I finished carving this one this morning. As you can see from the earlier post Blowing in the Wind, there have been some major changes. I decided to make the figure Custer and title it to reflect his jaunty attitude on his way to the Little Big Horn, not knowing what waits for him there. I did take a little artistic license with leaving the neckerchief in place instead of changing it to the scarf you see in all the photos of him. Frankly, I think I would rather wear such an item considering all the dust blowing in their faces while on the trail. He will have a light colored leather coat and a dark blue shirt with white striping on the color. The bandana will be red. A prominent Gold star should make it plain just who he is.
I hope you like him as I think he'll be a nice little bust once painted. Comments welcome.
Here's one fresh off the workbench. I had done one similar some years back but on a much smaller scale. This one stands about 18" with the oak base. On the last one I had a whiskey bottle embedded in the sand so I thought I would do something different by planting an empty water bag. Other than that it's pretty much the same as the original. Hope you like it! Comments welcome.
More catching up! I thought I'd better give this piece a name and make him official. I did this one quite a few posts back demonstrating how I made a Bear Claw Necklace. If you want to check out those videos just scroll down through the "Labels" over in the right column to "Bear Claw Necklace" and it will take you to posts of that subject. Maybe I should have done that before putting the claws to Old Griz? I really like this piece. The character really looks especially strong and proud. I guess dispatching a Grizzly of that size would pretty well prove that. I've read several books about just how many of those rascals were out in the old west and just how mean and dangerous they were. Taking one on with a bow and arrow or spear and living through it would certainly prove that this is one fella' that you shouldn't get on the wrong side of. I like him so much that I haven't decided yet whether I'll let him go. Again, I really look forward to your comments as they make doing this Blog worth it. Thanks.
I almost forgot to post the finished photos of this one too. Old age creeping up on me I guess. Anyway, here he is in all his color. Okay....with this one too I went a little overboard on the size of the Bear Claws. I was so involved with finishing this one that I didn't really notice that until they were fixed in place. Remember Lynn......TAKE YOUR TIME!!! Check out the photo below to see how they should really look.
Other than that it turned out pretty good. I like the floppy hat and the dark fur's contrast with the other colors really sets off the piece. With the walnut base he stands about 11" tall.
I received a note from a good friend last night asking what happened to the photo of the finished Strong Heart piece? Well, Judy and I went to Wyoming and in the excitement of the trip I forgot all about it! So, here it is. First, I'll admit, the feathers are a little large. Other than that I think it turned out really nice. I like the strong colors, especially the contrasting beading. As always, comments are welcome.
Really pleased with this pose as it's showing lots of movement even in the rough stage. Naturally, he'll have a hat with an upturned brim to carry the wind theme. Wish I would have turned the end of the neckerchief up to increase the interest. Oh well, next time. Hope you like it.
Here's one that's been on my workbench for about a year. Still have to add the Bear claws and a couple feathers for his hat. He should be a colorful one. Stands about 12" with the walnut base.
Here's a new one. If you think you're seeing spots its because there are lots of them! He stands about 11" tall with the walnut base. Hope you like him.
