Woodcarving Blog for msdesigns.net

New Blog Address

2010-02-18T22:25:00.000-06:00

Please note that I have moved the blog to a new address at blog.texaswoodcarving.com. Please check there for future posts. You can also get to the new blog via my website at www.texaswoodcarving.com or www.msdesigns.net. What do you think? Do you like the new address, or did you prefer it where it was?

Why Do You Carve, Part 2: Fellowship

2010-01-24T21:23:00.001-06:00

A little while ago I posted "Why Do You Carve? Part 1 - Relaxation". (you remember this, right?)
I think it's time for another reason: Fellowship. Woodcarvers carve as a way to enjoy the company of other people. If people have a mental image of woodcarving it is often the old man sitting whittling on his front porch. But that's not really what most carvers are doing. Initially, we may carve with other people because we need someone else to teach us what to do, which tools to use and how to use them. But carvers continue to carve together because they enjoy each other's company. In addition to structured classes, many carving clubs get together and work on whatever they please. In either of these cases, you can get feedback, or see a technique you'd like to try. But often you just enjoy the company. By far the majority of carvers I have met are friendly and positive in their feedback. They are people you look forward to being around.

When we carve together, we can do something we enjoy, and enjoy each other's company. Do you carve with other people on a regular basis? Or do you have a similar social and creative outlet, like a knitting circle or musical group?

St. Ignatius of Loyola Carving Design

2010-01-18T15:29:00.010-06:00

I am working on the design for a carving of St. Ignatius of Loyola that will be just under a foot tall. The inspiration for this carving comes from a statue that in turn draws its inspiration from a statue of St. Ignatius that is in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Some good friends have loaned me a copy of the smaller statue as well has some other reference material. Here are the initial sketches I did of the front and side views.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T17:27:00.004-06:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. In honor of the occasion, Ricky Smith offered this picture of a Christmas ornament he carved based on a pattern by Joel Hull that appeared in the Fall 2003 issue of Wood Carving Illustrated. The snowman was painted by Claire McGough.

Last week we had our annual Christmas party at class. Thanks to everyone that contributed to the great food and company. We even managed to get some work done.

I pray that you all have a blessed and happy new year!

Broken Pottery

2009-11-20T16:36:00.004-06:00

Here is a good example of a simple idea that, when executed well, can be quite effective. Ricky came to me with this design and after a good deal of deliberation on everything from design details to finish to framing, here are the results. Well done Ricky.

Quotes from Today's Readings to Consider

2009-10-13T06:52:00.001-05:00

Two excerpts from what I read this morning struck me as applicable to the world of art:

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge." (from Psalm 19)

and...

"Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made." (Romans 1:20)

This is just something to think about.

Why Do You Carve? Part 1 - Relaxation

2009-09-21T21:10:00.003-05:00

I wanted to think a little about why people carve wood. One of the reasons I often hear is to relax. It seems to provide a good way to get away from it all. For a little while, one can leave behind the troubles of the world and focus on something creative and rewarding.

Carving, like many other crafts or artistic endeavors, requires a certain level of concentration. In order to be safe, you need to be aware of your tools as well as what and how you are cutting. I think this helps to block out those all consuming anxieties and allows one to focus on the process - to live in the moment. So much of our lives seem to be spent regretting the past or worrying about the future that we lose sight of where we are right now.

The sense of relaxation is also aided by the contemplative aspect of carving. In this hectic life, we are either rushing to complete tasks or we stop to let the TV do our thinking for us. Carving requires us to think about what we are doing. We must be actively involved. At the same time, the process is often at a pace that allows time to carefully consider what we are doing.

From my own experience, I can see why so many people find a sense of relaxation in carving. In some later posts, I plan to consider some of the other reasons for carving. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Woodcarvers Tool Totes

2009-07-06T21:20:00.004-05:00

I really like the look of these woodcarvers tool totes. I think I will have to put one on my wish list. I'm not yet sure which size I prefer.

43rd International Wood Carvers Congress

2009-06-10T11:09:00.001-05:00

If you can make it to Bettendorf, Iowa on June 25-28 2009, be sure to check out the 43rd International Wood Carvers Congress. The quality of carvings at this show is always excellent. There are some examples from prior shows on The Affiliated Wood Carvers site.

I wish I could make it.

Another Wood Spirit

2009-06-04T16:57:00.003-05:00

Shortly after carving the stick for my son, I carved a wood spirit as a gift to his class. This was also carved with the Flexcut Carvin' Jack. I just had a chance to get a picture of it.

Carvin' Jack

2009-04-10T14:50:00.002-05:00

I was recently in the woods with my son. He handed me a stick he had been carrying while he went to play a game with some other kids. I happened to have my Flexcut Carvin' Jack with me, so I decided to pass the time by carving a face in his stick. This was my first real opportunity to use the Carvin' Jack and I thought I would share some thoughts about it.

The Carvin' Jack turned out to be quite a nice little tool for this kind of ad-hoc carving. It is fairly light and easy to carry with the included leather carrying case. There are three blades with different profiles on each side. All of blades lock securely in place when opened. Because of the design of the blades, the Carvin' Jack is sold in either right or left handed models.

I did find it a little difficult to open the blades since they tend to drag other blades open with them. When opening the knife blade, the V-tool and chisel blades would start to come out as well and I would have to push them closed before cutting with the knife. But this seems a small price to pay for having all these blades in such a small tool.

Even though this particular carving could have been completed with a simple knife, it went much faster with the addition of some of the special blades. The hair went very quickly with the help of the V-tool. Overall, I enjoyed carving with this tool. It's a bit expensive, but I received this one as a gift from my lovely wife. If you do a lot of whittling, you could probably justify the price with the added speed some of these blades could provide.

