A promise is a promise...

Thread spool carving

  Well there I was luxuriating at the Renegade Roundup and admiring someones creativity when it hit me...I have to do this.  My friend CarverDale (Dale Kirkpatrick) who is known for his abilities to carve interesting subjects into everyday objects (golf balls, etc.) had been carving wooden thread spools.  The sight of these spools sent me on a trip back to my youth with my mom sitting at the green monster (Singer sewing machine) with a gas pedal.  That pedal was tempting as I just wanted to see it fly.  But as we were in a small dwelling you couldn't help but see the operation my mother used to carry out and I have to say it was neat to see her fill the bobbins,  that machine could fly.  Now as a son of a Steelworker and one of four children my parents had to make to which included repairing our clothes rather than the more disposable nature we have today.  With that said if I needed a repair my mom would send me off to grab her a spool of thread.  I must admit the wide array of colors made it all the more interesting and the fancy Coats & Clarks label is one I still remember fondly.

  So there was Dale carving one of these spools when my brain got the better of me (again...dang).  I of course couldn't help my overly curious nature and started asking questions.  For those that don't know me I have an extreme thirst for learning, especially when it comes to art.  So I did my best not to annoy the spool master and he was gracious enough to show me some of this creations (you can see more via his link on this page..).  With that I went back to luxuriating and whittling.

  Well the next day rolled around and as scheduled the evening activity was to commence...the trading blanket.  For those who have never participated before its where carvers sit in a circle around a blanket and take turns putting items up for trade while the others offer up goods or monies in attempt to consummate such a deal.  For the second year in a row I had been trying to divest myself of some #3 palm gouges that were gathering dust.  So there I was looking for any kind of deal and I placed my gouges out for bargain.  Well all of a sudden a whole Quaker Oats container was placed on the blanket as a trade, upon opening the container I was surprised to see a bucket load of spools.  Of course this was like throwing down a gauntlet and my curious nature got the best of me, so ignoring all other offers the deal was done.

  Unfortunately for me, the week went way too fast and it was time to say our goodbye's and scatter to the four winds.  In parting I made a promise to Dale that I would put up a blog post of my first spool creation and that's where we are today...

...so the picture above represents my first attempt.  Having never carved on a spool I was surprised to see that they are somewhat hard.  During my attempt I and several of my carving friends tried to figure out what they are made of to no avail.  My best guess is that they were made of whatever serviceable wood was available.  I am not sure if all spools are made of the same wood, but I would have to believe there is some variety there.

  As you can see from the picture I was not the kid who colored inside the lines.  Carving within the spools boundaries posed a challenge, one that I failed on.  I am sure further attempts will result in better outcomes as I now have some understanding of these creatures.

  You might be saying...why would I want to carve a wooden spool?  I would say, why not?  If nothing else it opens your mind to creativity and the ridges on the spool force you to be aware of the grains direction (think 3-D) and adapt.  So if you happen to run into this opportunity give it a go, make sure your tools are sharp, and be prepared for a test.  If nothing else it will make you a better carver.

 

Now get out there and carve something!!

DA GRUMPS - Backscratcher

   About 7 years ago I bought a hilbilly backscratcher roughout and to this day it is a handy tool in the man cave.  As I continue to work on my design abilities I thought I would give designing my own version a go.  The intention with this one was to add my type of humor intio it and also continue to work on expression. 
   As most others do I started by taking a picture of myself in the desired position and used that as my reference.  The focus here was on arm position and expression.  As you can see from the waist down he is pretty blah, but that is intentional.  My designs intent was to focus on the facial expression and arm positioning.  I am please with the way this turned out and might make further attempts at expanding on this thought.
  I hope you find this one amusing and may your tools be forever sharp!!

A simple ornament...

2012 Holiday Ornament

As we have done in previous years our department at my work held it's annual holiday fundraising auction for charity.  Not sure how many items might come up for bid I decided to see if I could come up with a quick ornament for the auction.  The word 'quick' and 'I' are usually not said in the same sentence when it comes to carvings as I am not a prolific carver and for me to produce something takes a good while.  Fortunately I was able to complete this in an evening.  (My friends would have this done in two hours compared to my five).
The carving is in the round (it is carved on the backside as well) with a relief kind of feel to it. It was based on a simple drawing I saw and modified.  Ensuring good clean cuts allowed me to keep the carving natural.  I hope you enjoy.

I hope all of you have had a safe and joyous holiday. 


Note:  The recent senseless killing and wounding of our local firefighters, one of which was my wife's coworker, have cast a shadow on these holidays.  Life is precious and our world will truly miss these fine gentlemen.  May God bless Tomasc and Mike's family and we pray for a speedy recovery for those hospitalized.

A friend's request...



Da Grump #1

   I was surprised the other day by a request from a friend I made while at the Renegade in the spring.  A friend had crafted his toolbox in such a way that he could collect corner carvings from friends and instructors and attach them to his box.  A pretty interesting idea.  Well I was flattered when I received a note from him requesting a carving for his box.
  Now as you can tell from this blog my job has taken over quite a bit of my free time leaving me little time for carving.  This though was one request I could not pass up. 

  I have noticed over time as I developed my style that I tend to not do many smiling carvings as I find the neutral or grumpy expressions to be more expressive.  This is not to say I won't carve a happy or smiling figure its just that these offer something different, maybe its just another level of detail.  Either way I have found these to be attractive and as I am one to take what the wood offers me these just keep cropping up.  As such I decided to give a name to these original carvings and will refer to them as "Da Grumps".  My friend will be receiving the first of these.
  I had brought this one to my recent club meeting and passed it around for others to view and found it passed the litmus test by obtaining the chuckles and grins I like to see.  If you are a carver I urge you to try these expressive types as it can be magical when you can sell the expressions throughout the whole face.  I look forward to producing many more.

