Woodwose Carving

The carvers friends

2012-02-11T15:16:00.001-08:00

This is going to be one of the longest posts I've ever written, so make a coffee, sit back and welcome to the hidden world behind my carvings. I hope you enjoy it and aren't too bored.

I've realised after reading others blog posts over the years that some carvers do a piece on their tools and some shy away from it, others use the space to offer tutorials on use or sharpening. I have decided to do a post or what may become posts on the tools I use, which are my favourites and which are my life long companions as long as I'm carving, a sort of Blogger "Show and Tell".

I guess I should start by saying that my carving is a hobby, I do sell some pieces but not enough to keep the dog in the luxury she's getting far too used to' let alone me or my wonderful family.

The hours spent chipping away, stemming blood flow and easing blistered and sore fingers is my escapism, my relaxation from the day job. For those who don't know I'm a senior manager (Deputy CEO) for a youth homeless and social welfare charity here in Gloucestershire. I have responsibility for all of our child and adult protection and some days I just need to escape into my carving. Just because I feel I just might not have enough to do I am also the Chair of Governors for my youngest sons Junior school as well. So if you get frustrated at the lack of posts sometimes now you know why.

I will start with this post looking at the main tool roll I have with my knives and other implements that help me produce what I do. The tool roll I have is just a general universal Plano roll purchased from the great EBay for about ten pounds.

This shot shows the roll open and the contents on display ready to be drawn and used. As you can see there are numerous pencils as well all with varying hardness from a 6B to a 2H with more than one HB stolen from a small child's pencil case.

I will start from the left to the right top to bottom.

First is the pocket diamond embedded sharpening stone, double sided and Scandinavian designed. One side is metal impregnated and coarse and the other is ceramic impregnated and very fine. A great knife sharpening system indeed. This is a more recent item and I still have the wet and dry paper sharpening home made system I've been using for years.

The next is my small tear drop knife used to whittle and get some good detail into faces. This was an online purchase, so a bit of a risk re knowing what your going to get. I just live the look and feel of the knife. It's manufactured in China but has a surprisingly good blade which holds a sharp edge, maybe not as long as I would like though.

I find I have to finish off most knives I get as they can come quite rough from the manufacturers. This one was sanded and re polished to show off the grain on the handle.

This next shot shows the size. It fits lovely into my hand and is a joy to use.

The next is a Pocket knife bought in Shropshire from a traditional Iron Mongers and General Store. That had a number I wanted but this one took my fancy. I needed (wanted) a straight edged blade and I like the simplicity of this knife. It holds a razor edge.

Again I removed the cellulose spray finish, sanded the pins flush and oiled the wood to get a really comfortable tool to handle.

Cellulose spayed handles to my mind are just plastic feeling and don't age that well. An oiled handle will darken with use and get a patena that is just not replicable other than by using the knife a lot.

The next two knives are actually Victorinox Swiss Army Knives that I've de-plastic'ed and fitted solid hardwood cheeks to. You loose the toothpick and tweezers but that's a small price to pay for such a beautiful finished knife. Once again the wood through use will age, will take on character and a life that plastic cannot ever have.

Look through my blog history to see the post on changing the cheeks of a Swiss army knife. follow the link to the post

This picture shows my oak handled basic knife which has no corkscrew the other in the roll has a hard fruit wood handle. Both will in years to come be aged and beautiful the oils from my hands colouring and polishing as I use them.

This picture shows how the blade of a Swiss Army knife can be ground into what you need as a carver. This flatter shape makes for a better detail and carving knife blade where the larger blade is a good waste remover and as such is left rounded as manufactured

Now if you want a general pocket knife that does it all then look no further than the French Opinel. My old Cabinet Maker Tutor at Rycotewood College, a wonderful guy called Mr P (Roy Padgington) recommended on day one of my course for us to equip ourselves with an Opinel and I've never been without one since. They hold an edge for what seems like forever, the blade locks and it's a great waste remover. This one I think is a No6 which is the size Mr P advised us all to get.

As a carving blade I don't find it that useful, but as a tool to remove waste, quickly and cleanly it's fantastic. I have to say the French make some good knives.

Next to the Opinel is the newest addition which was a gift from my wife. This Beauty is a Laguiole with a Damascus blade. A great pocket knife, large enough to be a rough waste remover but just beautiful as well.

This fella has a small issue in that the blade has not been ground enough and touches the backplate when closed on highs spots so blunting the cutting edge in the middle of the blade. Through continuos sharpening this will be remedied, it will just take time and the blade will shape itself into where it wants to be.

In my experience no knife (except maybe the Swiss army knives) comes perfect, unless you pay allot more than I am prepared to pay or can afford to pay, though the Swiss Army Knife is a little soul less when first purchased and needs careful work in that area.

The Laguiole cannot be called soul less, it's a beautifully crafted knife with a good weight and just a beautiful shape. You can't mistake a Laguiole.

Almost like chalk and cheese sitting next to the pricey end of my collection is the cheap end of the tools I use, though by no means the cheapest. These are carving chisels from Draper and are extremely useful. The set cost less than most of the knives at approximately £14 but they allow detail and texture to be applied with little effort. They hold a good edge when sharpened properly and all have bitten me once or twice.

I use Flexicuts sharpening system to get these fellas sharp.

Next in the line is a strange little tool that's totally home made and very useful. I got the idea from reading a book on Netsuke carving and proceeded to make myself one. This is a piece of gorse bush from Pembrokeshire that I salvaged from a beach, it had been hanging around for months and months; the business end is a diamond embedded grinding fitting for a model hand power tool.

So what does it do I hear you ask?

Well it has a Multi function in that it's course so can be used for targeted sanding in tricky inaccessible areas but it's main function is to allow me to apply through pressure little dents in the carving to create texture. Those little dents can be left as dents or the wood around them removed just back to the depth of the dent; if warm water is then applied to the dents they swell back up and you have perfect little round bumps. Clever eh!

As you get to the end you will see a sharp scribe, which is just a watchmakers screwdriver ground to a sharp point to scratch the wood or make pinholes. There is a folding utility knife that has replaceable blades, which I use to cut day to day items so as not to blunt my carving blades.

However there is at the end an aluminium scalpel which is great for detail and cleaning or trimming. This is a good quality one thats strong and robustly clamps the blade. Just a good quality craft scalpel. Its worth paying about £5 to £10 for a good scalpel craft knife as the thread on the part that clamps the blade will be quality and won't wear and loosen. Cheap scalpels are false economy, usually the ones that come as a Multi tool arrangement in a folding plastic box and cost just under a tenner. In my opinion, useless. Spend the tenner on a single scalpel.

What I've saved until last is a few home made scalpel handles that I use specifically in the eye area and on the small faces carved into the Sphearoblasts. These guys were invaluable in carving the Council of 29 recently posted here in the blog.

My favourite is a bamboo handled knife which emerged from a shoot of bamboo cut from the garden and an old blade I was going to discard. I decided to make a knife instead. I sharpened the blade grinding it into a more useable angle and secured the blade with florestry wire. It's comfortable and light and very easily manipulated to help create the eyes and other detail.

Then handle has never been oiled but through use it's taking on a patena of its own and is smooth and warm to use. The other example is a knife made from an old paintbrush handle and another blade to be discarded. Again used in some detail work.

There is a third in the tool roll picture but it's a similar design so I didn't do a detail photo.

These guys are the cheapest tools but in reality, the 'bamboo baby' is one of my most useful and most used tools; especially recently with the Council of 29

I love using homemade tools in my carvings it gives me a sense of satisfaction that I have crafted a tool that meets my needs and is finished to my standards.

That's the top line of tools covered in my tool roll of carving tools.

I will post another that focuses on the bottom line. I do use all of the knives and chisels in this roll and always have a dilemma when I go away, in regards to what do I take with me.

That dilemma was somewhat resolved with the item in the middle of the roll as shown in the first photo and on the left hand side. I will start the next post with that; my Carving Jack from Flexicut.

I hope you have found this post interesting and informative?

As always your comments are always welcome

Regards

~ Dave ~

Eucalyptus Woodwose

2012-02-05T02:35:00.001-08:00

This guy is carved from an off cut from a eucalyptus tree in my garden.

It stands out from the wall and offers a great Multi dimensional piece where the carving is just one element, the focus of the piece.

The wood is very hard when dry and tends to split if carved green.
The wood itself drys to a beautiful colour when carved.

Wall hanging and finished on the face with oil. The wood retains it smell and makes a great ornamental piece.

The carving is 5 1/2" long from tip of hair to tip of beard
1 1/2" wide not including the hair that strays onto the arm
The wood itself is 8" long, 1 5/8 diameter and overall including the offshoot 6 1/2" wide

A unique and wonderfully colourful Woodwose and a unique piece of wood combine to make this a great wall hanging ornament that will be available for purchase.