If you have any questions about the Carvin' Jack, let me know. Below are a few pictures of the tool.

Doyle's Mirror Frame

2009-04-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

Doyle sent me a few pictures of the mirror frame he recently completed. The pictures do not do justice to the depth and richness of the finish. It has layered colors with gilding and an antique finish.

Check out www.doyleterry.com to see some of the custom wall finishes that Doyle specializes in.

Ricky's Calla Lily Relief

2009-04-08T12:49:00.001-05:00

Thought I would let you all see a Calla Lily relief carving that Ricky did. It is based on a design from "Floral Wood Carving" by Mack Sutter.

Carv-Fest '09

2009-03-23T18:27:00.001-05:00

A couple of people (including Doug) sent me links to the website for Carv-Fest '09 in Faribault, Minnesota. I don't think I'll be able to make it this year, but I especially enjoyed the videos they have featuring the various instructors. If you can make it to Carv-Fest, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

Bill Judt's Carving Bench Design

2009-03-20T16:59:00.002-05:00

Bill Judt has designed a carving bench with a top that tilts and rotates. It is quite impressive. He is offering the plans for a very reasonable price. Have a look.

The 2008 International Woodcarvers Congress

2009-02-10T13:34:00.001-06:00

The latest issue of Woodcarvers Online Magazine has some really great photos from the 2008 International Woodcarvers Congress in Davenport, Iowa. Check out all the photos of the winning carvings, exhibits and seminars.

LIFE Photo Archive Now Hosted by Google

2008-12-03T17:46:00.001-06:00

Google has made the LIFE photo archive available for searching. They have information about the project here. Now when you go to images.google.com you can add "source:life" to your search to find images from the LIFE archive.

Information on Iconography

2008-11-04T17:29:00.003-06:00

Throughout history, artists have use images to tell a story or convey some meaning. The word iconography means "image writing." For a more in depth definition, see this article on iconography at Wikipedia.

Following are some sites I found that explain some of the meanings associated with artistic imagery:

Christian Iconography

Gravestone Motifs & Their Meanings

Art Symbols Dictionary: Flowers and Plants

I hope these help. Please let me know if you have some other lists that I may be helpful.

NTWG Six Flags Show

2008-10-20T17:50:00.000-05:00

I ran across some pictures I took at the North Texas Woodcarvers Guild show at Six Flags mall about 9 years ago.

Paul Wellborn showing some very nice carving.

I also got a picture of Luise Duval with her display.

And (of course) Danny Reb with his carvings and carving supplies.

Extensive Flickr Woodcarving Album

2008-09-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

Doug send me this link to an extensive Flickr album of woodcarving photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ana_sudani/sets/72157594361473412/

Take some time to enjoy over 5000 woodcarving pictures.

Clamping Devices for Carving

2008-09-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the devices that I use to secure wood while carving. First up is the end-mounted bench vise. A bench vise like this one is very useful for either directly clamping your work or for holding other clamping devices. Note the wooden jaw plates attached to this vise to prevent the metal jaws from marring the work.

This is a carving knee. This one is adjustable in the angle of the knee. Next to the carving knee is a long bolt with a tapered end that can be screwed into the bottom of a carving and the placed in the slot in the carving knee. A threaded handle is then used to tighten the carving to the knee.

Another device that can be used to attach carving to the knee is a piece of plywood with a carriage run through a counter sunk hole. the platform is then screwed to the carving.

This device is also clamped onto the knee using a threaded handle. This works particularly well with smaller carvings since you can use smaller screws and still get a good hold on the carving. Both of these devices used in conjunction with a carving knee give a tremendous range of angles to work with and are easy to adjust.

For relief carvings, I especially like an adjustable stand like the one above. It proves a good work surface with two handles to clamp the work and will tilt to any angle from horizontal to vertical. I came by this one around 20 years ago. I have not been able to find another like it. If you know of a good source for adjustable stands like this, please let me know.

Carving a Bookmark

2008-08-05T18:13:00.000-05:00

I recently carved a couple of bookmarks. I'd like to share some aspects of the process. These particular carvings were started away from my regular workbench. I used my small set of Flexcut tools in an old laptop bag. The carving surface is a clipboard with some grip pad on it. The bag does a fairly good job of holding the chips in.

Back at the regular workbench the carving is completed and the lettering is burned in.

The carving will be finished with a water based Minwax stain. First a pre-stain is applied.

After the pre-stain has dried for about 15 minutes, an "English Oak" colored stain is applied.

The stain is allowed to dry over night and then the piece is finished with a coat of Minwax Polycrylic. This will give it a nice hard finish with a nice sheen. I often like to finish with a coat of wax, but since this is intended to go between the pages of a book, I thought it best to forgo the wax.

And there you have it. The lighting in the photographs could be better, but I hope you get the idea.

Anthony Visco

2008-08-03T21:16:00.002-05:00

I just finished looking at the artwork and reading the essays on Anthony Visco's website at www.anthonyvisco.org. His work is quite impressive and I think his essays could be the starting point for some interesting discussions.

Proud Grandfather

2008-07-30T17:31:00.001-05:00

The bust Bill is working on of his grand daughter is coming along very well. The best complement he received so far is that her parents recognized her in the carving right away. Good work Bill.

Robert F. McGovern

2008-07-23T00:16:00.000-05:00

Robert McGovern is an Emeritus Professor, University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA. He is a talented painter, print maker and sculptor. He has done extensive commission works throughout the United States as well as illustrating many books. I fund this artist's bio which has some images of his woodcarvings. Some more of his work can be seen at this exhibition page. I also read that he lectures on the concerns surrounding religious art in our times (which I feel is a very important subject for discussion.)