Showing posts with label woodwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label woodwork. Show all posts

Monday, May 13, 2013

Work in Progress. Nittany Lion Statue

Thanks for checking out my blog.

5/10: It started as a block of oak, 3 x 3 x 6-in.

I draw some milestones on the wood, then rough out major features.





5/13: I cut in layers, working on several areas at a time.  As a layer is completed, I draw some milestones as guides for the next layer.  The wood is on a print out of a picture of the statue on the Penn State campus.



5/14: Now the ears, eyes, and mouth are starting to take shape



















I'll be sure to fix the right eye.

Friday, May 10, 2013

A Mermaid, the Sea, and Friends. A custom cane

A mermaid calmly sits in a clam shell while her friends cavort in the deep blue sea.
The request was for a cane with a mermaid and a comfortable handle.  The internet is full of real life mermaids.  All you have to do is Google, "image mermaid -cartoon."  Because of copyright, I can't show you the images, but you could look up the muses at:
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/disney/images/1154345/title/julianne-little-mermaid-photo
http://chinadailyshow.com/chinese-skipper-snares-eats-mermaid/
    (I digress, but this link has an interesting article attached to it :-)  )
http://madmuch.com/photos/golden-mermaid/
http://www.hannahfraser.com/mermaid/slippages/photos_one.php?instanceid=57&p=37

and, of course,
http://blog.europeana.eu/2013/04/mixed-up-mermaids/
  where you can find the story the The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, DK.

Here is the finished cane:
                                                                                       



































































Up close to the mermaid.




















Below the mermaid, a pair of dolphins are jumping out of the deep blue sea.

















A sea turtle looks on from below the dolphins on the shaft of the cane.



      
                 Top view                                                                           Side view from her better side

 On the backward looking side of the cane is a nameplate.  I added a mysterious creature looking out from the cane.




Tomorrow I will show some of the work in progress and discuss the process to get the deep blue sea.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Custom Chainsaw Sculpture

Welcome to my blog.


Someday I want to try chainsaw carving.

I imagine it is hard to learn.  I can see a large pile of  "learning" attempts.  Of course, those would be put to good use as firewood.

These are amazing.  Take a moment and go to the website to see more creations.  Check out:

http://www.customchainsawcarvings.com/Freehand_Custom_Carvings/Gallery/Pages/Sculptures_Gallery.html

Here is a taste of what you will find.

http://www.customchainsawcarvings.com/Freehand_Custom_Carvings/Gallery/Pages/Sculptures_Gallery_files/Media/hot%20to%20trot/hot%20to%20trot.jpg?disposition=download

http://www.customchainsawcarvings.com/Freehand_Custom_Carvings/Gallery/Pages/Sculptures_Gallery.html#15

REMEMBER



Thursday, January 10, 2013

Work In Progress: Nutcracker Ornaments

Welcome to my blog.


I've been working on a template for a Nutcracker ornament.  It is a work in progress (WIP).   Like other WIPs, it may not look like these designs as these are pre-prototype.  I'm documenting my progress so an Instructable or magazine article will follow.  Both are things I'm interested in pursuing.

Here are some examplars...



















My prototype got to hang on my daughter's Christmas tree.























Monday, August 13, 2012

Mild Makeover for a Walking Stick Spirit

 

Welcome to my blog

It is all about carving - tips and techniques, works in progress, completed projects, how to instructions, and future plans.
Please visit www.StickStaffCane.etsy.com and www.youwoodlikethis.etsy.com

 Before and After


As I get better at carving spirits, I will give a spirit a "make over."  Here is an example on the stick named, "Why the long face?"

Before





A few things needed to be fixed. 
  • Eyes were OK for a spirit but didn't have eyelids and were too big for sockets.
  • Eyebrows were not clean and too small.
  • Nose was too flat against a too flat face.

After




Here is what I did.
  • Carved eyes into sockets.
  • Added eyelids
  • Carved eyebrows and then had to reshape sockets
  • Fixed foread because fixing the eyebrows gave odd look to the overall look.
The side portrait shows how the nose and cheek bone structure have improved.

I get encouragement from customers, family, and strangers who stop me to ask who made the stick or how much it cost.  Great way to start a conversation.



Note that Phaal Nap (Fail Nap) is a pseudonym, nom de plume, and anagram for Hal Papan. I usually write when I can't sleep. Ergo, Fail Nap. Of course, Hal Papan is my nom de couteau (knife name instead of pen name) and anagram for my real name, Alan Happ. I carve under the name Hal Papan.
My Etsy shops accept PayPal and credit cards.
Contact me for international shipping.
Contact Me:
Proud member of the following Etsy teams:
  • The Wood Carvers of Etsy
  • Etsy Woodworkers
  • NCTriangle
  • It's A Madcap Live
  • On Fire For Handmade
  • Promoting Treasuries With a Cause
  • Inspired by History



Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Have a Panda Scratch Your Back?


Welcome to my blog

It is all about carving - tips and techniques, works in progress, completed projects, how to instructions, and future plans.

Please visit www.StickStaffCane.etsy.com and www.youwoodlikethis.etsy.com

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A custom request from the UK wondered whether or not I could carve a panda backscracher for her boyfriend.  He did not suffer from Doraphobia.
              Note:  by Scarebea...
              Doraphobia- Fear of fur or skins of animals.  There is no such thing as 'panda-phobia'.
              http://www.phobialist.com/



 I worked from photos off the internet.  These work-in-progress (WIP) photos show two early rough stages.  It also shows that I carved the whole back scratcher from a single piece of North Carolina red oak.  The black magic marker on the photo on the right was my guide for fuure carving of a bamboo stick. 

WIP getting closer.  I have the panda sitting on top of the bamboo as on a chair.  The handle simulates bamboo, and I carved bamboo leaves on the back of the handle.


 The finished product.  Oak is "resistant" to carving which is one reason this took about 30 hours to complete plus time for finishes.

 




















Note that Phaal Nap (Fail Nap) is a pseudonym, nom de plume, and anagram for Hal Papan. I usually write when I can't sleep. Ergo, Fail Nap. Of course, Hal Papan is my nom de couteau (knife name instead of pen name) and anagram for my real name, Alan Happ. I carve under the name Hal Papan.
My Etsy shops accept PayPal and credit cards.
Contact me for international shipping.
Contact Me:
Proud member of the following Etsy teams:
  • The Wood Carvers of Etsy
  • Etsy Woodworkers
  • NCTriangle
  • It's A Madcap Live
  • On Fire For Handmade
  • Promoting Treasuries With a Cause
  • Inspired by History