Your comments are welcome

~ Dave ~

-—--------------------------

Next weeks post I will be posting on the tools that I use. I have a 3 part post that details all of my knives and other tools that I use to create my carvings. The following picture is an appatiser for you.

The Council Of 29

2012-01-31T14:40:00.001-08:00

This carving is a continuation, or rather a development of an earlier piece carved called a Council Of Sphearoblasts; which for some reason has disappeared from the blog so I'm struggling to link to it so the first picture is of the original piece carved in 2010.

If you have been wondering why I've not posted recently hopefully you can see why!

This piece is a 360 degree collection of Sphearoblasts carved and joined together to form a larger carving. The largest one being no bigger than a £2 coin; the majority being smaller than a £1 coin.

The smallest carving is the size of a pea.

Each carving takes between 2 and 4 hours.

A good friend commented, after seeing the carvings in the flesh that many are very Medieval looking. I have to agree and I love the look.

These macro photos don't show these carvings in context or clearly show their size.

However the following do.

29 carvings in the whole piece this piece took in excess of 80 hours !

Quite a few cuts with accompanying blood! Each is 'hand carved' even the pea! Plenty of swearing and one or two surprise faces.

All my carvings are unplanned. I don't draw them first they just appear and I'm as surprised sometimes as you at the final piece.

Half way through I was harvesting new Sphearoblasts to make sure I was able to finish it.

Each carving is in itself it's own piece but together they create a wonderful and unique, albeit small carving

The following pictures takes you on a tour around the whole piece.

I've learnt a lot about carving, faces and how long a carving can take while doing this piece.

I've used this as a carving doodle too. Just allowing the process to develop my skills, particularly in micro carving.

I'm a big big Netsuke fan :)

The overall size of the carving is:

4" long
3.5" wide
2 3/4" tall
Finished in the usual Danish oil and wood stain.

It's not a perfect dome as the shape and sizes of the Sphearoblasts didn't cater for that, I guess that's nature for you!

Could I, or rather, should I, sell this piece?

I think I would happily consider a price tag in excess of £100 otherwise it will become a show piece and heir loom. Even at £100 in reality I would earn just over £1 per hour not including the time harvesting.

The unsalable carving, but so satisfying and well worth the effort.

Your comments are sought and welcome

Regards
~Dave~

Woodwose Brothers

2011-11-26T13:30:00.001-08:00

Carved from a piece of Californian Lilac pruned from a large tree in the back garden of my parents house.

The piece was big enough to carve two Woodwose.

As the photo above shows this wood is very temperamental and splits as it dries. The lower carving has splits running through the face which will widen. I love the look of a carving that has split as it instantly ages it and shows that the wood itself is alive, moving, changing.

Using photo enhancing apps I've tinkered with the pictures slightly to show them in a more dramatic light.

As shown in the last photo this carving is a wall hanging piece, but will free stand if needed.

Finished in Danish oil and stands 13" high, 4" wide (not including the branch stems) the carvings are 5" high and 3 1/2" wide.

The technical detail on these guys stands out with the top carving being carved mainly into the sapwood whereas the bottom carving shows the red coloration of the heartwood.

Your comments are welcome as always.

Regards

~ Dave ~

Traveling Woodwose Walking Sticks

2011-11-20T01:50:00.001-08:00

Over the few years that I have been carving I have steadily been making walking sticks. I harvest the wood from a number of places; some is given to me by people pruning trees and bushes and other shafts are cut deliberately. I usually take from hazel stools (clumps of hazel) as they are widespread and quick growing.

Hazel was coppiced for charcoal and their numbers are plentiful, in some forests they can become a nuisance if not kept in check. The Hazel tree has mythical properties dating back to pagan times and was used to make wands, staffs and casting runes in Britain and Ireland. The Hazel tree also supplied food in the form of Hazel nuts going into winter. I guess what I'm saying Is that if your going to make a walking stick Hazel is the easiest to find and most sustainable wood you can pick, and according to pagan Druids it also has magical properties that will protect the owner.

The top of one of the first sticks carved. This one was sold. The top was a beech nodule shaped and fitted.

This one the top was part of the shaft and carved. Again sold.

This is the top of a stick that I allowed to remain slightly curved and carved the Woodwose through leaves. On the blog as Woodwose through leaves. find the original post here this too was sold.

This stick moves away from the traditional styles and celebrates the organic curve in the wood. It lends itself to promoting the carving on the stick. With the addition of a glass bead over a runic symbol this stick is different. Not sold yet.

This is a more traditional shepherds crook (resin crook rather than horn) with the additional Woodwose. Not sold yet.

The next few photos of 3 sticks shows a stick with a bulbous end where the carving sits. I have done a few of these and they are my favourite style of walking stick.

The first two are not sold yet but the last stick was carved for my father in law as a gift.

The following stick was cut with the curve in place, all my other carved sticks tend to be staves rather than palm resting, therefore this one is one of a kind. It also moves away from the traditional Woodwose carving.

Now, the next series of pictures show carvings from just one stick. This is my carving doodle stick, or stick of many faces. This is an ongoing project that won't stop until the stick is covered with carvings.

Covered in Woodwose, Demons, Greenmen, and just human faces this stick looks spectacular already.

The hours already invested have to be in the region of 30 to 40 already. I estimate that I have another 20+ before I can put it down and say its finished. Will I sell it? For the right price I guess I will.

The next few are others that have been carved and subsequently sold at fairs or locally. They round off the post on walking sticks.

I hope you liked the trip into my walking stick world? Your views and comments as ever are welcome.

If your interested in purchasing one of the ones I have available just contact me at woodwosecarving@gmail.com I do my transactions through PayPal for ease of payment.

So what does a walking stick like this cost? Well if you were to buy a plain Hazel stick in a garden centre you would pay about £30 I use this as a starting point and add £20 a carving onto the price; so in general most sticks will cost £50 (multiple carvings are priced differently, for example the stick with two carvings I charged £65 and the Woodwose Through leaves was a similar price) am happy to email more photos out if needed.

Some sticks are straightened completely, others are left slightly rustic (curvey as nature grew them) but all are practical and useable walking, hiking sticks. They are all finished in Danish oil or Yacht Varnish and have a brass ferrule protecting the tip (the bit that hits the floor) so you can just start walking with a new companion.

Celtic Warrior #4

2011-11-08T16:05:00.001-08:00

Fourth in the series of Celtic warriors this piece is carved from a piece of pruned Californian Lilac or Ceanthous as you may know it. After the harsh winter here in Gloucestershire many Ceanthous died back and were subsequently cut back! The wood is quite unstable as it dries and splits very easily. Luckily this piece split significantly at the back. Or was it the wood split and I carved the other side?

It does however colour beautifully with age. He's very white as he's newly carved but will darken with age.

Called William ap Howel (William son of Howel) he is a seasoned veteran of the shield wall.

Screaming his war cry or instructions to the rest of the men, William has the role to keep all warriors locked together during battle. Most warriors drank copious amounts of ale prior to fighting and many would be drunk as they fought so William himself may be inebriated.

On his head is a circlet with a runic symbol that is Elder Futhark in origin, 2nd to 8th century alphabet bought to the British Isles by the Saxon invaders. The specific rune is the Algiz rune which in the 5th century was considered to have magical protection properties and many warriors used the rune on weapons. The circlet probably was worn by a Saxon killed by William and taken as battle prize.

Finished with Danish Oil (ironically as the Danes were a future invader of Briton) and similar to the others a free standing or wall mounted piece. The piece stands 26cm or 10 1/4 " tall and approximately 7cm or 2 3/4" in diameter. The face is 15 cm or 6" long and 7 cm or 2 3/4" wide.

Probably the last in the series of Celtic Warriors (for now) the last photo shows all four together. I will be posting them all on Folksy and may only sell as a complete set!

What do you think?

(The eyes of Madoc ab Owain #1, RH side, are still to be finished)

Your comments as always are valued and welcome

~ Dave ~

The Green Man

2011-10-21T07:23:00.001-07:00

I was asked to carve a green man and took the task on. This post shows the carving off and gives the prospective purchaser a close look at the carving before committing to buy through the Folksy Shop.

He is carved from Cedar which is still quite green. This means it will split on the ends and may split across the face. Personally I wish I could get more carvings to split as it lends something magical to them, just look at the Merlin carving on my blog and tell me thats not wonderful, because of the splits in the face! Wood is a living thing and the face of this green man will darken, the contrast between the whiter sap wood and the darker, redder, heart wood will become more pronounced.

Wood will move and breath and as it slowly dries it settles into something quite unique.

