A Little Bit Of Blarney! - Part 2

Even though it was a nice warm day and we saddled up the ponies and went for an enjoyable ride I managed to get this character finished. I personally think there is a little too much green but I guess that's what makes him Irish and a Leprechaun!
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I tried a few different things with this little guy. His Shamrock is made from metal sheet as to get the detail I wanted there was just no way to get a piece of wood that thin and standing away from the body like I wanted. Being metal I don't have to worry about it breaking someday. I turned the pot on my lathe then whittled the outside so it has a carved appearance. The bail is just wire. The gold coins......well that's one secret I'll just keep to myself for the time being. Don't ask as I won't tell you!
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So, for a two day project I think he turned out pretty good. Lots of photos in the Picasa Gallery and comments welcome.

A Little Bit Of Blarney!

Our son's wife and daughter met the Irish President, Ms. Mary McAleese, the other day during her official visit to Bahrain. The guy is the photo is the First Leprechaun. You might remember Hannah from a couple of earlier appearances here. She and her sister Miriam have dual citizenship through their mother. I thought I would commemorate the occasion by carving a symbol of Ireland for them. I'll do it as a bust and probably stick a Shamrock to his vest. Can't wait to paint that beard orange!!

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As St. Patrick's day is just around the corner this would be a good project provided you can stay away from the Guiness long enough.

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There are a few more photos in the Picasa Gallery and I will post some more once the piece is finished. Just click on "Lynn Doughty's Gallery" tab if you don't see this carving.

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As always comments are welcome.

Stretching His Rope-Part 3

I was finally able to get back into the shop today so I finished the base and the main part of the figures body.
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Before mounting the body I suggest you do a little experiment in front of a mirror, standing in a similar manner as this figure. If you look closely you'll note that you lean in the direction of the supporting leg. If you try to straighten that leg up you'll lose your balance. Remember this little detail when you mount the figure. If you look at the photo you can see I placed him just a little off-center. Don't want him to fall off the bookshelf!
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In the photos I also suggest a good reference book: Cowboys & The Trappings Of The Old West. I use that book on a constant basis to find new ways to do things. Naturally, there are others out there but this is one of the best.
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In the next part we'll do the arms. Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Stretching His Rope-Part 2

To the left is the template I used to make the base for this project. I used a piece of 1" Oak for the larger base, a piece of 1/2" Basswood for the second level and finally a piece of 1/8" panel for the top. The wide area between the Oak and Basswood pieces is large enough for a nice routed edge incorporating an attached Brass nameplate. It's little details like these that make your carvings really look sharp. If you want to use a nameplate you can find one online at www.signsbygwynn.com. I used their A-30 size brass plate for this one. The title of the piece will be in Double-line Block and my name in Script. You can just fill out the order on line or give them a call. They'll get it to you cheaper and a lot quicker than you can get it locally. Tell them I sent you.
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The attached photos show the whole process of making the base and locking in the wheel. In the next part we'll start working on the figure.
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Good luck! Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Stretching His Rope

The wheel is finished so now we start the figure. The drawing to the left has all the pieces along with the measurement of the body which will give you the sizes of the other parts. As his arms will be stretched while to make his loop we'll attach them. But don't worry about that now we're only concentrating on the body blank.
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You'll note that the wheel he's leaning against is tilted back a bit. I did this to give a more pleasing appearance to the piece. Having it stand straight up would make the whole piece look stiff. Also, as how he comes into contact with the wheel is very important we will do the base before we actually carve the body. This might sound kind of odd but you'll see the logic as we move along.
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So, let's get started! Lots of photos in the Gallery.