Thread: My attempt at a Native American

Hi Phil,
Wow! That's really.
Glad you didn't throw it out!
Is it TBW?
Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by Featherwood

Hi Phil,
Wow! That's really.
Glad you didn't throw it out!
Is it TBW?
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks.

I'm not sure if it is Blackwood, though it is from an Acacia of some sort. The council had chopped down a tree on the river foreshore where I walk the dog so I salvaged as much as I could before it went for firewood.

Philip

y

nice work

Hi Phil, I think you have done a great job although I would have tried a few dark stains on some of the off cuts to see if you could get the same look as the picture. Or did you?

You wood carvers have my greatest respect. That is a great piece. Well done. I'd love to be able to carve like that. To me it is a talent equal to painting pictures. The hand eye coordination required always amazes me. I just can't seem to get my hands do cooperate with my eyes, or maybe it is the other way around.

Awesome carving.

Originally Posted by Robthechisel

Hi Phil, I think you have done a great job although I would have tried a few dark stains on some of the off cuts to see if you could get the same look as the picture. Or did you?

G'day Rob.

I did consider using some stain, particularly as it would have helped to hide the splice. I decided that I didn't want to stain to the extent of the original and then couldn't make my mind up what I should do and what I should leave out ( I used to think I was indecisive, now I'm not so sure!). On that basis I went with what would most easily allow me to change my mind later and stained nothing.

Philip.

Nice carving !
Be careful not to make the forehead too short and the crane too flat. The usual proportions locate the eyes about halfway between the top of the head and the chin.

Originally Posted by copeau

Nice carving !
Be careful not to make the forehead too short and the crane too flat. The usual proportions locate the eyes about halfway between the top of the head and the chin.

Hi Johan.

I felt I had put the mouth too low, relative to the nose and chin. I didn't consider that it may in fact be nose and eyes that are too high. If I had the nose and eyes a little lower that would increase the forehead and even up the nose/mouth/chin spacing.

Not sure what you mean by 'crane too flat'

Thanks for the feedback.
Philip.

Hi Phil.
Thought I should explain my extremely cryptic/nonsensical response posted on the 17th April that just said "Y".
When I first read your post I was really impressed with your work on the Indians head but thought ....Why an American Indian from a bit of Tassie timber? Surely Truganini or King William or even a legendary character like the cannibal Alexander Piece or the bushranger Martin Cash would have been more fitting.....Was halfway through posting a response to this affect when it struck me..........that response would be very hypocritical.
A long time ago I tried to make a similar bust of Vincent Van Gogh out of HUON PINE! So I had no right to question your subject matter.
Tried to delete the response and could not. Hope that explains that.
You got any new carvings in the pipeline?
As it happens I live only a stones throw (well maybe a stone shot out of a cannon) from Huonville myself.
Cheers and keep up the good work.
AB

Hi AB.

Thought I should explain my extremely cryptic/nonsensical response posted on the 17th April that just said "Y".
When I first read your post I was really impressed with your work on the Indians head but thought ....Why an American Indian from a bit of Tassie timber? Surely Truganini or King William or even a legendary character like the cannibal Alexander Piece or the bushranger Martin Cash would have been more fitting.....


I did wonder, Y this timber?, Y a native American?, Y bother?.
The timber choice was easy - it was all I had in a big enough piece.
The subject matter - it was available as a step by step book.This is my first attempt at a human face (and only my fifth piece of any kind) so I needed all the help I could get. If there was a step by step book with any of the above mentioned I may well have gone that direction.
Interestingly, once I had completed this I started looking for suitable images for an indigenous Australian. This is a project for when I feel my skills have improved to a point I can accurately render a specific face.

You got any new carvings in the pipeline?

I have just finished my take on the Mad Hatter (inspired by an article in The Australian Wood Review), and plan to get some photos together in the next couple of days.

As it happens I live only a stones throw (well maybe a stone shot out of a cannon) from Huonville myself.

PM me if you would like to call in for a coffee next time you are in Huonville, and stop throwing rocks at us!!

Regards.
Philip.