He is a wall hanging piece that will hang straight from a nail, or he can stand on his own. He is finished in Danish oil and stands 9 1/2 inches tall. The diameter of the wood is approx 3 inches. The width of the carving is just under 3 inches and the length of the face is 6 inches. The next photo gives some scale. It was taken before the carving was completed.

Here are a few more shots

The end grain at the top and bottom have been 'burnt sealed' and oiled. The design was burnt into the wood with a pyrography iron. The top and bottom are the same design just slightly differently placed. I do this because I feel the wood left natural makes the whole carving look unfinished.

I hope you like him, he's quite tactile, the cedar has finished so smooth and waxy it's lovely to touch. I may hang him in my kitchen for a while :) This has been carved completely by hand using carving palm chisels and knives. The wood is reclaimed or gifted wood, that would end up on the fire or thrown away, so no tree is wantonly hurt in the making. This branch was given to me by my parents neighbour after pruning his cedar tree this year.

If he was to appear in the shop I guess I would price him at £38.99 plus postage of £5.00 (he weighs 900g) This carving took over 10 hours from blank log to carved, burnt and oiled.

However I'm on holiday for a week so he won't be appearing in the shop until the 30th October.

As always your comments and thoughts are welcome.

~ Dave ~

When a stick becomes something more

2011-10-02T15:13:00.001-07:00

The stick in question is the favourite stick of a certain Barnaby Ray. He has been playing with it as a 'stick' for a while now. He then asked me to carve a face on it, this is the result.

The stick is about 1/2" in diameter and this next shot shows the face with more scale

Finished in vegetable oil so that my pal Barnaby doesn't get Poorly from chemical finishes. It also has his name and some patterns burnt into the area above the handle.

This is now the Warlock Wand and Barnaby's dad has been turned into a frog numerous times.

The next wand is for Barny's sister Florence Ray. She wanted an angel which as followers may know is not something I do!

As the photo shows this carving has a "beautiful" angelic face (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if Florence likes it that's good enough for me).

The wand has the usual Futhark Runes burnt into the wood with Florence's name at the top.

I tried to do wings coming from behind the face and with the thickness of the wood the end result was ok.

The photo above shows the back of the carving. Again finished in olive oil for safety and delivered to, I hope, a happy little girl.

Quite a departure from the usual, but something my own son has got excited about; my order book has increased by 1, soon to be 2, unfortunately your own children don't tend to be paying customers :)

Your comments as always are welcome.

~ Dave ~

Celtic Warrior #3

2011-09-25T13:12:00.001-07:00

This warrior Philip ap Gruffydd a veteran of the shield walls plaits his moustache to keep it tidy and to demonstrate his manliness. Facial hair held great store in 500 AD Britain for warriors as it easily showed age and therefore experience; poor warriors wouldn't last long in battle so it also showed that this warrior was a veteran and therefore a dangerous fighter.

Superstitious as the people were, linked to their paganism, hair held great magical properties and any hair cut from the body would have been burnt on the fire to ensure no one, In particular Druids, could use the hair to create spells or curses.

This could be where the tradition of giving or taking a lock of hair emerged, as hair was such a personally important and valuable resource; therefore a gift of hair is a gift of value and trust.

The helm is a simple iron and leather skull cap with no chin or nose guard adorns Philips head and offers some protection.

Oral hygiene or battle has seen Philip loose teeth. He is likely to be in his late 30's which would have been getting on a bit. Not many people, though some did, survived much beyond 40 years old and warriors with the punishment to their bodies over the years would find that slowing down through age would result in retirement through death in the shield wall. In 500 AD a boy became a man at 16 and soon after with a little training could have been fighting for his lord in his shield wall.

Philip is carved from a Sycamore log 9" tall by 3" diameter. The carving is 5 1/4" long by 3" wide. It's finished in Danish Oil with a brown oak stain. He is both wall and shelf standing. There are runes burnt into the top depicting his name.

Let me know what you think, this post has been completely posted through my new iPad using Snapseed App to edit the pictures. Some are enhanced with features of the App though the first two are natural.

As always your comments are gratefully received

Regards
~ Dave ~

Celtic Warrior #2

2011-09-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

In the theme of Celtic warriors here is.......

Caradoc ap Meurig

During the 5th century after the Romans had vacated Briton these warriors were oathed to Warlords who had war bands of spear-men who fought for the Warlord and mostly it was a Briton on Briton fight, however the biggest threat to the Britons were the Irish and the Saxon; and as history tells us the Saxon was the biggest threat.

Caradoc chooses not to wear a helmet into battle as he feels it may impede his vision in the shield wall of the war band.

He is a pagan warrior who worships the God Mithras. Mithras was a Sun God of Roman / Iranian origin, followers are dwindling through the 4th and 5th century AD. There is little evidence that Mithras worship survived the 4th century but there is some thought that warriors across the empire that had not converted to Christianity could still have held onto older pagan beliefs and rituals. Mithraism was emphatically a soldier religion: Mithra, its hero, was especially a divinity of fidelity, manliness, and bravery; the stress it laid on good fellowship and brotherliness, its exclusion of women and the secret bond amongst its members have suggested the idea that Mithraism was like a Masonry cult for warriors. However there are some who state that Mithraism was a close rival to early Christianity and in fact a 'dry run' and the link to the warrior cult was only a part of the religion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSm7YPMQOSo gives a light hearted look at Mithras.

Warriors of this time would make 'Warrior Rings' hammered from the iron spear tips of men that they killed in battle; these rings would be worn on fingers or woven into hair and beards; the more rings you had the more prowess as a warrior you had. Caradoc has six Warrior rings woven into the end of his plaits; we can assume he has more than enough on his hands which would make him a very adept spear-man of his war band.

The carving stands 8" High and 3" wide with the overall piece of wood being 12" tall. Its a beautiful piece of British maple. This is a wall hanging piece that is finished in Danish oil

Woodwose Carving Celtic Warrior #002 Caradoc ap Meurig 2011

Let me know what you think.

Regards

~Dave~

Celtic Warrior

2011-08-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

The title may give a big clue as to the subject matter for this carving.

The wood is a piece collected from the woods locally. I decided on a range of carvings depicting Celtic Warriors. each will be given a name and will be wall hanging pieces finished in Danish oil and pyrography.

The use of Elder Furthark runes link the carvings to the 5th century AD just after the Romans abandoned Britain. These warriors are linked to the Arthurian legends and held the Saxons (Sace) at bay for a while.

The pyrography depicts the name of this warrior as

MADOC ab OWAIN

The runes under the name show the name in the Elder Futhark alphabet.

The use of the term ab or ap means 'son of'. Its normally 'ap' but 'ab' is used when the second name (the name of the father) starts with a vowel sound.

The other Runic letters are just a random selection.

At this stage the eyes are not finished. there are a number of ways the eyes could be detailed and I am in two or three minds on what to do. The usual method is an old stone carvers method of drilling holes into the eye to add simple but effective detail. I am researching different eye detail and will complete once I've found a detail I like. Some sculptors leave the eyes vacant!! Me... I want some life in the eyes.

Here he stands in full.

Height: 33 cm

Width: 13 cm

Carving height: 11 cm

Carving width: 9 cm

The helmet would have been Iron and many were based on old Roman designs or 'borrowed' from Saxon raiders.

A new approach to the traditional carving. I hope to do a series of warriors and then see what they may fetch on the shelves of the virtual shop.

This guy is:-

Woodwose Carving Celtic Warrior #001 Madoc ab Owain 2011

Your thoughts and views are as always very welcome.

regards

~Dave~

Work In Progress Aug 2011

2011-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

What's been keeping me from blogging?

Well I have a full on Job, I'm a chair of Governors at my sons school, I have an allotment and I've a full on family :-)

I have also been carving walking sticks (which I will post soon) and I have been harvesting Sphearoblasts and carving small netsuke size faces.

here are some pictures that show some of the work done. they will form part of a larger piece similar to 'Face Tree'

These pictures show how small some of the carvings are.

size actually doesn't matter...... they still take quite some time.

Once these guys start to come together I will post a picture or two.

Comments welcome

~Dave~

Sycamore Woodwose

2011-08-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

This fella is carved from sycamore and is one of the final pieces from Powys gathered wood.

Its a larger carving through a phase of carving small sphearoblasts.

the piece is 13 1/2" tall by 3 1/2" diameter at the face. the face itself (including beard and hair) is 6 1/2 tall and 2 1/4" wide.

This picture gives a bit of scale.

This is a similar approach to the carving 'Lord of the Leaves'

Where the bark has naturally peeled back to give a great foundation for an interesting carving. By leaving as much of natures design to frame the woodwose I feel its a much more striking carving.

