[Mike_B-NY]

26. Next, you're going to do two, three sided chip cuts just like you did under the mustache in steps 8-11. Cut the right side, cut the left side...

27. ...and then slide a slanting cut down to where the other two meet.

28. ...then again on the other side of Santa's nose, and voila!

29. OK, now, depending a lot on what yours looks like, not mine, place a couple dots right in the bottom of the brow cut where you think the eyes should be...

30. ...similar to this, but don't worry if it's not exact... just make sure they're equal distances(by eyeball) from the center line. Hey, finally we're gonna actually carve eyes .




26.___ 27.___ 28.___ 29.___ 30.

[Mike_B-NY]

Everyone still with me?

There is going to be another short intermission, so Marci, you can put your knife down for a bit . We'll try to pick it up again some time this weekend... hopefully tomorrow (Sat).

'Till then, be good (or don't get caught).

[BobT]

I am with you. Excellent work. An intermission is fine. weather is in my neighborhood. I look forward to more and really appreciate the work you are doing for us.
Thank you Mike.

BobT

[Marci MN]

*putting knife down* Ok.. I got my lil guy all done now except what your going to teach me on the eyes... I 'think' I did that face pretty close. Its not really flat plane on the rest of my lil guy tho. Its hard to get out of the habbit of rounding off edges... :S

M.

[Mike_B-NY]

OK, we're moving in REAL close now. If it's too close, as in you can't recognize where we are on Santa's face close... just let me know.

You may want to scan the next ten steps or so (and read the text) before you lay knife against wood. Just get a feel for where we're headed before you start making chips, OK?

31. Still got the pencil? Good! Draw a line from the dot in the right eye down slightly to the side of Santa's nose. This will define a triangle with the side of Santa's nose and the bottom of the brow cut. Then return to the eye dot and draw a line slanted down from the brow line and out to the side of the face.

32. This is one of those three sided chip cuts again. A few landmarks first... what I call the "upper brow surface" is the surface left behind by that first wedge cut for Santas brow (Step 17). Now, focus on the corner of the triangle where the first line you drew meets the side of the nose. There is a point under that corner, in the wood, where the knife tip will end on all three of these next cuts. First lay the knife on that line and tip it down into that point in such a way that it doesn't cut the upper brow surface... just the line. Sorry, I don't have a picture for this next cut, but here goes anyway. Turn Santa upside down and, sliding the knife along side Santa's nose, tip the knife down into that focus point in such a way that (again) it doesn't cut into the upper brow surface.

33. Now, turn Santa right side up again. Starting with the tip of the knife at the corner formed by the brow line and the side of the nose, slide the knife along the brow surface and down to our focus point to pop out the chip.

34. It should look like this. While we're here... I forgot to shoot the knife on the next step too, but you Folks are pros now so... This is another wedge cut. First cut: Place the knife on the line with the tip at the eye point and the heel of the knife down into the line (cheek). Second cut: With point at the eye dot and the side of the knife flat against the upper brow surface, lean the heal of the knife down until it meets the first wedge. If that isn't clear, skip ahead a few steps and see how I do it on the other side of Santa's face.

35. This is what the top of Santa's right cheek should look like now (your "right", his left). At this point, with these extreme close-ups, you should notice some messy leftovers from sloppy cutting. You really should take some time and clean those out before moving on .


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[tucker1931]

Looks really good Mike, thanks again.
Cliff

[Mike_B-NY]

36. OK, flipped Santa over... we're gonna do the other side (poor guy's probably a little nauseous by now). Chop cut down the line from the eye dot to nose and into the focus dot. Then lean a chop into that same point along side the nose.

37. With the side of the knife against the upper brow surface slide the final cut down to that point and pop out the chip.

38. This picture has a lot of info. It shows what Steps 36 & 37 should finish looking like. Then, the chop cut on the last line has already been made. What's the knife doing? Sliding down along the upper brow surface to meet the cut that's already there.

39. This is what all these previous cuts should look like. In a nutshell, we peaked the top of Santa's cheeks for a smile and extended the upper brow surface down to it. The top of the peak is where the original eye dot was. Hope I didn't lose anyone in that process . Notice that if the face is properly rounded (in a flat plane sense of "rounded&quot the upper brow surface is nicely arched. This softens Santa's "look" and helps him smile.

40. OK, knife down, pencil up (again). Draw two short lines down the cheek from each of those peaks. The line to the outside of the face can be equal or slightly longer than the inside line.


36.___ 37.___ 38.___ 39.___ 40.
</IMG>

[Mike_B-NY]

OK, I want you to read ahead here a few steps... at least to Step 47, before you start cutting. Be patient... this is where magic happens.

**** Because I know there might be "someone" out there chomping at the bit right now... wait until I finish to step 47 before attempting this part. There's going to be a several hour intermission while I "watch a movie on the inside of my eyelids" . Later ****
.
zzzzzzzzzzzzz
.
OK, got your morning beverage of choice? One more step with the pencil...

41. Starting at the "cheek peak" draw a line straight up just a tad ("tad" - one of those very precise carving terms). The longer this line is the more open Santa's eyes will be. So, less than a tad is a squinty smile, and more than a tad is a surprized smile. Season to taste here.

OK, deep cleansing breaths... what we're going to attempt next is a four sided chip cut! Even my good friend "Koz", the "Wizard of Chip Carving", will be impressed.

42. If you haven't stropped your knife in a while, absolutely do it now. In fact, even if you have stropped it recently, give it a good touch up "just because". The point at the top of of this cheek peak and directly under the surface (1/8") is our focus point. For all of the next four cuts the tip of the knife is press into the wood so that it ends at this point. So take your magic wand.... umm... your knife, and with the tip at the cheek peak and the side of the knife laid flat across the top of outside cheek, press the tip of the knife down into the wood to the focus point. The heel of the cutting edge should emerge from the wood at the other end of the line.

43. Good, now turn Santa upside down and do the same cut along the line towards Santa's nose. Be careful not to nick Santa's nose with the heel of the blade. Yeah... "don't nick St. Nick's nose". Don't groan! It'll only encourage me.

44. Now, turn Santa right side up again and place the point at the top of that short, vertical line we drew last. Angle the knife so that when you press it down it will end up at your focus point and the heal of the knife will emerge where that first cut along the cheek did.

45. After the tip has reached the focus point, this is what it should look like. At this point a chip of wood might pop out. Either way... forgettaboutit... we got one more cut.


41.___ 42.___ 43.___ 44.___ 45.

[Marci MN]

***Gasp*** but but but.... *lays knife down again and goes to do some dishes mumbling something about bedbugs biting*

[Mike_B-NY]

46. Flip Santa over again and repeat that last cut on the nose side of the eye. Careful of the nose!

47. OK, now that's what I'm talkin' about! Now repeat those cuts for the other side, only Santa will be upside for the outside cuts (unless you're a "Lefty" and then it's reversed, but then, having to make allowances for us handicapped "righties", you already knew that).

48. Now that's a Santa with smilin' eyes. Hope you think so too. Just one more thing... they need a little "sparkle", so...

49. ...press a small cut across the outside cheek starting at the outside corner of the eye and ending off the side of the face.

50. Keeping the knife parallel to that cut, nudge it up a tiny bit and chop down at an angle to the bottom of that previous cut. It's sorta like a wedge cut, but smaller. more like a nick cut.



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