14Wooden Projects with Personality Karen Scalin Carving Little Caricatures Carving Little Caricatures Karen Scalin
26 58 90 Table of Contents Introduction Carving Basics: What You Need, and Need to Know, to Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 About Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 About the Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Tool Tips and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sharpening and Stropping . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Types of Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Stuff No One Tells You—Or Hasn’t Told You Yet . . 17 Let’s Head Off: Carving Facial Features . 20 Beginner Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Herman from Lake Marigold, MN . . . . . . . 26 Jerome Gnome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Monte the Mountain Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Gina Generic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Jack Benny Wannabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Intermediate Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Sam the Natty Dresser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Santa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Oscar the Retired Bodybuilder . . . . . . . . . . 71 It’s Just George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Hopeful Henry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Advanced Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Wanda the Wandering Witch . . . . . . . . . . 90 Tootin’ Toots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Shoutin’ Shirley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Eager Ernie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Painting and Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
51 103 xx xx 65 33 39 71 83 45 77 97 109 115
Carving Basics 13 Sharpening and Stropping This section is only meant to be an introduction to sharpening and stropping—there are entire books written on the subject. If you ask other carvers, you will find that there are numerous ways cited as the way to strop and sharpen. Virtually any of the ways will do the job; some are simpler, some are more involved; some are cleaner, some are messier. Try different accessories and methods to see what gives you the best results. Strop to Keep Blade Edges in Tune Most often a new tool or knife is extremely sharp and easily cuts through wood. As you use it, the blade edge dulls over time, and it may no longer glide through the wood as smoothly. It may require more force than it used to. This is when you need to strop it. Stropping is a tune-up that helps keep your blade’s edge extremely, or as some would say, “scary” or "surgically," sharp. A strop generally is made with a board that has a piece of firm leather attached to it. You “load” the strop by applying a polishing/grinding compound onto the leather. The compound removes microscopic pieces of metal as you move the blade over the surface of the strop. To strop a knife, lay the blade flat against the strop with the cutting edge facing away from the direction of the movement, then push or pull the blade across the length of the strop. At the end of the strop, lift the blade straight up without twisting or rolling it off the strop. If you twist or roll the edge off of the strop, this will quickly start to round over the edge of the blade, necessitating a reshaping. Continue stropping the same side of the blade (a minimum of five times) before turning the blade over and stropping the other side. Gouges and V-tools are stropped by following their edge profiles. Stropping is generally all that is necessary to keep a blade edge finely tuned. Sharpen from Time to Time There will be instances that require actual sharpening or reshaping of the blade. If you are not careful when stropping, you can quickly round over the blade edge, thereby dulling its ability to cut through the wood, and now requiring reshaping. Over time, even with careful stropping, you may find the blade will not cut as well. You may drop, break off, or create a nick in the blade. All these situations mean that sharpening is required. Sharpening can be done by hand or with a powered device. It’s highly recommended that a beginner first learn to sharpen by hand. Hand sharpening can be done with diamond stones, Arkansas stones, or very fine-grit sandpaper, to name a few choices. Sharpening creates tiny burrs (often referred to as a wire edge) on the cutting edge that must then be removed by stropping. Strop regularly to keep your knife sharp and your cuts clean.
14 Carving Little Caricatures If sharpening a more damaged blade, you generally proceed from coarser- to finer-grit stones or sandpaper. For minor damage or tune up, start with a finer grit. The movement for sharpening is the same as in stropping. Lay the blade flat on the sharpening surface, then use a push or pull movement across the length of it with the blade edge facing away from the motion. The movement is continued on both sides until a burr appears. The burr will look like powdered graphite stuck to the blade edge. The burr edge needs to run uniformly across the entire cutting edge before you move to a finer-grit stone to repeat the process. Coarser grits will quickly remove metal from the blade, but also leave heavy abrasions or scratches on the surface. As you move from coarser to finer grit, the abrasions also become finer and the burr becomes looser. The final step is to return to the strop to remove the burr edge and polish out scratches on the blade, resulting in a smooth cutting surface. Power sharpening machines can expedite the sharpening process, but can lead to tool damage if they’re not used properly. Many sharpening machines rotate at a very high rate of speed (there are some exceptions available) and the rotation of the wheel must spin away from you. This is very important. A wheel that rotates toward you can cause serious injury—a tool can catch and fly at you. Also, a sharpening machine can “blue” a tool. This means that the tool’s edge has heated up and literally turned blue, causing it to lose its temper, or hardness. When blued, the metal becomes soft and it can no longer be sharpened or hold a fine edge, and in most instances has become a lost cause. Supplies for sharpening and stropping.
