By Desiree Hajny

Woodburning caught my attention at the first woodcarving show I participated in, back in 1982. At this particular show there were two sections, one for the carvers of birds, and the other reserved for miscellaneous carvings. I had brought an array of wildlife carvings done in natural wood, most in walnut. Some of the pieces were in other woods embellished with paint.

In my college years as an art major, I had always been interested in doing pen/ink drawings. Woodburning struck me as a way of incorporating something similar into the 3D realm and being more permanent. In looking at the birds, it struck me that I could use the burner to give the animals the fur effect that was missing from what I had brought to the show.

Step 1: Transfer the pattern to the basswood carving egg or blank. Use carbon paper, and trace the details onto the egg.

Step 2: Carve to shape using the tools of your choice.

Step 3: Add tiny hair texture to the paws, face, ears, and tip of tail with the woodburner. Hold the burner pen at the same angle you would hold a pencil. Using the super small point, push the point up and down, like you are coloring with a crayon (See Figure A & C on the texture board).This gives the illusion of hair growing from the skin up.Try not to create parallel lines. In general, the angle of your pen will fluctuate between 65° to 90°.

Step 4: Use a pencil to draw in fur-flow lines. Then go over the pencil lines with a 1⁄8″-diameter rotary disk to just touch the surface at a 35° angle. DO NOT carve in parallel lines!

Step 5: Add a heavier texture to the remainder of the mouse using a tight round woodburner tip.The tight round tip lets you create separate strands of hair. Cross over the high areas to refine the texture— using your pencil lines as a guide (see Figure B & D on the texture board). Don’t burn where the fur will be layered (see Step 6).

Step 6: Layer the fur where there is an overlay, curl or separation (such as joints and where the mouse’s limbs overlap). Using the unburned space around these places, curve your burned lines. Start your burn in the unburned area and curve your stroke into the burned area.When complete, the mouse should look like Figure AB on the texture board.

Step 7: Contour the nose pad area by dotting it with a writing or signature tip.

Step 8: Clean the burned area with a defuzzing pad or brass brush. This will take off the wood fibers that will show up after painting. It will also remove any charcoaled areas left by a too hot burner tip!

Tips: Getting the Right Temperature

Use higher burner heat to enhance the heavy fur burning areas. But be careful not to use too much heat—otherwise paint absorbing carbon will build up! If you feel friction and have to force the pen to get the desired depth, the temperature is set too cold. If the tip goes in too deeply and the wood yellows on either side of the cut, the temperature is set too hot!

Materials:
• Goose-sized basswood egg or basswood blank: 2″ x 2″ x 3 1⁄2″ (5.1cm x 5.1cm x 8.9cm)
• Acrylic paints

Tools:
• Adjustable, wire-tip woodburner with tips: super small point, small writing, tight round
• Hand carving tools of choice
• Rotary carver with a 1⁄8″ (3mm)-dia. rotary disk

CLICK HERE to download the Mouse Pattern.

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Easy-to-carve critters are delightfully mobile

By Desiree Hajny

These lovable critters are a great way to introduce others to carving. They make great conversation starters. People can’t resist picking them up once they see them rolling down the table. They’re surprisingly easy to carve and after you get a feel for the technique, you’ll be able to create a whole herd in no time.

I got my inspiration for these designs in 1987. I was teaching a woodcarving seminar in Anchorage, Alaska. One of the students brought in a small bear that was carved so that when you put it on a flat surface and nudged it from behind, it would roll over and land face up. I though this was an interesting idea and developed a number of carved animals that would do the same thing. I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did!

Materials:
• Basswood: 2″ x 3″ x 3 1/2″ (51mm x 76mm x 89mm)
• Acrylic paint: black, white, red
• Paintbrushes of choice

Tools:
• #5 fishtail gouge: 13mm
• #5 gouge: 22mm
• #11 veiner: 6mm
• 45º V-tool: 10mm
• Detail knife
• Woodburner with fine tip (optional)

CLICK HERE to download the Rolling Caricatures Pony Pattern.

CLICK HERE to download the Rolling Caricatures Elephant Pattern.

