Ready...Set...Action!!

Line of Action
A. Filetti 2014

Instilling motion into our carvings is one way of creating greater interest.  Motion as shown in the post does not have to be dramatic but rather it must be realistic in nature.  The carving at left demonstrates the subtle line of action and the resulting pose of the carving.
While many instructors teach this method a great reference for this that is used by many carvers is the book Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair  (ISBN 1-56010-084-2).  The book teaches many of the rules of animation (motion) in an easy to understand fashion and is well worth the coin if you can obtain one for a reasonable price,  Amazon is a good place to look.
In the picture included in this post I have taken a picture of the intended line of action as indicated by the pipe cleaner and the resulting roughout.  Motion is something that requires constant attention as it can be easily corrupted resulting in a carving that is distracting rather than pleasing.
In future posts I will speak to design and how stick figures help with design and motion but for now take a look at what you are carving...does it contain motion?  or is it static and straight forward?  It is difficult to break away from static carvings and carving a head that is tilted or tipped takes practice but it is achievable and will teach you about our medium and how the grain of the wood acts in three dimensions.
The days continue to grow shorter and our chores diminish with the approaching winter, now is the time to plan your carvings and experiment with something new.  What will you do to improve your carvings?
The coffees hot and plentiful...grab a cup and start carving!!