The contrast between the carved face and the rest of the piece is quite striking. this fella stands out from quite a distance.

In Celtic myth, the hawk was the symbol of freedom and success.

In heraldry, the hawk is the symbol of tenacity in the pursuit of an object of desire or the accomplishment of a mission. The hawk is also an emblem of fidelity, for with few exceptions, the hawk has one mate for life. It is therefore a strong Celtic symbol. Surrounded by Futhark runic symbols leaving a medieval feel to the carving.

Finished in Danish oil with the possibility of hanging either indoor or out, this carving is a lovely piece that may stay away from the Folksy Shop just like the 'Lord of The Leaves' has.

your comments are as always welcome.

~Dave~

Green Man Twine Holder

2011-07-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to create a Green Man wall hanging piece that had a purpose other than just ornamental and here it is. The twine sits on a carved spike and therefore requires a ball that has a hole through the middle and where the twine unravels from inside to out.

Carved from a stick plucked from the floor of a wood in Powys.

The Green Man is thought to be a Pagan symbolism depicting fertility or natures spirit, however many Green Man carvings are found in churches apparently taken on by Christianity, as with many symbols of pre Christian faiths, to help swing the population towards the new faith.

One Celtic god Viridios has a name meaning "Green Man" in both the Celtic languages and Latin possibly being the origins of the "Green Man"

The features are picked out with a mid Oak Danish Oil which adds shading highlights.

The leaves take longer to carve than the hair on a Woodwose and give the carving a very different look

The overall length of the piece is 12 1/2" and the diameter at the carving is 1 1/2"

The face is 3" top to bottom of the leaves carved and 1 1/4" wide

It holds a standard ball of twine purchased from every garden centre. the twine ball for your information is 120meter length and is 4" high and 2.5" diameter.

You may have noticed this is a re-post of an older piece as I've adapted it to hold the twine.

This is available for sale

http://www.folksy.com/items/1974461-Green-Man-Twine-Holder?shop=yes

Your comments as always are welcome.

Dave

Wood Ghost

2011-06-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is a carving utilising an off cut which was about to be thrown on the garden fire when I saw a face peeping out and teased it out with my knife and chisels.

The next photo gives you a sense of size

I was tempted to carve more but stopped; less is more. I was also tempted to add some pyrography but again stopped myself.

Your comments are welcome as always.

~Dave~

The Green Man

2011-06-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Its been two whole months since I posted. However I haven't been idle. I have been carving and enjoying it so much I haven't wanted to take time away from the knife to get onto the computer.

Well here is the first of a few posts that will follow in quick succession.

The Green Man

Carved from sycamore and coloured with green ink and oak stain Danish oil

I have added the 'sparrows pecking' around the edges, it lifts the carving and adds depth. It takes a while to do and drives the house mad with the hours of tapping.

The eyes I wanted to do something different and added teak pupils rather than adding the details with the knife.

The green man carvings are much more detailed and time consuming but with the addition of the colour it produces a great looking outcome. this too may be a keeper!!!

Your comments as always are sought and welcome.

Regards

~Dave~

Lord of the Leaves

2011-04-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Easter carving

I haven't done a free standing carving for some time. This is however one such carving.

The wood is a piece salvaged from a forest walk and I think its a piece of Beech.

The picture below shows it uncarved.

Standing 38cm tall and 7.5cm diameter at the face.

The next picture shows the carving in my hand. It gives it a scale that measurement does not.

I wanted to do a woodwose carving mixed with leaves and I'm pleased with overall look of the carving. The woodwose has a somewhat sleepy thoughtful look.

The leaves are coloured with green ink and then rubbed back to soften the colour. This gives a sense of more depth as well as making the leaves more lifelike.

The woodwose has a hood rather than showing hair, again something I don't carve often; this allowed me to add leaves at the top of the carving.

Again I don't add colour often, the green was added as an afterthought as the wood colour didn't reveal the shape of the leaves when oiled. the green was added and to be fair I'm pleased with the look.

Over the carving there are runes carved each from the Elder Futhark alphabet.

Finished with ink and Danish Oil so will stand happily both indoors or out. I will be burning a design into the top before too long as this area looks bare and inviting.

Overall this may be a 'Keeper'! watch the Folksy shop to see.

Quercus Ilex (Holm Oak)

2011-04-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Westbury Court Garden in Gloucestershire.

Its a 16th Century Dutch Water Garden and apparently the only one of its kind in the UK and Holland.... Who knew!

Lived in Gloucestershire for years, drove passed it hundreds of times and had, before this trip, never set foot inside.

The most wonderful tree lives in this garden. the Holm Oak, an evergreen Oak tree.

Its over 400 years old and so beautiful I couldn't resist doing a post on it.

The boys (James and Alex) stood in front so that I could demonstrate just how big and imposing this tree is.

The pictures below give a wider view of the tree. The one on the right shows how the boughs of the tree are pulling themselves down. The National Trust have 'wired' some of the main boughs together so that they don't literally snap off. I guess old trees get artificial help in their dotage to keep them alive longer.

As you can see with 'littlie' in front the trunk is immense and covered in aged and knarly bumps. It just oozes age and venerability. It seemed literately to be alive as I walked around and touched it! Amongst the bumps and lumps the tree had holes that burrowed deep into its heart, some large enough to take a domestic cat. How deep they go? what lies within?

This tree I don't wonder has a whole civilisation of its own, living and surviving in partnership with the tree, bugs, birds and mammals. High in the canopy there was a massive nest, which may be a rookery.

The pictures below don't show the tree off as well as standing in front of it. It looks like something from Lord of The Rings ~ 'Treebeards Grandfather'!

Old signs of tree surgery are present and how the tree is growing around these old surgical scars; scar tissue.

Growths are massive; as a cabinet maker a small part of me wants to cut a slice and see what the wood pattern looks like..... a small part! this part of a tree can produce the most wonderful burrs.

Sphearoblast city: This beautiful specimen has countless sphearoblasts. However this is a National Trust property and this old fella deserves to be left in peace.

I can only dream of how magical the sphearoblasts are to carve and own!! but responsible approaches to harvesting prevents me from taking even one. I do not condone anyone taking from any Trust property or other ornamental gardens; and in fact

I don't tend to take from ancient trees, some sense of not annoying a venerable tree or Woodwose.

Thought I would show the leaves as they are remarkably different from a standard oak. As said this is an evergreen variety.

As said previously this tree is its own eco system. one of the lifeforms hosted by the tree are some beautiful fungi, see below. They are wonderful and very hard to touch; they resemble some forms of sea life like corals.

Lying on the floor at the base of the tree was this lovely old headstone that was obviously for a much loved pet. I guess no one knows where this fella is buried but I thought it fitting that his headstone lay next to a tree he may have 'cocked his leg on'!

I hope you enjoy the tree and this meagre post to try to show him in his beauty. If you get the chance go and visit him yourself. I will be back and may drop a small carving down a deep hole.

Comments are more than welcome.

Regards Dave

The Third Woodwose

2011-04-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Those of you who remember the carving 'Dogs Friend' may see a resemblance in this carving. He is however the third carving from one branch harvested from Kinighton in Powys earlier this year.

There are some beautiful colours in the wood, this is from the wood starting to rot at the tip. the bark and sapwood have withdrawn following damage that would have been sustained on the tree.

The white wood is the sap wood and as it darkens the heartwood is revealed, the very dark wood is heartwood that has died and is beginning to rot.

The wood itself has some lovely shapes and colours and looks great hanging on the wall.

finished in Danish Oil.

The beard is deliberately carved into the dark wood (all but a patch) and runs down the carving blending into the open grain further down (see below)

The picture below shows a tape measure to gauge the with of the carving, the length is approximately 16"

The three together. one branch three carvings

Comments as always are welcome

regards

~Dave~

Green Man of Mercia

2011-04-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is an off cut from the Offa's Spirit carving recently posted. The reference to Mercia is in the area the wood was harvested and a direct link to the Offa reference. Offa was the King of Mercia. Green Man symbolism would have been very prevalent in Offa's time.

I wanted to create a Green Man wall hanging piece and here it is.

One Celtic god Viridios has a name meaning "Green Man" in both the Celtic languages and Latin possibly being the origins of the "Green Man"

The features are picked out with a mid Oak Danish Oil which adds shading highlights.

The leaves take longer to carve than the hair on a Woodwose and give the carving a very different look.

The picture below shows you what it looks like hanging on the wall.

The overall length of the piece is 12 1/2" and

the diameter at the carving is 1 1/2"

The face is 3" top to bottom of the leaves carved and 1 1/4" wide

There are some beautiful shapes, lumps and bumps that in themselves are worth admiring;

I hope the carving does them credit.

