the fibers like it would if you were just pressing it in.

Hope this helps!

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[Callynne]

Doris, you already have a good start and you have gotten so much great advice here, I can't wait to see how she turns out! Deborah