Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

It's fabulous!

[Hooked]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Now sure I can ever top this one! maybe I should retire now! NOT! I got the bug!

By the way, how do most of you decide where to sign your work? Front or back? If on the front, somewhere in the pic where it is not as noticeable? Is there a general rule of thumb for where to sign it?

[wildhare]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Wow!The only thing I think you need to do is get my address so you can send it to me! (kidding).

What an awesome job you did. I gotta try getting serious with my burner and try it.

Keep up the great work.
Wanda

[Hooked]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Well, after making a few adjustments (suggested by a very nice lady), I moved on to the border.

Thanks to suggestions from Bill and a couple others, I embraced the rough border edge instead of trying to smooth it out!

I think all I have left to do is the finish! If there is something I am forgetting, please speak up!

Oh ya, almost forgot that I need to sign it!

[Ron T]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

What an awesome piece.

[carver33]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Chip, yeah, I mean get rid of the sharp edges, maybe cut to the lower level at at about a 45 to 60 degree angle and try to let the lines "meander" a bit instead of forming straight lines. Maybe leave the gouge marks. See the attached (primitive) sketch.

[Hooked]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Bill,

when you say taper it, do you mean getting rid of the sharp edge? Just have it taper down from the bark to the flat background?

Also, what did you mean by randomize? Randomly roughen it up all over instead of smoothing it out?

Thanks,
Chip

[carver33]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

I think this is a phenomenal effort. The only suggestion I would give is to taper and "randomize" the frame at the sides and top using a gouge. With the twigs at the bottom, I think I'd leave that border alone.

[Hooked]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

here is where it stands now. Still have a few adjustments I am going to make, then the wolf will be done,

[Pol]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Fabulous! I have this book so I recognized the picture at once. I love the way you carved it out first. I wouldn't change a thing! Thanks so much for sharing.

[teeburn]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Hooked I think the hardest thing for an artist to learn, beginner or otherwise, in any art form or medium is to learn when to say when. To say okay time to stop cause in our eyes, even if you love the piece, we will always find something we think needs tweaked or improvement. So maybe we just accept that we might never call it done, just call it time to stop.

I think it is an excellent piece and I think what you said you thought you should do would be good but definitely stop then.

Even when I know it isn't time to stop for good I will stop for awhile and just let it set where I can see it in my everyday activity several times a day and even move to different places in the room or other rooms. It can help a lot and help to know when to stop.

Time to start the next one to astonish us some more.

[Hooked]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Thanks for the kind words everybody! I think I need to make some adjustments on the face and top of the head. Some areas a little darker or more defined as far as the fur goes. And some areas a little lighter.

It is the wolf on the cover of Sue Walters book. The advanced project in the book. I just made it more difficult by doing it in deep relief first.

Still trying to decide a couple things:
(1) background - should I add some grass like Sue does in the book.
(2) The best way to clean up the inside edge of the frame. If you look at the top pic you can see the rough edges. Especially on the right. Have thought about rounding off the edges, but then I dont have much room to do that around the bottom. Any thoughts?
(3) should I darken the frame with some stain?

I agree that we are our own worst critic. I have such little experience in doing this I just thought someone might have some suggestions.

I do like it, the coloring just doesn't seem quite right to me in a couple areas.

[JimKnuckles]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

We can tell you your work is great. You have to come to a point in your life that you and only you accept and love what you have accomplished.
Carving or airbrushing have always come easy to me. I still get uneasy when people tell me they love my work.
Just love what you do..

Jim Knuckles
Jim Knuckles Wood Carving - Carved Wood Fish and Animals
http://www.jimknuckles.com

[Thomp]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

DITTO!...

i dont see anything wrong,

what was you thinking ?

As we all know, The maker of a project is the most callous critic of their art, there is so many different ways to accomplish the task,
maybe we know we could have did things in a different way, and you now are thinking you could have did some areas differently.

..

well from my prospective i see nothing wrong.

looks like a lot of gouge work and wood burning,

maybe if you tell us a little on how you produced this piece we may be able to see it from your perspective

[skidmore]

Re: Beginner looking for feedback/suggestions

Looks great to me. Doesnt look like beginners work to me.

Forrest of NC