Your comments as always are welcome.

Regards

Dave

Offa's Spirit

2011-04-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

This guy is carved from a piece of wood salvaged from Knighton in Powys while on holiday recently. Outside of the cottage we stayed in some kind tree surgeons cut down some trees and left some wonderful pieces for a carver like me.

For the uninitiated Knighton is situated on the Powys and Shropshire border. Offa's Dyke runs through Knighton and is home to the Offa's Dyke Centre.

Its a large wall hanging piece that offers an imposing presence to any room.

He stands 16" tall and 10" across the span of the forks. The carving itself is 7 1/2" including hair and the face spans the thickness of the trunk at 2 1/2" wide

He is carved from green wood and wont be completely dry for a while yet. Ive left him unfinished to aid the drying out process. Perversely I hope splits and shakes embellish this carving as it dries

The pyrography links this piece to Celtic times through the symbolism here

The image is of two Hawks demonstrating freedom and success

I love the detail that emerged from this carving, the stain highlighting the hair and features. I use a light oak Danish oil to finish

The face is strong and noble

A sturdy wire is attached to hang the carving from

This image in the picture above, again pyrography, is a favourite of mine and links to heraldic imagery.

The photo below shows the piece from the back

One of three carvings done so far. more to come soon.

Your comments as always are welcome

Regards Dave

Swiss Army Knife Facelift

2011-03-13T00:59:00.000-08:00

What do you do with an old Swiss Army Knife (Victorinox version) when the cheek gets damaged or you just fancy giving it a face lift?

Some people are not aware that there are two Swiss Army knife manufacturers; one claims to be the "Original Swiss Army Knife" and the other "The Genuine Swiss Army Knife" Victorinox and Wenger.

From the 1890's both supplied the Swiss Army, who in 1908 were very diplomatic in procuring the same amount from each company. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after WW2, because is was easier than pronouncing its original name, "Offiziersmesser"

Have a look on Wikipedia for the full history and the history of the two companies (though Victorinox took over Wenger in 2005).

I had a (Victorinox) knife where the plastic cheek buckled for some reason so I needed to either fix it or replace it. I decided to try to replace both cheeks from the standard plastic to natural wood. I loved the finished piece so decided to convert my other knife purely for cosmetic reasons. This post takes you through the face lift of the second knife.

The first Swiss Army Knife (Made in Germany before Wenger and Victorinox) had black oak and then ebony handles; this conversion takes the knife back to its historical ancestors and to an age of craftsmanship.

The knife is a Tinker and cost me £9.99 from ebay (when you could buy knives on ebay)

Here is the Oak I cut on a bandsaw, well seasoned and slightly thicker than the plastic cheeks.

The plastic cheeks are friction fitted using the brass rivets that pivot the blades. This was the ingenious design that made the Swiss Army Knife possible. the original idea was that the Swiss infantryman could open tins of food, take cork from a bottle and completely service his rifle with one knife. this design made a knife that had enough attachments so that this was possible. (Don't forget this was 1893 ish)

The thing to notice is that with the plastic cheeks there are slots for the Toothpick and Tweezers. With the wooden conversion these are left out.

The damaged cheeks from the first knife have been converted into a pattern / jig so that I can drill the rivet holes in the right place for attaching the wood to the knife securely.

The holes drilled are just a fraction too small so that they fit tight over the rivets. the smaller hole is to allow for the back end pivot.

Both done. There is a right hand and a left hand but the cheeks are identical shapes at this stage. As you can see the oak is rough cut but sanded flat on the face sides.

Because wood is a living thing; even when seasoned it moves, expanding and contracting in damp and dry conditions, I decided to glue the oak to the body of the knife. modern glues are fantastic and I opted for superglue. The body of the knife is cleaned with white spirit and sanded to rough up the metal as a key for the glue. I could have used evostick but is smells and has a high VOC rating.

The cheeks are glued and 'Tapped' onto the body using a small hammer, locating the drilled holes with the rivets.

Clamps hold the wooden cheeks on as the glue goes off.

Clamps off the knife is ready for the cheeks to be cleaned back. The screwdriver attachment is sticking out as the wooden cheek needs paring back to allow it to fit properly.

The thickness of the cheeks will allow the knife to be slightly thicker and more rounded. This wont be very noticeable when finished unless placed alongside another Tinker, but gives a slightly more comfortable feel.

The rough edges trimmed back to the knife body. A scalpel sharp craft knife is needed to get this accurate.

The next step is rounding the edges for comfort.

Sanding thoroughly to get a smooth finish. wetting the wood and sanding back improves the final finish.

Coated in Danish oil and finally waxed.

The grain is picked out by using an oil with a dark oak stain.

Finished knife with Oak handle

The end product is quite unique and makes a £10 knife into a more expensive handmade looking quality tool.

I may consider doing this for other peoples knives, at a price naturally.

That's all, comments welcome.

What do you do with an off cut?

2011-02-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

When making walking sticks you sometimes end up with a piece that's cut off and it's just too big to throw away. well what do you do with it?

Well this is what I did with mine......

Its not very useful, but its quite ornamental and the wife suggested its the right size for a cosh!!

A rather ornamental cosh!

The piece is 26cm long and 3.5cm diameter. The face is 12cm from leaf tip to leaf tip and 8cm wide.

The pyrography pattern is taken from a tribal staff picture I have in my images file. I don't remember where I got the picture, Possibly from an Art Propelled post, and I don't recall where in the world the imagery comes from; I just love the pattern and its now been passed on to you.

The pyrography took longer than the carving..... about 6 to 7 hours!!

The pattern comes from both ends and meets in the middle.

I am exploring the Green Man a little so thought I would carve another one on this. If it all went horribly wrong I could throw it away!!

I think he turned out rather well. I just love the contrast between the carved face and the black of the burnt wood.

I photographed him next to my Ipod just to add some scale

I think this will be a hanging piece (yet to be added, or even figured out how) and will be hung in the kitchen. He can watch over this years allotment harvest as it arrives home.

Your comments as always are welcome

regards Dave

Druids Apprentice

2011-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Some of you will remember The Sphaeroblast Druid posted on the 18Th October 2010

This carving is the second piece;

The Druids Apprentice

The theme of Futhark runes that is applied to the Druid is carried through on the cloak. done by burning into the wood via my pyrography pen depicting the full 24 characters in the Futhark alphabet

It hangs on the wall and is about 6" long and 2 3/4" wide. The head is 1 1/4" long by 1" wide

The head is a sphaeroblast and the main piece depicting his cloak is a piece of drift wood found on the Pembrokeshire coast

Finished in Danish oil

Druid and apprentice together in my workstation

I'm not planning on putting either on Folksy but may choose to do so later this year. I just cant decide if they are marketable

your comments as always are welcome

regards

~Dave~

New Homes

2011-02-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Carvings sold recently through the Folksy shop can be seen here in their new homes

Arfur in his new location looking great with the cactus just where he belongs.

A Dogs Friend watching over the entrance to his new home, as though he was made for the spot.

Merlin

Once in a while someone does something for you so totally unexpected that it takes a while to sink in. Merlin was purchased and rather than a photo his new owner decided to do a drawing of him. I was totally taken aback and have to say its absolutely wonderful and very very appreciated. I have this wonderful drawing framed and hanging in the kitchen.

Thank you to both Lesley and John for sending these in.

Regards Dave

Green Man in Age Worn Ash

2011-02-06T00:58:00.000-08:00

Carved from a piece of Ash found on a winter walk in Shurdington this carving is technically only the second Green Man I have carved. The first being on the "useful Carving Doodle"

The darkness from the wood is age staining. this piece of wood has been lying out in the elements for a while before being salvaged.

The contrast between the age greyed outer surface and the carving revealed inner wood offers a beautiful look to this fella

He is finished in Danish oils so could sit outside in the garden, he would need re-coating once a year though. I have him hanging in the kitchen watching over the family (See last photo).

He is 23.5CM long (along the face axis) and across the face 6CM at the widest part. the branch is 12CM pushing him off the wall by 15CM

I love the way this guy sits on the wall (see below) and the irregular shape looks as though its protruding from the wall, almost growing.

Your comments and thoughts as always are welcome

Watch for him appearing on the Folksy Shop page for sale.

http://www.folksy.com/shops/WoodwoseCarving

Regards

~Dave~

Inter Blog awareness

2011-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hi can I recommend this blog to you?

http://myblogfinallymadeit.blogspot.com/2011/01/sundayspectacular-h andmade-folksy_22.html#comments

Linda who runs the blog has kindly added one of my carvings on 23rd Jan (The link above)

Her blog highlights handmade items on Folksy so you don't have to trawl through yourself. Now I would say that Linda has good taste as she added one of my carvings, but she picks some great items.

