Framed Shield – Carving & Painting The Shield – Part 3

We wrap up the painting with this segment.  Only thing left after this is to attach the feathers, mount it on the frame and hang it on the wall. 

Framed Shield – Carving & Painting the Shield – Part 2

With the shield carved, we can now burn on a few details and the finish up the carving process by making three feathers.  Finally, we move over to the paint table to start applying some color.   Again, I’m hoping you’ve picked out your own design.   Comments welcome as always.

Framed Shield – Carving & Painting The Shield – Part 1

Here is first part of carving the Shield blank.  I told you it would be easy.  In the next segment we’ll try and get it painted and hopefully make some feathers. 
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Please note:  In the video I say that the thickness of the shield should be 1/4”.  It should actually be at least 3/8” to 1/2” thick.  My goof! Sorry!
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I put a couple Shield designs in the Gallery album but I encourage you to come up with your own.  Comments are welcome as always.

Cutting Out The Shield Blank

Here are the measurements for the shield blank.  The photo shows the shield on it's side.  The grain is running left to right and the board should be  3/8" to 1/2"  inch in thickness.  I first drew a 4 inch circle and then made two cloth drops on each side to the length of 5" and 1/2" wide. 
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I'm sorry if I seem to be moving slow on this project but it's just too damn hot right now to spend in the shop.  Also, the grass seems to be trying to set a growth record this year.  I hate to see the really hot weather show up but at least it will slow down the vegetation growth.  Hopefully, we will do a video on carving the shield but as I said earlier it's really a pretty simple thing to knock out.
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Comments welcome.

Finishing up the Frame for the Shield

With this post we finish up the frame and get ready to move on to carving the shield.  For my back plate I went down to Lowes and bought a 4X8' sheet of 1/4" Rough Surfaced Fir plywood.  This cost me about $32.00.  That's a lot of money just to make a small part of this project.  But, I have other plans for the remainder of that sheet of plywood.  You can use just about anything to make that part of the frame so don't run down and come home with a pickup load of lumber only to find the wife waiting with a mean look on her face.  The excuse that "Lynn said I needed it!"  just won't work!!

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In the next part we will start carving the shield which will be quite easy...I guarantee it!  Hopefully, you've been searching for a shield design and have picked out a few.  I'll use a generic shape for mine and then you can take it from there. There are more photos and descriptions in the Gallery album and your comments are welcome as always.

And Now For Something Completely Different!

I did the wall plaques several years ago but thought it's about time to do some more and maybe take you along for the ride.  They hang in my Gallery and I could have sold them numerous times but I like them too much myself to let them go.   To make the frames with the table saw makes this project a little more difficult than just carving the shield but if you have the saw and are familiar with its use it should be pretty easy for you.
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In making the frames I just used photos along with an explanation. They are in the Gallery.  I made the frame from Cedar Dog-eared fencing you can find at Lowes or Home Depot.  I bought several pieces of it and nailed it up outside so it would weather over time.  Gives it a much better look.  Each time I take one down to use I nail up another in it's place so I always have a supply on hand.  I use that fencing for everything but fencing.
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In the next post we'll do the back piece and then start the carving.  Of course you can go ahead and Google "Native American War Shields" and get a jump on that part by picking out a design for your shield.
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Comments welcome as always.

Charlie Red Horse All Painted Up!

Finally got Charlie off the paint table and in front of the camera.  I think he turned out great.  Really like the robe designs.  They are a combination of several I found through research the web and in the books I have on hand.   He looks pretty regal to me.  Now all I have to do is to come up with a price for him.  This is a good example of where the applied finish almost takes over the carving part.
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Hope your like him and your comments are always appreciated.  Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Native American Bust

Here is a little bust I just finished painting.  It sat around my paint table for about 3 weeks while I thought about the beading design.  I finally came across this one while doing some research on Google. I have several books on beading but am always on the lookout for more.  The one to the right is a good one to have on hand.
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Still in the process of putting the designs on Charlie Red Horses' Robe.  Hopefully, I'll get him done this weekend as I want to get him into the Gallery so I can start on something else.  I've noticed that my hit-count on the site meter is going down so I'd better come up with a new video project or you folks will start looking for greener pastures.
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Anyway, hope you like this little effort and your comments are always welcome.

Charlie Red Horse - The Carving Parts Finished

After taking yesterday off, I managed to finish carving Charlie.  He's got his pipe, some feathers, and some fancy burnt detail.  If you're wondering why the upper part of the robe is so dark it's because I burnt it with my butane torch to remove the fuzzy surface left from the stoning.  That's a neat technique I came up one day.  After it's burned you can just brush off any residue with a small brass brush.  The burnt color lends itself well to the dark brown to come later.
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The feathers are kind of oversized but I think that just adds to the figure.  He should really be flashy once painted,especially after I add the designs to the robe.
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I put a link to a really nice reference book for robe designs.  I'm always on the lookout for new material I can use to come up with ideas to paint.  This book is a good one.
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Anyway, hope you like him so far and your comments are welcome as always.

Charlie Red Horse

Sorry, no video for this one.  I've been experiencing a run on my carvings lately so I've got to shut down the video production studio for a while to try and get my Gallery restocked.  Also, the Dayton show is not that far off and I'd like to come up with some competition pieces.
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I've used this robed pose several times in the past and it has always proved very popular, no doubt because once painted it is quite striking.  This one is a little larger than the others, measuring about 17" tall.   The robe will be painted with designs and the upper part will be textured to simulate dark hair.  He will have a horn breast plate and hold a catinite tipped pipe.  I haven't decided on his hair decoration yet.
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As I type this the body is finished and will be textured today and hopefully he's get his braids.   As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.  Oh...there are a couple more photos in the gallery.