Carving a Happy Santa in Cottonwood Bark

This cottonwood bark can be addictive. This one was a lot of fun to carve. I don't like to paint my carvings, I prefer a natural finish so the grain will show. However, Christmas is one exception. When I do want to add color, I first seal the carving with a light coat of lacquer. I use a 'wash' of color by thinning acrylic paint with water, this still allows for some of the grain to show. I apply a couple light coats of lacquer over the carved area. I prefer this look. I think using a lot of paint creates a plastic or ceramic look, and after all this is wood!

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Carving a Native American in Cottonwood Bark

I carved this Chief from a piece of Montana cottonwood bark. The photos are pretty self explanatory. Just remember when you are carving any face, to start with the nose. The nose sticks out farthest on the face. So you need to remove wood on the face to bring the nose forward. A lot of carvers don't do this, and end up with a flat nose.

Repairing a Broken Carving

I was asked to repair a wooden Christmas ornament for a friend. It had a date of 1984 on the bottom, but no name of the carver. As you can see the little bear had a broken ear. I started by trimming off what was left of the ear. Carving a small piece, like the ear, is hard to hold. So I start the carving on a larger piece of 1/2" stock. I use a pin vise to drill a 5/64" hole in the bottom. I then round and shape the back and front of the ear, eventually meeting in the center and freeing the ear from the board.  I cut a small brad and insert into the hole in the bottom of the ear with only the point of the brad protruding. I align the ear and use the point on the brad to mark where I will drill into the head. Once again using a pin vise and the 5/64" bit, I drill the hole in the head. I cut a longer piece of the brad and dry fit the ear. When I am happy with and depth of the holes, I mix up two part epoxy and fill both holes. I attach the ear and hold in place for five minutes. The steel brad and epoxy insure a strong joint. This ear will not break again, at least not at that joint. I let it set over night before matching up the paint.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours, and thanks for following along on my woodcarving journey. We passed 50,000 page views this morning thanks to all of you!

Lil' Snow Skier

This little guy was hiding in a piece of old basswood. The base was carved from a separate piece. The wife has already claimed him, so she got an early Christmas present.

Santa Vintage Rolling Pin #5

Here is my latest Santa rolling pin. This vintage rolling pin is bird's eye maple, and the hardest to carve so far. These are for display only and are a hot seller. I finished this one the same way, using thinned acrylic paints and sealing with polyurethane.