CLICK HERE to download the Rolling Caricatures Bison Pattern.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Cut out the side view. Transfer the side-view pattern to the blank. Then cut the side view with a bandsaw or coping saw. Transfer the top and bottom view patterns to the blank. Mark the areas to be removed.
2. Begin rough-shaping the piece. Remove the marked areas with a 13mm #5 fishtail gouge. Then draw in the saddle details, and mark the parts to be removed. Work on both sides for a symmetrical result.
3. Outline the details. Draw in any detail lines that have been carved off using the pattern for reference. Follow the sketched lines to outline the details with a 10mm 45º V-tool.
4. Continue shaping the horse. Relieve the saddle and neck areas up to the V-cuts. Use a fishtail gouge to continue roughing out the horse. Redraw your reference lines as often as necessary.
5. Separate the legs. Sketch on the bottom hoof details. Use a 6mm #11 veiner to separate the legs.
6. Shape the legs. Mark the hoof details. Use a V-tool to cut along your lines. Then round the legs with a detail knife.
7. Shape the hooves. Use a detail knife to round each hoof and taper them to the legs.
8. Rough out the face. Mark the bridle details. Cut off the corners of the nostrils with a detail knife and cut along the bridle lines with a V-tool.
9. Shape the saddle area. Cut up to the saddle, using a 22mm #5 gouge. Round and shape the area evenly on both sides.
10. Draw in the eyes and mouth. Make a V-cut along the top portion of the eyeball and along the mouth line.
11. Shape the eye. Make a stop cut along the bottom part of the eye with a detail knife. Then round the eye with a detail knife.
12. Undercut the facial details. Use a13mm #5 fishtail gouge to undercut the eyeball in the eye socket and the bridle.
13. Shape the nose. Draw on the nose details. Undercut the bridle with a fishtail gouge and carve in the nostrils with a V-tool.
14. Add the blanket details. Draw the blanket on. Then define those lines with a V-tool.
15. Round and shape the shoulders. Use a 22mm #5 gouge and work on both sides to achieve a symmetrical appearance
16. Add texture to the mane and tail. Draw the texture details in. Then use a V-tool to add the texture.
17. Detail the bottom of the hooves. Draw in the details and  cut them with a V-tool. Examine the horse from different angles and touch up any necessary areas.
18. Burn in the final details. Use a fine woodburning tip to burn in the eye and outline the bridle.

Painting Notes

I paint this horse using three colors; black and white for the horse and red for the saddle. Given that there are so many different colors of horses, nearly any color combination will work. I use washes of color, which I get by diluting acrylic paint with water to the consistency of skim milk. That way I can control the build up of color, but still see the grain.

For further information about animal carving read Carving Bears and Carving Deer by Desiree Hajny. The books are available from www.foxchapelpublishing.com for $12.99 each plus S&H.

The post Rolling Caricature Animals appeared first on Woodcarving Illustrated.

Woodburned details and dry brushing bring this cute critter to life

By Leah Goddard

Given the right circumstances, realistic wildlife carvings make great holiday ornaments. I created this squirrel holding a candy cane to combine my interest in realistic wildlife with whimsical situations.

Carve this piece out of a solid block of wood, using a variety of power and hand tools. After shaping the carving, add texture with power-carving bits and a woodburner.

After you have finished adding texture with the woodburner, mix a bit of water with burnt sienna acrylic paint and apply it to the squirrel with a round brush. Use the photo of the ornament as a reference. Allow the paint to dry. Dip a stiff-bristle brush in white acrylic paint and scrub it on a paper bag to remove most of the paint and evenly distribute the remaining paint through the brush. Stroke the brush across the fur texture to apply a bit of white paint to just the high parts of the fur.

Use a detail brush to paint the eyes black, the teeth and white stripe on the candy cane white, and the red stripes on the candy cane red. Add a few dots of black around the mouth to simulate whiskers.

Materials:
• Basswood: 3 3/4″ x 6 1/2″ x 7″ (95mm x 16.5cm x 17.8cm)
• Acrylic paint, such as Liquitex heavy body: unbleached titanium, titanium white, burnt umber, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, sap green, ivory black
• Acrylic varnish

Tools:
• Carving knife of choice
• V-tool: 5mm
• #3 palm gouge: 10mm
• Micro gouge
• Woodburner
• Woodburning pen, flat rounded
• Woodburning pen, small and large skew-tip
• Woodburning pen, round tip
• Paintbrushes

CLICK HERE to download the Candy Cane Squirrel Pattern.

CLICK HERE to download additional Candy Cane Animal Ornament Patterns (1).

CLICK HERE to download additional Candy Cane Animal Ornaments Patterns (2).

For more information on carving Christmas ornaments read Carving & Painting Christmas Ornaments by Betty Paddon. Carve and paint your own festive wooden Christmas ornaments, with step-by-step projects, detailed instructions, original patterns, and inspiring color photographs. The book is available from www.foxchapelpublishing.com for $16.99 plus S&H.


CLICK HERE for full step-by-step instructions and to read more great articles from Woodcarving Illustrated Fall 2010 (Issue 52). 

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