Custer

I've done this one in smaller versions in the past so thought I would try a larger one.  Also, it gave me a change to add a couple extra details, one that I wasn't aware of.

When doing some research for this one I noted that in some photos of him there appeared to be a badge of some kind pinned to his neck scarf.  I had thought maybe it was his Medal of Honor but when checking the medal issued at that time it was clear it wasn't that.  I sent a note to my good friend and sculptor David Lemon and he informed me of something that I didn't know.  Custer had his own medal!  I won't go into just what that is but here's a very interesting link about it:

 http://www.lacwrt.org/docs/The%20Custer%20Badge.pdf

Due to the size of the piece and my feeble eyesight, I wasn't able to add the smallest details to the medal but I think there's enough to indicate just what it is and you have to admit it really adds a neat tough to the piece.

I also took the liberty of adding the leather strap across the chest just to break up the large expanse of yellow/tan leather.  It also creates just one more details to add interest to the piece.  While a lot of the painting of him show him wearing a light tan hat in looking at the photos it looks much darker than that so I colored it a dark blue with a gray piping edge and hat band which would more closely match the issued uniforms they were issued.  Granted, he pretty much wore what he wanted and even designed his own but that blue hat again makes it that much more interesting.  This bust stands a little under 12" with the walnut base,  a nice size that will easily stand out from the rest.

There are more photos in the Gallery along with a couple of unpainted ones showing his ears which I re-carved to more closely follow the photos.   I hope you like this one as I certainly do and I look forward to your comments as I always do.

"MEDIC!!"

Here's a little quickie I finished yesterday.  While I've done this character a couple of times in the past this time I made his situation just a little more intense.  The arrow is a piece of 1/8"dowel with plastic feathers and a hammered copper arrowhead.  To accommodate the arrowhead and feathers I burnt two slots for the fletching and a completely burnt through slot for the arrowhead.  I wrapped thread around the point to keep it in place and also to give the look of realism.

Not really much to add about the figure itself other than his prognosis doesn't look to good.  Of course, like all cartoon characters, no one ever seems to succumb to their injuries so there might still be some hope.   This is the only photo.  Look forward to your comments.

A Good Trade

At this years Rendezvous, this Mountain man managed to swap a few beaver pelts for a pretty nice blanket.  It will no doubt come in handy on cold winter nights high in the Rockies.

I think Beaded Blanket strips are one of the most colorful items associated with Native American crafts.   I an only imagine how much time is spent making one of these and how proud one would be to wear one.

With the base this piece stands over 12" tall.  The base is walnut.  One thing about bases......when making a base a lot of us make the mistake of picking a soft wood like pine when we should have reached for a nice piece of oak, walnut or even better, cherry.  I realize that these are much more expensive than a pine board you can pick up down at the home center. Unfortuately, that pine board reacts to stain in such a way that the finished article appears blotchy and unprofessional.   My advice is to go ahead and fork over the extra money and purchase a nice piece of hardwood.  Your carvings and hard work deserve it.

A few more photos in the gallery and I look forward to your comments.