Captain Jack

Finished this fella up this morning.  The reason the colors on the face look mottled is because I went back after he was varnished and darkened the red.  As the wood was sealed the additional color is setting on the surface and did not soak in as it normally does.  It actually looks much better than it does in the photo but it's a good reminder of what sealing the wood prior to painting can do.  There is a photo of him prior to retouching in the gallery album where you can see the change.

Hope you like him.  He stands about 13" tall with the base.

White Eagle

Here's a new bust I've been working on while the paints drying on Iron Eagle.  I like doing this little busts as they are certainly easier than a full figure but the best thing is that they sell quite quickly.   Hope you like him.  More photos in the gallery and your comments are welcome and appreciated.

Billy Little Fox

Here's a little bust I just completed this afternoon.  Not much to do around here as it's so hot so I've been setting in the shop listening to the air conditioner hum as I whittle and watch the grass wilt.
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Billy stands about 7-8" tall with his oak base.  I really like the overlapped robe feature.  Really ties it together.  I think a darker wood base....say walnut would have looked a lot better but it's too late now.  Also, I've found a new supplier for nameplates who do the exact style I've been using.  Shipping is higher but the plate and lettering is the same price.  Here's the link:

www.halexawards.com
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I'm getting ready to start a new video series on a Gabby Hayes bust.  Hopefully we can get the first segment online before we have to live for a short trip up to Minnesota this coming weekend.   Hope it's cooler up there!
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As always, your comments are welcome and there are more photos in the Gallery.

First Scout Gets It! - Update!

    It's been claimed!! 



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And here's the Scout who claimed it!  He's off this weekend to the National Jamboree.  Colin has taught the wood carving merit badge skills to a younger group of scouts. He has been carving bolo ties and fridge magnets of his own design. He also participates in the Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club.  That slide couldn't have gone to a better example of what the Scouting program truly stands for.

Congratulations and have a great time at the Jamboree!


  

Black Elk - Winter Colors

I was originally going to just place this figure on a plain base but as I had just completed Charlie Red Horse and mounted him that way I thought I'd put this one in the snow.  I really like using snow as the starkness of the white really amplifies the colors of the figure. 
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The hardest part of this piece was coming up with the painted designs on the robe.  Not hard from the application but as I had just done a painted robe I wanted something unique for this one.  So Black Elk sat staring at me unpainted for several weeks until I came up with something.  Personally I think the wait was worth it as while he might look sad I'm sure he's real proud of his robe and the memories and warmth it provides.
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There are more photos in the Gallery and, as always, your comments are welcome.

Framed Shield – Part 4 – Finishing Up

It’s done and it turned out pretty good.  I can see all kinds of things we can carve and display with this framing method.    I hope you enjoyed the project.  As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.

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.

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.

Willie Whitefeather

Here is a little bust I finished today. I wanted to see how the base treatment I applied to Whiskey Jim would look with another character and I think it looks pretty good. I had carved the head for this figure several years ago which explains the closed eyes but it stills looks okay to me. With the base it stands about 8" tall.

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A few more photos in the associated album in the Gallery and your comments are always welcome.

Black Hawk

This is basically a copy of my carving "George Whitefeather" which I did back in 2006. As George is part of my Gallery collection I thought I'd do another similar so some collection can own one of his cousins.

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With this one I'm going to give him a scarlett coat vs. a blue one being as Black Hawk fought on the side of the British during the battle of 1812. However, I am also going to give him a Jefferson Peace Medal to indicate that he realized the error of his ways and made friends with the winning side. With the gold epaulettes and the colors of the hairpipe chest protector it should be quite colorful.

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I should have him completed in a couple days so he'll accompany me to the Dayton show. As always your comments are appreciated and there are more photos in the Gallery.

The Chief's New Blanket - Painted

I'm thinking that that is one cozy piece of material! It may not be a Pendelton but it will do! The new WalMart over in Pine Ridge was having a pre-winter sale so the Chief made sure he was the first in line. That old thread-bare, flea bitten piece of quilt the boys from the BIA passed out last year was so drafty and full of holes he was worried he was going to be picked up for exposing himself!

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I don't know if you're familiar with Charles Russell's little modeled wax caricatures of Indians, some of which were later cast in bronze. If you're not you should look them up as they are terrific. This fella is modeled after them. I tried to locate a photo of some on the web but couldn't find any so I guess you'll just have to make the trip to the museum in Great Falls, Montana. You can also see a few at the National Cowboy Museum in OKC or the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth.
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This was a fun figure to put together and while the blanket might be a little plain from the front the design on the back makes up for that ... besides, I didn't want to distract the viewer from that smile! If you look close you can see that the Chief didn't even take off the price tag. Hey, mornings are cold up there along the Rosebud!

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I hope you like the Chief. There are lots of photos in the Gallery and your comments are welcome.

The Winter Robe

Finally!!! I'll bet that although he might be standing out in the snow he's at least glad to get off my workbench! He has been hanging around down there for the past three months!

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The Chief is just another example of why I enjoy doing Native Americans. Such a large opportunity to do a little research and a lot of painting not to mention coming up with the various designs.

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This guy stands a little over 14" so he's pretty impressive. I did the snow as I have before, i.e., finish painting the figure completely, mask off the face, then use straight white and a toothbrush to splatter paint from above. I came back with a brush to dab on a little more white on the more exposed parts. I also dabbed on the white around the bottom of his moccasins so it looks like he has snow on his feet.

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There are a lot of photos in the Album and your comments are always welcome.

Chief Broken Hand

Ouch!!! I had this guy all done except for the hat and the texturing of the upper part of the robe....then I fell off the horse. He'd been setting down there on the workbench watching me each time I stuck my head in the door no doubt wondering when I was going to get up the courage to whittle out his Stovepipe. After some assurance from the surgeon and a couple of Percocet I managed to do it but believe me it was no fun. The phrase "No Pain, No Gain!" has taken on a literal meaning.

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I think this one will be a really nice piece once he's painted and mounted. He will be standing in the snow with a dusting of the white stuff on his hat and shoulders. As you probably know I've done this type of figure before. The robe designs along with all the other bright and crisp colors really make a stunning piece.

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Lots of photos in the Gallery and your comments are always welcome. Oh.....and I had no trouble coming up with the title of this piece!