Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Nuthatches-Carving


A couple of week ago I posted about this little nuthatch painting in watercolour that I was working on. Do you find you like to work in more than one medium? Carving is fairly new to me but I have watched my friend Joyce carve for years and this winter as I have a little more time, I thought I would give bird carving a try. Do you see how close I am sitting to Joyce, my mentor? I think it is as much for her to keep an eye on me as for me to be close at hand when I frequently ask "What do I do next?"

I am carving a bird while Joyce is carving a camel
Don't you find learning from someone else the absolute best? I remember learning to crochet from my mother-in-law many years ago. We sat side by side on the couch. As she was right there to ask when I was unsure, I never went too far wrong. Oh I agree, there is much to be said for your own experimentation, but for learning the basics, a mentor is wonderful. Plus it is a lot of fun!
 
Joyce has kindly brought a nuthatch she carved as a reference model. This really helps when working three dimensionally. I am becoming more aware of  the trickier parts of the anatomy of birds which will be a bonus when painting them. This week, I am going to be starting a hand painted textile panel with a chickadee as part of it. I am so looking forward to beginning.

Take note of the safety equipment necessary for carving. There are special finger and thumb leather protectors for one hand and a special glove for the other hand. Those tools are sharp!


3 comments:

HollyM said...

I've always been interested in carving. It seems so difficult. My brother did it for a while, birds, but hasn't done any in years.

Win Dinn, Artist said...

Fascinating to see what you're up to 'down there', Eileen, and I'm looking forward to seeing your finished carving.

Laura Leeder said...

It looks like fun Eileen! I hope you will share the finished pieces by you and Joyce. Happy carving!