26 Carving Little Caricatures Herman from Lake Marigold, Minnesota
Herman from Lake Marigold, Minnesota 27 Herman, or “Herm” as he’s known down at the lake by his ice fishing buddies, is a huge Minnesota Vikings football fan. Right now, he’s about to start shoveling the snow, yet again, so he can get his snowmobile out of the garage and head on down to the grocery store for some more milk for hot chocolate. Getting Started Sketch the landmark lines (those marked “front, right, left, and back” on page 32) onto all four sides of the block. The other profile patterns are to be used for reference as you detail the carving later. Herman gives you a basic project with uncomplicated lines and none of the concerns that come with working on more advanced features. To start off with a greater degree of difficulty, there are many possibilities. Move the scarf down, the hat up, and add a face. Create fringe on the scarf, put a knot in the scarf, texture the hat, put pockets on the jacket, add a zipper, put hands in pockets. Create Herman’s wife or children. Turn him into a snowman. It’s up to you! Developing Your Own Style of Knife and Tool Work As a new carver, you will be learning how to use your knives and tools. As you continue to carve, you will learn that you can substitute tools for knives or knives for tools and/or make do with almost whatever you have on hand. You will learn various methods that, in time, you will synthesize into your own style. However, the most important piece of advice is to learn to carve cleanly. Learn to make cuts that meet or join one another to create a clean, smooth, finished appearance. Even if only roughing out or somewhere in between, carving cleanly provides the advantages of not having to go back and try to clean up an area later where you might cause unwanted damage. It is also easier to see your progress and determine where you need to make adjustments. Materials •1" x 1" x 2" (2.5 x 2.5 x 5.1cm) basswood block •Boiled linseed oil •Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer •FolkArt Antiquing Medium Plaid 811 •Howard Feed-N-Wax •Paintbrushes •Paper towels •Soft cotton rag Tools •Knives of choice •1mm micro gouge •2mm 90-degree V-tool •1/4" (6.4mm) 90-degree V-tool
Monte the Mountain Man Monte is preparing to attend the annual midwinter Mountain Man Convention. Mountain men from the tristate region meet to share the latest information on herd movements, the newest in tracking innovations, and compete in a cook-off for the best stew recipe. He’s got his bag packed and his skis waxed, and now he’s searching for his ever-elusive snowshoes, trying to remember where he last left them.
1 2 40 Carving Little Caricatures Getting Started Sketch the landmark lines (those marked “front, right, left, and back” on page 44) onto all four sides of the block. The other profile patterns are to be used for reference as you detail the carving later. Monte adds simple hair texturing, and he has sunglasses over his eyes. Possible changes for added difficulty: sunglasses removed (and eyes added), coat shortened to jacket length, fur trim added to boots, hat and coat trim textured or painted red (so he doubles as Santa), snowshoes or skis added. Materials •1" x 1" x 2" (2.5 x 2.5 x 5.1cm) basswood block •Boiled linseed oil •Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer •FolkArt Antiquing Medium Plaid 811 •Howard Feed-N-Wax •Paintbrushes •Paper towels •Soft cotton rag Tools •Knives of choice •2mm micro gouge •2mm 90-degree V-tool Shape the hat. Use a knife for the following cuts: Remove all four corner edges, cutting from the bottom to the top of the block. Make a stop cut on the hat line and cut up and in to it at a slight angle. Round over the top of the hat. Make the shoe line. Even though the head will be turned, the feet face forward. Use a knife to set in the shoe line. Carve in at a slight angle from above and below this line to create a V cut. (A V-tool can be used instead.) Extend these cuts a little to the left and right sides of the block.
Gina Generic She wears a bouffant from the 1960s and always wanted to try out as a backup singer for Diana Ross, but never could fit into the costumes. Then she thought she could try out as a Roseanne Roseannadanna replacement on Saturday Night Live in the late 1970s, but she had too sweet a countenance to play the part.