Merlin, carved in 2009 and featured on the blog and the Folksy shop (here)

I love this fella and he hangs on the wall in my kitchen.

So check out the blog and visit Merlin

Regards Dave

Dogs Friend, Found Wood Carving

2011-01-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is a piece of wood found on a walk

Covered in mud and teeth marks in the bark, obviously a 'dogs friend'

I tripped on it and almost threw it into the bush. On second look I bagged it, making my new top dirty!! (looks from the wife)

When washed (in the kitchen sink, but don't tell the wife!) it came up quite wonderful making the effort worth while

To be fair I'm always dragging old bits of 'manky' wood home to carve. pieces that would normally be thrown away

In these he looks regal and pleased with himself

I haven't cut it down and the ends are shattered and jagged as found, created by weather and a dogs jaw

The hair and beard came out very well and add life to his face, the natural markings a gift from the wood itself

I removed all the bark to expose the wood, it mostly flaked off when washing it. It was then dried on a radiator before going under the knife

The wood has natural gash down the length which has exposed the heartwood which is very dark as it boarders on rotten, but has retained stability

By carving around this natural feature the Woodwose becomes part of the wood itself; bringing a simple branch, chewed and discarded in a muddy lane, to life

He is full of character, 52 centimetres long, 5 centimeters at the widest part, the face is 4 centimetres by 6 centimetres

Finished in Danish oil and tinted to age. What started out as a natural dog toy, lying in mud, becomes a Woodwose to display in the house for years to come

He is a wall hanging piece

Comments welcome

Regards Dave

Useful Carving Doodle

2011-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

I started carving a stick out of a piece of Hazel harvested last year. Before long it started to develop into a carving doodle..... a useful one as it was going to become a walking stick. The first photo shows my modest work station in the utility room, and a great piece of art done by one of my boys.

This is the top carving, which would normally be the only one on a walking stick

The stone effect added after being inspired from reading a Shawn Cipa book I received at Christmas

The carvings progressed on as I started to think of this as a chance to doodle over the seasonal break without having to plan anything

The stone work links the carvings. though each carving was done and then the stone work added

I decided to try some new approaches

Mixed with the traditional, which I love doing

Beards that become hair

Beardless but more mouth detail

Different noses

Simple faces without emotion

Linking down to my favourite that will make solo appearances soon

And a great transition between the Woodwose and the Green Man which is poignant when considering the link between the Green Man and the Wood-spirit, Woodwose

This is what doodling can achieve without planning :-)

Again, as with other aspects, this Green Man is inspired by Shawn Cipa

The bottom of the stick is quite thick and as such I didn't have a ferrule that would fit. Another great thing about doing a doodle is that its not supposed to follow convention or any pattern. I decided to use a Worktop connector as a foot of the stick to protect the bottom from getting damaged. It also remains true to re-use and adapting, recycling, and is quite effective.

The screw is threaded into the stick by at least 2.5 inches and will protect the foot of the stick from wear

The pictures are a little yellow as they were taken under artificial light and quickly so I could post. I will be adding some pyrography in the way of Futhark Runes below the carvings

Soon to be on sale in the Woodwose Folksy Shop so watch out for it

Your comments on the carvings (not the photography) as always is asked for and gratefully received

~ Regards Dave ~

~ Jan 2011 ~

Brown Oak Woodwose

2010-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

He needs a name that's fitting!

A small wall hanging piece that sits in a corner.

Place him high to look down on the room.

He's here to show him hanging on the wall.

The grain is just wonderful and dominates this guy

If you remember the Carving John Barleycorn, then this guy possibly will stir memories as he's carved from the off cut from John Barleycorn.

As with John Barleycorn the original life of the wood remains in the groove that runs down the back and the remains of a countersink hole on the front top.

This piece hangs on the wall from a single nail or screw.

Face detail

He is 6" tall 1 3/4" X 1 1/2"

Finished in oil and wax.

Indoor or outdoor as this hardwood will age beautifully in the elements (greying) and would take 20 years to rot.

I'm glad that this guy has appeared from the off cut that nearly got chucked on the BBQ!!!

Comments welcome as ever.

regards Dave

More posts on walking sticks coming soon.

A Council of Sphaeroblasts

2010-12-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

Wisdom Listens

2010-11-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

A very quick post with a pendant made from a wooden chip found and crafted into something quite pleasing.

With a leather thong and Futhark Runes that are partially sanded off to replicate wear that matches in with the old look and feel to the wood.

The runes spell out as you might have guessed 'Wisdom Listens'

This piece genuinely started out as a chip of wood that was on the floor of the allotment....

Thin and pleasantly shaped I picked it up and spent a while sanding and smoothing. The runes are burnt in with my Pyrography tool and partially sanded to try to reflect wear. Finished with Danish oil and Wax.

This piece has already been sold through the Folksy shop but there are others in the shop that are still available for unique Xmas gifts. At £3.99 with £1 postage they make a good stocking filler.

Comments are as always welcome.

Regards Dave

Woodwose 'Seanáthair' finds a home Nov 2010

2010-11-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

The carving Seanáthair that has been for sale on Folksy has found a new home this month. He was carved from an ornamental plum tree that grew in Gloucestershire for most of my childhood. The wood itself is like iron, this fellow will become an heirloom. I am so pleased that he has such a distinguished place in his new home.

This is the original picture used on this very blog (click on his name above to go to the original post)

Its great for me to see where my Woodwose end up living, I Have a bit of a growing trend to post pictures of them in their new homes.

I think he looks absolutely stunning in this picture.

His owner said that she felt that he sits watching over and keeping her home protected. The pagans believed that the Woodwose bought luck and protection.

"When you take your Wood Spirit home, give it a place of honor. Include the Wood Spirit in the audience when you tell jokes (Wood Spirits have a delightful sense of humor). If you do these things, your Wood Spirit will bring his gentle wisdom, humor, and luck into your home".

I feel this fellow has a place of honor and will become a loved part of the family.

Regards Dave

Sphaeroblast carvings, work in progress

2010-11-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from work in progress and have been sitting on the shelf for months stuck, bogged down and not moving forward.....

The Sphaeroblasts are a beautiful dark colour and the wooden wedge is a piece of drift wood scrap sanded and polished. it nearly got thrown out, but I'm forever looking at a scrap of wood and trying to find the beauty in it. I love the curve in this piece and its quite embryonic.

The pictures below are of the second Sphaeroblast . Both are bald and beardless.

The eyes on both need finishing....... I think!

The carving below was carved to add to the piece above looking the other way.

Why? don't ask me I'm just the vehicle the wood uses to reveal its form... :-) Dark Sphaeroblasts are essentially on the cusp of rotting away, many crumble into dust as you start but these guys are just pre-rotten but have captured the colour.

Its a wall hanging piece and is only 5 1/2 " long and the heads are about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" long, so quite small. Netsuke size carvings.

If you look at my Folksy shop there are a number of pendants made from recycled scraps / chips of wood picked up from a pile of chippings on the allotment. I love making what is essentially wood that is scrap into lovely striking items.

Comments and suggestions of what might make this carving special will be gratefully received and I might even use your suggestion to finish it off at last!

Regards Dave

Sphaeroblast Druid

2010-10-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Those who have followed this blog since the start will hopefully remember Sphaeroblasts?

Well recently I went on a sphaeroblast safari with friends; have a look at another product of the safari here on Dan Young's most excellent Blog Dan Young Daily

Well it was a productive safari and here is the first carving.

The beard is the growth that was springing forth, the blemish in the face was just there, I refuse these days to carve them out or move the carving, the blemishes are part of the wood and add to the life of the carving. There was a day as a cabinet maker when selection of timber was about the perfect unblemished piece!

The Futhark runes were applied using a Peter Child machine and a very thin wire. I wanted them to look like tattoos on his head very pagan like. The blemish on the face adds to the look quite nicely.

For a Woodwose he is decidedly un-hairy !! however shaman, druids and other 'Magik' men were noticeably different.

This piece has a wire spike that screws to the wall and holds the piece about 4" from the wall at any desired height.

This fella is a 'Keeper'; for a while anyway :-)

Comments as always....... :-)

Drift Wood Woodwose and Dragon Carving

2010-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

This carving utilises a piece of drift wood which has some wonderful mottling and colour.

It is one half of a larger piece and I'm looking forward to carving the second piece.

The wood is somewhat spongy and has sand embedded which isn't good for the tools or the sanity. however the finished piece is quite beautiful and worth the effort in re-sharpening

The Chinese Dragon is something that started the piece after looking at the colouring in the wood. The eyes are glass beads.

