This figure was an experiment in making a Bear Claw Necklace. I have done this type of detail on other full figures so this time I thought it would be a challenge to try something completely different. I guess you could say that I worked backwards, first making the necklace then the base and finally the head and other details. Sometimes this is necessary just to see if the concept will work out. While I did have a close call with the first attempt at mating the head to the necklace after a little overnight thought was able to work the problem out.-
When I first cut out the blank for the necklace the wife commented that it looked like I was carving a toilet bowl lid. It does sort of look like that. However, once the claws were added and then the head it would be hard to imagine a bathroom fixture somewhere in there. In laying out the necklace I ran the grail of the wood with the length of the piece for strength. It is held to the base by three dowels...two 1/8" dowels on each side and one 1/4" dowel on the bottom. I was a little worried if this would support the weight of the piece but once glued up it's really quite strong.
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If I were doing it again I would change the eyes a bit. He has sort of a "Deer in the Headlights" look about him which I find a little off from what I was after. Also, I would have liked to have the central hat detail to look more mirror-like but couldn't figure out how to do it. The next time I'm in WalMart I will be scouting out the women's jewelry section to see if I can find something that would allow me to add that detail. Overall I think he looks pretty good and once the name plate added on the bottom of the base he should really sparkle.
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Lots of photos in the gallery.
I like him Lynn. Looks a little different than the others. may be how you are displaying him. But I agree on the eyes, which are great but a little towards the "Deer in the headlights". All in all, Excellent
ReplyDeleteLynn, well your bear claw necklace and Billy Black Bear all came together to make for a very nice interpretative carving. You certainly have a way of creating interesting pieces and it is so neat for you to share so much information on your blog. The gallery of Billy Black Bear tells a good progressive story which I enjoyed studying. Keep the chips piling up and the carvings coming to life. TTYL, The WOOD BEE CARVER
ReplyDeleteI think the wide stare can be fixed by just making the pupils bigger, so they touch top and bottom lids. imho
ReplyDeleteBilly Black Bear looks really great Lynn. I thought a lot about your work over the last few days while watching the T.V. series Comanche Moon. You capture the detail perfectly.....Myron
ReplyDeleteLynn, I think Billy Black Bear turned out great. I'm thinking the shiny piece in the middle of the hat. Might try a to carve the middle down a hair, paint it silver and then fill about 1/16" thick of clear epoxy for a mirror effect. I thinking also you could make a clear disk of epoxy and paint the back silver and insert disk. Maybe worth a try.
ReplyDeleteLynn, Your dedicated passion for wood carving in unmeasureable, Billy Black Bear in yet another fantastic piece. Love the side profile look, he's "just resting in mid-air", great details, colors, and arrangement. Thanks so much for helping us learn more. Bill "Coffeeman"
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