Just got back...

  Another adventure in Caricature Carving...I was fortunate enough to attend the 2012 Spring Renegade Woodcarvers Roundup in Lebanon, TN.  What a great week in a very affordable location.
  To give you some background, the Roundup is held in the Spring and Fall.  The cost for 5 days of Woodcarving is $200 plus the cost of Roughouts or other items you purchase.  The purchase price gets you instruction from 5 well known carvers in the world of Caricature Carving.  You spend one day with each and they offer a good variety of Roughouts to choose from. The class day runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour break for lunch and the first four days include some type of evening event where you can participate or just continue carving.  This event is hosted by Steve Brown who along with some volunteers put together an enjoyable week.  Besides Steve this years instructors included Gary Falin (CCA), Mitchell Cartledge (CCA), Mark Akers (Award winning Santa Carver), and Chris Hammack (CCA) .
  The weeks attendees came from as far away as Alaska and California.  The week also had a visit from Helvie Knives (Rich Smithson) who stopped by to showcase some of his wares as well.  As for the accommodations each member was given the opportunity to stay at a local motel for $32 a night, the hotel included the typical continental breakfast for a motel and they did not mind at all when we returned late in the evening to continue to make chips.  The late night discussions at the hotel included a demonstration of golf ball carving by Dale Kirkpatrick.  Dale also makes one fine tool tote!! (see trusted links)
  As for the carving location it was located at the Veteran's Hall on the County Fairgrounds.  The grounds itself are worth the trip as they have ~ 30 old log homes and buildings of interest to stroll through during a break.  The registration is limited to 60 participants which works well for this location. 

For those flying I found the Nashville Airport very nice and it was only a 20 minute drive to the hotel.

All-in-all a great week with an excellent return on your investment. Great job Steve!!  For more information go to Steve's website (link listed in respected links).

...alright enough computer time...it's time to carve...  WHITTLE-ON DUDE!


   

Finding inspiration in everyday opportunities...

  Somtimes hard work pays off as I was recently sent to Spain as part of my job.  My hotel was located in the city center of Madrid.  While my journey included long days of work I was able to squeeze in a few hours playing tourist.  Having traveled quite a bit with my siblings and also having been guided by my resourceful parents I have learned not to take time for granted and did some planning prior to my departure.
  Every time I travel I am always seeking inspriation or a piece of knowledge that will advance my art skills and in turn allow me to improve my woodcarving abilities.  Having grown up outside Chicago where typical field trips as a kid were to the exciting museums that can be found there to this day I became hooked and usually do not pass up the opportunity to visit a museum when arriving at a city.  In the case of Madrid my choice was to visit the Museo Nacional del Prado museum or simply called the Prado museum.  With my limited knowledge of the Spanish language, a simple translation book and a map provided by my hotel I set out on foot for a 4 hour adventure.  Once I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find out that for this particular day admission was free and that is a good thing as the dollar does not buy you many Euros these days. I spent
almost 4 hours in the museum looking at a couple hundred paintings but was struck not by the many brightly colored works but rather by Francisco de Goya's el negro (black) paintings.

  The picture above is "Two old men eating".  As you can see the tones are very dark, thus the paintings aforemention classification.  While the brush strokes are not well refined the images are quite deep and expressive.  I stood about 15 ft. away and was amazed at how he was able to express so much with such
simplistic strokes.  Seeing these paintings was like finding a needle in a haystack as most of the other paintings in the museum while of excellent quality seemed repetitive and the "el negro" paintings were something completely different and made you just want to sit and study.
   While the rest of the week was filled with meetings and socializing with my global colleagues on the last day I did have a few hours of daylight left and decided on one last adventure.  The day of course was not ideal as the temperatures were around 50 with a stiff wind making it feel much colder.  I had to make a choice either go to another art museum or take a walk to a very large park in the center of the city.  I decided on the latter and the need to take some pictures.   Now you have to understand that most Spaniards consider Madrid to be quite modern as its buildings are not that old but everywhere you turn there are sculptures and within the sculptures are images worth recording and studying like the picture shown below.

  I can only hope I get to see more.  I will definitely plan to take more time if the future allows another trip as there is so much to see and do. 

Building Character

  As I continue my development and establish what I hope is my carving identity I continue to study all variables to the human form and continue to work on expression and flow.  The carving at the left is a study bust done in this process.  For this bust I wanted to push my envelope by working on hair, eyebrows, head proportions, and expression. 
  Along the way I have studied with many a carver as well as study carvings looking for something I have missed.  For those who are new to Caricature Carving,  you will find that your style will be a composite of all who have influenced you along the way.  Eventually you will settle on how you would like to do it and you will find that after a while most carvers will be able to identify your work just by examining a carving. 
  As most of you know a carving is made up of several cuts that combined as a whole create the composite.  A good example of this is the use of triangle cuts at the corners of the mouth.  Good use of these cuts make the mouth more believable and realistic.  When creating carvings I strive to make all the components believable.  I have found that if I examine a carving I can easily be distracted from the carvings composition by something that "ain't just right".  When this occurs the I am unable to focus on the message.  This can turn a humorous composition to just an okay piece.  In the case of the carving above I am satisfied with the overall look however when it comes to expression the eyes are the centerpiece and on this carving they appear devoid of emotion, that was not what I was going for.  This is something to work on...