There is a large glass bead sunk into the wood, underneath is the Elder Futhark Algiz rune. as you should know by now is the rune for protection, the pyrography blending with the blemishes in the wood.

Close up of the Woodwose which came out rather well.

This is a hanging piece which is about 9" long and no thicker than 1 1/4"

Finished in Danish oil and wax

This piece of wood would have been thrown away or burnt as in it's found state it looked quite boring and without character. I hope that you agree that it looks so much more than that?

Comments are welcome and sought.

This one will end up on Folksy.

regards Dave

Carving Doodle #2

2010-10-03T13:55:00.001-07:00

So what have I been carving for the last couple of months? well there are a number of posts worth of work sat in the workshop (my fancy word for the Utility room).

This post is of a carving doodle that i have been working on, and in reality is still a work in progress (WIP).

There are allot of pictures as its quite a complex piece. The wood is just an off-cut from a hedge pruning from I believe the woodpile in Pembrokeshire. It was picked because it looked interesting when collecting firewood one evening back in the spring this year.

Its been a WIP for months but I felt it was time to share. Its been finished in Danish oil, each carving being oiled on completion.

Well here it is :-)

I wanted to keep the look of the original piece of wood

The principle being carve whatever takes your fancy. Its not art and is not planned, but that approach makes it quite unusual and aesthetic.

The following pictures show in more detail some of the carvings and how they interact with each other.

Chinese Dragon

A partial sun, reminiscent of the Japanese rising sun. The lizard climbing up the rays was the original carving with the Futhark rune representing the sun and the sun was added in later.

This is a stylised skull; the idea was taken from my sons cycle helmet design.

This Woodwose has a very wise 'Old Father' look to him

The Woodwose below the Dragon is in comparison more Warrior

The Face below has the distinction of being recognised by the camera as a face.. My Camera has face recognition with 'shut eye' recognition and this carving was picked up one as a face and two as having its eyes shut...... wow praise from technology; technology doesn't care for feelings or tell you something is good, if it isn't!!

Some of the pictures are there just to show the make up of the carving piece as a whole and how each carving as individual pieces interact with each other.

The Dragon hair, for example, blends into the hair of the Woodwose warrior which was accidental but fitting.

This is where the piece hangs in the utility room, above where my 'station' is and a constant inspiration to carve, carve, carve......

I love this carving as a piece in total. is it saleable? I'm not sure as its quite eclectic; as such it doesn't appear on Folksy. but then neither does the Carving Doodle #1

your comments as always are welcome and indeed sought.

regards Dave

Wooden Pendants

2010-09-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

Ive been making wooden pendants and attaching them to leather thong. All are for sale on the Folksy Website shop.

Each pendant has a rune from the Elder Futhark alphabet but with more emphasis on its meaning than as a literal letter.

The Rune Sowilo depicting the sun and its life giving

Algiz: rune of protection

Othel: Runes meaning is Karma and Inheritance

All pieces of wood have been 'found' and shaped ready for burning the rune's into them. Finished in Danish oil and wax.

Unusual pendants.

Your comments are always welcome

Regards Dave

Festival Of The Tree Westonbirt Arboretum

2010-08-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

We spent the day today (30th August) at the beautiful surroundings of Westonbirt Arboretumand the Amazing Festival Of The Tree.

A Great family day out and for me I was in my element...... :-)

Carvings done from large forested trees within the arboretum, done by wood sculptors. these were auctioned off to raise money for the arboretum. All of the above are large sculptures as shown in the first picture.

The Festival had a large range of craft and other stalls and these guys interested me..... :-)

Above right, female woodspirit. this was a particularly nice piece.

Above left is a beautiful piece in two tone with a contemporary look.

Above left are a couple of rustic spirits, which I'm not convinced are made locally but are potentially imported..! I could be wrong !! These guys are 9" to 12" tall and as you will see priced at £65.

Above right is a fantastic chair which I would have loved to be able to afford to buy it and transport it home.

Ranging from small to large woodspirits. I was surprised not to see more, and in truth there were some that were very poor quality. These are the best!

These sculptures below are fabulous.

Drift wood sculpture of horses

These were totally stunning.

Another large sculpture

This was the size of a three seat sofa!

The arboretum has sculptures dotted around, this is one that particularly took me.

The weather has aged and given this piece a beautiful finish in superb surroundings.

As said a wonderful day out and some fantastic carvings.

Alongside the carvings there was a fantastic metal worker who created metal leaves and organic metal work.

We watched the craftsman demonstrate how he makes the leaves. he turned it into a pendent about 1 1/4" long. It was later purchased; its great to watch something being made and then able to buy it.

There was a shortage of carving tools for sale, particularly carving knives. possibly more to to with legislation on knives in this country. This was the only possible disappointment from the day for me.

Oh and we got to walk around the arboretum too

Your comments are as usual more than welcome.

Regards Dave

More carvings to come soon :-)

Update

2010-07-31T06:27:00.002-07:00

I have been very busy recently and haven't had time to post, I have however still been carving. i have a new carving doodle that's not finished but i may post soon.

I have also been carving a wading stick for a gift to give a friend. I will post that once its been handed over!! which may not be until September.

I have been featured on a blog that does a Folksy Friday post http://melusinesoap.blogspot.com so go take a look as there are other cool items on there.

Well here are a couple of carvings (not mine) that I've seen that I really like and thought I would share with you to keep you interested until the next posting of my carvings.

I love this face of the girl. The eyes have been left with no detail but there is still loads of life in the face. I have tried to carve a female face but it came out quite scary. I've been collecting pics of carved female faces for research.

And this guy was carved from a large piece of wood and was still quite rough but he's got loads of character.

Regards Dave

Slebech

2010-06-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Slebech is thought to be a Viking word and is also the name of a small picturesque town in Pembrokeshire. This guy started life growing in Pembrokeshire in a small wood near to the town of Slebech hence the name.

Depicting the face of the Woodwose under the bark

This is a wall hanging piece for the home

The wire adds a contemporary link to Ivy and growth

The addition of the Algiz protection rune to offer protection to any property it hangs in

ALGIZ rune: Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defence, warding off of evil, shield, guardian.

He is 7" wide by 7" tall while the face is 1 1/2" long by 1 1/16" wide.

he's finished in Danish oils and dark wax. and an indoor piece only.

comments as always are welcome.

Folksy Friday

2010-06-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

http://pipistrellecrochetdesign.blogspot.com/2010/06/folksy-friday_17.html

Follow the link to

Pipistrelle

blog of crochet designer/maker Deb Scudder

Deb has kindly featured one of my carvings this week

Thanks to Deb.

Follow Woodwose on Twitter http://twitter.com/Woodwose

Golgee

2010-06-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Golgee in his new home in the USA

This looks like a wonderful place for a Woodwose to watch over the house and be admired.

Thanks to Noah for the pictures and update on how the Woodwose are settling in

There was a second Woodwose (Walter) who is yet to settle down into a permanent home. once he has Noah has said he will send another photo.

Regards Dave.

Gentleman in English Sycamore

2010-05-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

This carving started out with the intention of becoming a Woodwose in the fine tradition of Woodwose Carving. However he emerged as a fine looking gentleman.

from the last of the Sycamore I had donated to me last year, which has seen a number of carvings including ~Brad~ and his brother.

The leaves and flowers arrived and he started to take on the appearance of one of the old eighteenth century botanical gentlemen who travelled the world in search of new life.

I had some items that lent themselves to this theme.

A Weird Fish zip pull that came off

A lizard skeleton pendant

a brass leaf motif from my gardening gloves

The piece is finished in Danish oil and liquid wax which has given him a slightly antique look.

Carved using my new Flex Cut 11 piece quick change travel carving set I bought with the proceeds of the sale of a few carvings from Folksy.

He stands 9 1/2 inches high and 3 1/2 inches in diameter (approximate size)

I have taken a lot of care with the detail on this one which has meant its taken me about 25 hours to finish.

The wood started splitting down the Right hand side in the baking sun on the 21st May. I don't think he will loose any more moisture now!!

The nature of wood means that it is in reality still moving continuously; this piece was seasoning for over a year before I started on it and yet it still dried out in the sun and split. I personally love the splits (shakes) in the wood and feel they offer a lovely aspect to the carving/s reminding us that they are not plastic, offering a distressed look.

Your comments as always are welcome

Regards Dave

Tin Can and Pyrography Plaque

2010-05-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

The plaque is made from old drink can and burr sycamore veneer glued to card

I love the way that old drink cans can be cut up and used in this way. I like the way the corporate logos can be distressed so that in the main thee colour shows and we can make out something familiar to us.

The dragon? I don't know why but I like the shape of it and the curves blend well with the curves on the drink can logo.

