[Joy]

This Santa was inspired by the Les Ramsay's Santa in the Holiday 2006 issue. It is 11 inches tall and 8 inches wide. I still have some cleaning up and finishing under the beard to do.

Now it is your turn: what did I miss? What do I need to redo? What doesn't "read" right that should be improved on the next Santa? I appreciate you looking and I really am asking for a critique. How else will I learn?

Another question: I said this was "inspired by Les Ransay's pattern". It obviously doesn't look like his....because I wanted to "do my own thing" with the beard, eyebrows, etc. But should I have said "it is from a Les Ramsay pattern" because I used his pattern to cut out the shape?

THanks,
Joy

[BobD]

Hi Joy,
Re: the verbage. I think you are fine. I use "inspired by xx's pattern" interchangably with "based on a xx design" and "based on a xx pattern."

Otherwise, I really like the flow of the beard and moustache. You have the eye's down well. The only thing that bugs me a bit is the eyebrows...They kinda look like they are attached to his face with spirit gum...

i'd suggest tapering them down a bit at the ends so they look like they grow out from the browline, and less like they are glued on.

Bob

[Paul_Guraedy]

The only problem I have with the carving is one that I have with many I see at shows. It only becomes evident in your “profile” photo. It may be personal, but, I am really bothered by carvings that still have the “square” showing from the blank. There is no problem viewed "face on"; but, the carving would be improved by having it flow a little more naturally to the edges in a half round or deep relief kind of method.

You have done an excellent job with the flow of the beard and have a very good Santa.

[Anthony Filetti]

Joy,
The Santa looks great!!! Clean cuts and well executed.

The only thing I notice is that when you show a side view( not a view often seen by viewers of the piece) it looks a little thick.
You might want to look at it from a 3/4 view and if it still has that appearance maybe consider rounding the hat and beard more which will enhance it 3D appearance...

...just my two cents...thanks for posting such a great carving!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have to agree with the thickness.....I would run it through the bandsaw and resaw it if it were mine (or get someone to do it for you)....you have a great face going there, just too thick, so if you resaw it, you will have another blank to do !......still a good job on the face though! Next time, get a canteloupe, cut it in half, eat it out of the skin, turn the skin over and theres your model for shape .... (oh and you get to eat the other half of the canteloupe too!

[xsailer]

Joy,
Straight on view all looks good with only two suggestions. Bearing in mind a picture is different looking that the real thing there appears to be a straight line gouge in Santa's brim on his LH side angled 45 degrees from his nose, you can correct this easily and as a personal preference I would add eye iris/pupil detail. On the side view I agree with Paul. I think more contour is needed to make him more realistic. My mustache for instance is not flat across it's horizontal length and it sticks out further. You appear to have the depth of wood to do this. Sighting it from the front you really have the look right.
From your previous posts you come across as really wanting to improve as I do. I can't find my copy of that issue but I would bet it's mostly a front view look, you've mastered that..............hope my opinion is helpful.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Joy...There is one change that I can see and don't feel lonely, most carvers forget this too. Place your fingers on each side of your face at the outside top corners of your cheeks. Fee the depression? That's whats missing. On your carving the line on each side of the face where it meets the beard runs straight up and down with no deviation. If you remove just a little from each side there I think you'll be pleases with the change it makes. Also, where the front fur band meets the fur ball it needs to be a little deeper to show the roundness of the band more. It's just too flat there.

Other than those two things I think it looks just as good as the one in the magazine.

[Joy]

Ohhhhh! This forum is so wonderful! Thank you all.

Bob, the eyebrows should be an easy fix....taper down and maybe make the edge look like more individual hairs.

Paul, The article said to remove wood on the bottom to get the shadow behind it when it is hung on the wall. I still have the beginners problem of being afraid to remove too much wood. So I will attack it from that direction...removing the wood from underneath and then see where I am with rounding it from the front.

Tony and HiHo you are right....when the article shows removing wood...I never go far enough and consequently the face is never round enough. Thanks for the cantalope idea....I can see that shape. That should really help my next carving.

Xsailor, I never noticed that gouge but it really shows up in the picture. Yes, I have the depth of wood to make the mustache thicker, but I have undercut the mustache slightly and I don't know what effect that would have on on going deeper. I think I am afraid to try it at the point. But I will burn it in my memory banks for the next one.

Lynn, duh.....I should have known that faces don't go straight up and down. Thanks, that should be fairly easy to fix.

Again I want to thank you all for your input. Now it is back to carving for me.
Joy

[AlArchie]

Your carving looks great from the front. Most of us only EVER see faces from the front, or maybe from the side, but tend to look at them as a two dimensional representation. With a thick piece of wood to work with, here is what I'd suggest. Put your palms together like you are praying. Now (with your glasses off if you wear them) open them up as you move them toward your face, with the little fingers still together like a hinge. When your little fingers touch your nose tip and forhead, stop. Move your hands away from your face but keep them at the same angle they stopped at. You will see that this angle is almost a true 90 degrees.

That should tell you that our cheek bones, jawline, and to some extent even the forehead taper AWAY from the centerline of our faces (the point of our nose) at around 45 degrees on each side. That is probably a little drastic, but you should get the idea that faces are not anywhere near as flat as we percieve them.

Relief carving of faces requires tricking the eye into "seeing" that angle even though it is not there. You did a great job giving that impression from the front view!

Al

[xsailer]

How do you like using the vise holding the Santa? It appears to be the one I've been looking at. Expensive.