Afro Hair carving

[Ian Forster]

I have a commission to carve Jimi Hendrix for a friend and came to a brick wall when working out how to do afro hair, none of the bibles tell you how they just stick to nice wavy hair. Any how i worked it out using No.s 2 & 3 veiners and a dremel with a round burr. It came up pretty good. Has anyone one else any other method or suggestion?

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[Iain]

You could glue on the curly bits that are generated from a drill bit and dyed black http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Ian Forster]

Great idea Iain but I am not painting this carving and the glue may show up in places, but I will bear it in mind for the future.
Thanks

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[Ian Forster]

Thanks Doorstop, such innovative ideas, i'll bear them all in mind, but remember Neil Youngs famous words "Rust Never Sleeps" so more than likely he'll be bald before to long.

[ubeaut]

Shuddup nude nut.

Ian - The best way to do an afro style is to cut off all the bits that don't look like an afro. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

I would have carved him with a big ball on his head then hit it with some pretty cunning strokes from a course rifler or two. Sometimes you can get away with very little detail, as the viewer will see what they want to see. Look at the photo. Are the eyes open or closed on the 2 handmaidens? (I know its a crummy photo but humour me).
http://www.ubeaut.com.au/cofarms.jpg
Here comes the tricky bit. If you said open, you are right. If you said closed, you are also right. Fact of the matter is they don't even have eyes. But each person that sees them views them in a different way. No one ever seems to notice that they don't have any eyes.

This is one of 3 coats of arms I carved for the Supreme Courts in Melb years ago. My little joke was to leave them without eyes. saying that if justice is blind, so should they be. http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/biggrin.gif

No one, not the architects, the judges, the builder etc. etc. ever noticed or said a thing. Wierd eh.

Most people only see what they want to see or expect to see. Funny thing though most woodcarvers worth their salt will pick it up almost instantly. Why? Because a good carver doesn't see he or she OBSERVES.

Strewth what an epic.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

[Ian Forster]

Thanks Neil and sorry doorstop (I am severly follically challanged myself), and Neil nice piece and a grand epic, I'll take that advice on board.

Ian