A small (each square is 30mm) but surprisingly time-consuming item.

as always your comments are welcome.

This is going to be one of 3 that I will make.

Wire Sculpture By James Jones

2010-05-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

This wire sculpture was made by my 10 year old son James at school.

Its inspired from a famous sculpture

I just love this piece and it has pride of place in the front room. this is a future heirloom.

Comments welcome.

Brad Goes To Chicago.

2010-04-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Click on the title to follow the link to a photo album where brad goes to Chicago. Totally awesome to see Brad continue his journey across the world.

His brother has been sent via post to Pennsylvania this week to start a life in the good old USA. Hopefully photos can be sourced of his new home too.

Regards Dave

These are the guys on the way to America, bon voyage!

Sold via Folksy.

This is the brother of Brad, same tree same branch.

Drift Wood Father Woodwose

2010-04-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

This guy is from a piece of drift wood which has been oiled and fitted with a hanging bracket.

As you can see he is a wall mounted carving ideal for the house or garden. The beard flows away from the wall offering depth and maintaining the wood in its sea sculpted shape.

I have used the pyrography machine to highlight the hair and facial details

The wood itself was found on the beach in Pembrokeshire at New Years 2010 and was carved just this month once it was fully dry. Its quite spongy to carve but with a liberal coating of Danish oil he has a new life.

11 1/2" long X just under 3" across the eyes. He is 1 3/4" thick at the thickest part and 1" at the thinnest.

Your comments are welcome

One more piece of Drift Wood left to carve.

regards Dave

Sphaeroblast Scream

2010-04-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

The ball at the base is a widget from a can of beer!!

This guy is about 5" tall. The head is 1" Tall x 3/4" Wide.

Different but unique.

Brad in NYC - Woodwose goes global!

2010-04-05T12:16:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

This guy lives with Laura and Paul in the Dominican Republic, recently they took him to New York! Check this out!!

This is so cool. I love this, thank you Laura and Paul. I can just picture you guys doing this and the people around you thinking "crazy Canadians".

Love to you both.

Brad in NYC - Woodwose goes global!

View more presentations from lauranapier.

Drift Wood Woodwose

2010-03-28T13:15:00.001-07:00

This guy was a piece of drift wood salvaged in West Wales on a winter walk over the New Year period. its taken it until now for it to dry out enough to be carved.

The colour and shape of the wood is just beautiful; I was close to not touching it as its natural beauty seemed enough.

However I couldn't help myself and saw an opening for a Woodwose.

This piece is a wall hanging piece and adorns the wall in our dining room

The wood has a wonderful curve that thrusts the face out.

He is 18" tip to toe and one and a half inches across his forehead.

He is quite unique and only the second piece of drift wood I have carved, the first can be found here go take a look as this was back in 2008 in the early days.

Your comments are always welcome.

Regards Dave

The Fisherman

2010-03-21T01:01:00.001-07:00

In the style of the "Face-tree" Sphaeroblast, wire, hawthorn and glass beads

finished in oil

This stands no higher than 9" tall the fish is about 3" long. The base is the off-cut from the fish carving, all of which was an off-cut from a walking stick.

Let me know what you think.

Regards Dave.

FACE TREE

2010-02-28T04:52:00.000-08:00

This is a wire and Sphaeroblast piece

(click on the link to go to a post that tells you what a sphaeroblast is, back in Jan 2009)

Due to the tendon problem I have gone netsuke size in the carving. The next issue was mounting and displaying the faces. It was a good opportunity to try carvings without beards and different face styles.

The wire is twisted and shaped very organically and fixed to a slice of a laburnum log. I left the chainsaw marks in the laburnum which adds texture to the base.

There isn't much to say about the faces that follow. I've taken some close ups to show more detail. I have deliberately not made them too life like using existing features in the Sphaeroblast to start the carving.

Glass beads for eyes have added something different and allow you to focus on the key feature like the mouth or nose.

The chap above has obviously stubbed his toe!

Some are just stylised faces

Tim Burton had some influence here.

All attempts to keep to recognised proportions were dropped. Carving caricature.

This next guy is so sad! he is trapped in a cage of wire. he was positioned facing forward and has twice now turned himself around to face the back!!! He obviously is not happy with his lot in this piece. I do have to say he's being silly, at least he hasn't had a hole drilled in his head.

Sticking to pairs and facial conventions have also been ignored with some.

This little old lady's hair emerged from under the bark as you see it here. The darker wood is where the Sphaeroblast is starting to rot and has changed from the lighter wood on top.

The idea with the wire started as just a way to hold the faces, it became something more as the numbers grew and is an integral part of the design with a prominence of its own in places

This started as a collection of small faces in a tub, and is now a...

~FACE TREE~

Ive been asked to try pairs and threes so watch this space.

~Let me know what you think~

BTW: Referral for physical-therapy on the elbow and if that fails injections, if that fails an operation...........! I don't even play bloody tennis.

At least I'm back to carving as there is no difference between rest and no rest with the arm.

The dog is walking on the leg now more than not which is good news. She's still banned from climbing the stairs or jumping in the car... You try telling her that!

Art in Aid of Aids Exhibition 26th & 27th Feb 2010

2010-02-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to take part and show some carvings at an exhibition.

I will be displaying 3 pieces locally in Cheltenham at the Gardens Gallery with 25 other local artists. Each artist will be selling pieces and donating a portion of the proceeds to the Emthonjeni Trust.

Emthonjeni Trust is a charity based in Cheltenham, UK, founded in November 2001 by a group of friends who wanted to make a positive contribution to the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where poverty and unemployment are particularly high. Emthonjeni Trust supports projects run by the Raphael Centre, an award winning HIV / AIDS centre in Grahamstown.

This is a local charity to me and as I work for a charity that aims to better the lives of people in Gloucestershire, getting involved in this event just seemed the natural thing to do.

The exhibition has no set commission fee as each artist will decide how much of the final sale price goes to the charity, ranging from 25% as a minimum up to 100%. I have decided to offer 50% of the final price as my contribution to the charity. That's assuming they will sell.

The exhibition is on the 26th and 27th February and there is no admission fee. Unfortunately I don't have any examples of other work that will be there but I'm told there is a wide range so should suit most peoples tastes.

The three pieces I have tentatively chosen are:

Click on the names of the carvings to take you back to the original posts

Winter Woodwose

Jelutong

Merlin

Let me know if you have a favourite that should be shown. I have 3 spaces so am limited but I wont finally decide until Thursday night on what I will be showing.

Your comments are welcome and your support at the event even more so (that's assuming you live close enough to attend).

Regards Dave

(Oh, due to the elbow, which was recovering, flaring up again; I am finally off to the quacks to get 'speed patronised' and told to rest the arm......!)

Stone, Wire & Drift Wood.

2010-01-31T10:06:00.001-08:00

End of Jan 2010 Still no carving being undertaken..........

Haven't phoned the bone mender either yet....... Blokes eh!

It is starting to feel better though.

Anyway I have been doing something.

So another post which is not quite carving but I hope you like it.

3 glass marbles stolen from the boys...... !

The wire is garden wire that's been hanging around for a while hence the Matt faded look which is why I used it.

The stones are white quartz that have been 'tumbled' to polish them up

The wood is a small piece of drift wood that was picked up on the beach in Pembrokeshire and dried out on a radiator

I love the contrast between the wire and wood; both are old and tarnished

The difference between the polish of the stones which ironically are older than everything but look new and shiny up against the wire and wood

There are a couple of glass marbles to add something spherical and less random in shape.

The orange stone is a purchased slice which adds some warmth to the mobile.

At the moment this hangs in the conservatory catching the light as it slowly spins and moves in the drafts and people walking by.

As always let me know what you think. One day soon this may appear in my Folksy shop.

regards Dave

Drink Can Dragon

2010-01-23T13:50:00.001-08:00

I am still unfortunately unable to carve! It looks like the doctor will be getting a call.

Not the usual work displayed but a bit of fun to keep you tuning into the blog. I might even display in the Folksy Shop for sale one day.

The hammer effect pictures added 24th Jan after the original post.

I have previously converted cans into ash trays and windmills, I love the graphics on cans when used in craft projects.

The dragon design I have been doodling for ages and appears on the carvings sometimes in pyrography. (Its a Henna Tattoo design I've adapted)

These guys are glued to stiff card and distressed. I have designed them to be hung from wire but you might have a better idea.

Anyway beats sitting doing nothing and I think they are quite unique.

I have a few beer can dragons under way and I'm working on a few more designs. If you have any ideas or inspiration let me know, if the elbow doesn't clear up I will be doing more of this stuff.

Back to the normal carving soon I hope.

Ziggi is still on three legs as well.

regards Dave