Just a tad too ambitious

[JBright11]

This is, by far, the largest carving I have attempted at 10" x 2".
Also my first attempt to follow a book, Mike Shipley's Whittlng Country Folk - Delmer.
Also only my 2nd attempt at using a pattern and cutting out a blank on my bandsaw.
Still very much in the rough out stage, and I've made some errors with the arms that I will have to work to correct as best I can.
I had never tried to "cut-through" and expose the gap between the arms and body and the cuts are very rough and I'm trying to figure out how to clean them up. But, I'm learning, or at least trying to.

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[woodburner807]

Looks like a great start, and looking forward to seeing the progress.

[Nebraska]

The choice is simple push the envelope or enjoy carving the same stuff over and over again.

Would suggest if you’re going big think about getting a vise and full sized tools. Two hands on your tool is a game changer.

[JBright11]

The choice is simple push the envelope or enjoy carving the same stuff over and over again.

Would suggest if you’re going big think about getting a vise and full sized tools. Two hands on your tool is a game changer.

Indeed, holding this size is a little difficult. I'll get through it the best I can with what I have at the moment.
Never know till ya try though.

[Tom Ellis]

Now give him some clothes, and he will be ready for paint. Then you have to finish the rest of the family. Great book. And good job so far.

[sappy]

He's looking really good!

[MikeW]

Clean up..try using some nail file boards ( the kind that look liike sandpapered popsicle ( ice lolly* ) sticks )..or even stick some sandpaper to popsicle sticks.that will let you keep some pressure on while sanding in areas which are hard to reach.You can even cut them down again . Sanding ( clean up ) on stone sculture used to be done with sand and other abrasives ( abrasive in this sense meaning harder than the sculpture surface.People like MichaelAngelo had dozens of apprentices whose job was to sand and polish with abrasives ( wet or dry ) on rags and wooden tools and other peices of shaped stone.You can also put a "scraping edge" for fine clean up on just about any peice of metal or ( even use a glass shard with anti-cut gloves, be carfull and use minimum pressure ) old peice of cutlery, or an old metal nail file.

Don't worry that you took too much off the upper arms, Popeye had real skinny upper arms.it is a caricature, not a portrait, you learned something for next time which is often the most important part of any work that one does.

HTH :-)

*I don't know where you are ? popsicle is USA , ice lolly UK , other countries ? Here in France the phrase for popsicle stick is waaaay too long to even bother typing. but nail file is "lime à ongles" which is pronounced "leema ongl"..there may or may not be a k in popsicle,.

[Merle Rice]

Hi, J, Looks like my First Figure Carving, mine is holding a Moonshine Jug. Yours is looking Good, Keep at it and Enjoy the Process, I did. Merle

[JoeVM]

It's coming along just fine.

[Mark N. Akers]

J, looks great, very nice so far.

[joepaulbutler]

Heck, I would have been walking on the ceiling if this were my second attemptSanding is a good suggestion~always! After sand you might want to let set for a while, then maybe take the knife back to it. At this stage of your carving, the name is practice & perseverance.

[Eddy-Smiles]

I think that we've all been there and bought that T-shirt! In my opinion you have three options.....#1 - Keep going and just finish it up as a sort of prototype. Now that you've got a rough idea of what you did wrong you can try to correct it on the next one. #2..... Cut both arms off plush with the torso and glue and peg a couple of pieces of new wood in their place. Then carve them to your liking. #3... and then my least acceptable is to chuck the thing in the trash and try again. To be honest Forum is my choice. Attached is a photo of a bear I carved recently for my wife. I attempted to carve the arms as one piece with the torso but I screw it up and ended up gluing a blank piece of wood for the arm and then carving it in a raised position as intended in the first place.

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[Steve Reed]

JBright11, agree with Eddy's suggestions 1 and 2. My personal preference would be Forum Also, I don't sand my pieces, I use a maroon scotch-brite pad on a mandrel in my dremel. Just my $.02. It's coming along nicely.
Steve

[Brian T]

It isn't too ambitious. Be confident and bold to enlarge your skills. You learn along the way.

Buy a sheet of sponge rubber mesh in your hardware store.
The shelf liner stuff for RV's to keep the dishes etc., from sliding around.

Use a small screw to attach a foot to a stick that you can clamp to the bench.
At last, you will be able to let go of the carving.

[yolli]

No problem, many people have small arms . I like his O-legs, musst have forgotten his horse