Thread: "Firred Bird" - my first ever woodcarving project

So I got this idea to pick up a piece of Douglass Fir 2x2 and see if I could carve something. Some of the grain on one piece looked liked bird feathers, and the carving (so far anyway, it's a work in progress) came out looking like this:
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I'd always wondered why woodcarvers didn't incorporate wood grain more into features of their carvings, and now I know. Placing the bird body lines along the grain lines while not producing a wildly lopsided bird has been a struggle. And I'm still battling with some of the planes and curves, especially in the birds head and at the hips (do birds have hips?).
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I'm thinking/hoping that the more "lumpy" surface transitions will work themselves out with more sanding.

Pretty soon, I'll have to decide whether to detail in some eyes. The facial impressions created by just the grain on its own seem a little creepy; but if I don't get the eyes *right*, they could be a lot creepier. I also have to decide how to finish the piece: I want something pretty close to natural, but that helps bring out the glossy glow that Doug Fir can have.