1 46 Carving Little Caricatures Face Direction Where do you start creating a character in a block of wood? Most often with the head or face. Being that the face does not sit flat across the head, some angles and planes need to be created so the features will appear somewhat anatomically correct. Some carvings have a face that is looking straight ahead, while others have heads that are turned to one side or the other. Starting a face on the flat side of a block requires you to carve the angles in. Therefore, many carvers opt to start on a corner of the block having the 45-degree angles already set in place. Carving a face on the corner limits you to a fully turned head position either to the left or the right. By starting with the cylinder shape you can then turn the head any degree you desire. Getting Started Sketch the landmark lines (those marked “front, right, left, and back” on page 50) onto all four sides of the block. The other profile patterns are to be used for reference as you detail the carving later. Gina is the first of the female projects, which makes her a different kind of challenge. Possible changes for added difficulty: more curvaceous, less curvaceous, eyes added, different hairstyle, in capri pants, in a bathing suit, in a more revealing top, barefoot, in a robe, curlers in her hair. Materials •1" x 1" x 2" (2.5 x 2.5 x 5.1cm) basswood block •Boiled linseed oil •Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer •FolkArt Antiquing Medium Plaid 811 •Howard Feed-N-Wax •Paintbrushes •Paper towels •Soft cotton rag Tools •Knives of choice •1mm micro gouge •1/4" (6.4mm) 90-degree V-tool Shape the head. Using a knife, carve the head into a cylindrical shape. Carve upward from the line drawn for the head to the top of the block.
Intermediate Projects
Sam the Natty Dresser Sam is quite the natty dresser—he’s very stylish and has a snappy attitude. He enjoys a night out and is often seen in the company of an elegant lady. However, last week, his tailor advised him that the late suppers have made him a little bit portly, and that refitting may soon be necessary.
Painting and Finishing When I first started carving, I did not want to obscure the wood with paint, so the only finish I used was a light stain. I quickly realized that people did not see all the full detail that I had carved. Once I started to paint them, even I could see them come alive. I enjoy the enhanced look that paint brings to my carvings. Painting is a personal preference. Some prefer no paint, others a heavy coating, still others prefer their paint thinned down, allowing the wood grain to show through. Depending on preference, carvers paint with oil paint, tints, dyes, water colors, or acrylics. I detail my process on the next page. (Note: let the piece dry thoroughly after each step of the painting/finishing process.) My painting setup. Brush cleaning/holding container, clean water container and dropper, paint palette tray, paper towel, the only two brushes I use for all painting (both round points #3 and #0), stylus, toothpick, and flat brush used for dry brushing. A paint stick with thumbtacks or push pins glued on serves as a drying station.
118 Carving Little Caricatures Gallery Here are a few of my close personal friends: Alvin Leroy Zeke Douglas Julien Mitchell Winston Kevin Maximillian Theo Kojak Benny Nathan Leo
ISBN: 978-1-4971-0296-5 9 7 8 1 4 9 7 1 0 2 9 6 5 EAN 5 1 2 9 9 $12.99 US Carving Little Caricatures is a musthave guide for woodcarvers looking to learn valuable techniques that add movement and expressive details into a small piece of wood. Featuring detailed overviews on tools and materials, basic cuts, painting, finishing, and other essential tips, this complete guide also includes 14 unique character designs for small carvings with big personalities. From a simple and silly gnome to a more challenging wandering witch who’s late for lunch, the projects slowly progress in difficulty so you can build your skills as you achieve various facial expressions and body positions. Each project also includes a charming backstory that brings the character to life. Whether you’ve been carving for years or are just getting started, enhance your caricature carving capabilities with this inspiring resource! “Carvers will learn everything from design and movement to tools and finishing techniques. Karen's little figures are sure to capture your imagination and lead to hours of creative, fun carving.” —Ryan Olsen, Caricature Carvers of America Member and Nationally Recognized Instructor “This book is a complete and thoughtful in-depth compendium of useful information for anyone carving small caricatures. Highly recommended for carvers of all levels of ability.” —Dave Stetson, Co-Creator and Founding Member of the Caricature Carvers of America “Karen’s new book, Carving Little Caricatures, is full of great tips and ideas for both new and experienced carvers. Her projects in the book may be small, but they are big on creativity and information.” —Chris Hammack, Woodcarving Artist and Instructor, www.ChrisHammackArt.com Carve with Personality! Carving Little Caricatures Karen Scalin Inside, you’ll find 14 step-by-step projects with personality, all of which can be made with the included full-size patterns, a few hand tools, and a standard 1" x 1" x 2" basswood block!