Old Salt WIP

[Irishman]

I have a ways to go yet but this is my rendition of an old sea captain who stands around 2.5 ft tall and is lumbardi poplar. I have to shave off a few pounds from his mustache (part the hairs) and form his beard yet. I have no idea how I'm going to shape his pipe, and the hat needs some more work. I'm going to set him down for a few days but I thought I'd share my progress so far. The pipe idea came from a branch that was located below his lip. The pipe has two knots on the end which may cause me problems.
Patrick

[Tom-H]

Patrick, That's already a fine, fine carving. I guess we'll just have to use that word "awesome" when it's done. Thanks for sharing. Tom H

[chpster90bu]

Patrick...I ALWAYS look forward to seeing your work....it is always so neat, compact and detailed, even in the rough stages. I can't wait to see him finished.....and you can COUNT on those knots being a thorn in the ol' side, but I know you'll solve that problem. Lookin' good! Bonnie

[Mottles]

Hi Patrick, sure looks like an old salt to me! Love the pipe--make it work--you can do it.
Kathy

[feb]

Patrick, looks like another great carving. I like the pipe. Feb

[Treever]

Wow, that's pretty cool. Does the pipe remove from his mouth?

[gene-messer]

Patrick ... That is one good looking old salty ... Your facial features are excellent and I love the heavy mustache and beard .. The pipe just finish'es it off ...

Great job .. Let us see it when it's painted ..

Gene

[DADDIO]

thar's a fine looking ol salt fer sure!!! hey that's gonna be a great looking piece when you get it done. i did something similar ol salt face with a pipe in a cedar branch then cut two more branches all different heights by a few inches,then lashed them together with some old rope, looks like ol dock post turned out pretty cool you might look at displaying yours like that.just an idea.
that is great looking though

[Irishman]

Treever - if you look real close, you'd see that the pipe is part of the log. There was a branch sticking out below the lip so I incorporated it into the carving. I will be shaping the pipe and doing some undercutting to give it some dimension. I may also cut out a part under the pipe stem but leave the chimney connected for stability. Lumbardi is not strong wood so I need to have it formed from the beard for stability. His beard and mustache is next.
Daddio - I rarely accessorize my carvings but I like your idea. If he was smaller and had a base, I could carve in a lobster trap - tourist would love that.
Gene - I haven't thought about painting him...but with the grain being so dark in places, I might consider painting his hat. I'm overdue with the carving so time will tell me what to do.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Patrick

[woodtrapper]

Patrick,you did it again, another nice one.I like your idea of making the pipe all one piece with the log.Ialso am not one to accessorize my carvings.Being a navy man myself, do you plan on ony insignias on the cap?Keep us up on this one.Davy