Finished Eagle Carving Maybe?

[PittsburghTim]

I finished this carving late last fall and forgot to post. It was based off of some pictures from an all-white piece in an antique auction. It is the largest caving that I have made at about 18 inches wide and tall. I had to glue up two pieces of 4-inch thick basswood for the blank. I used a bandsaw to cut out the blank and then an angle grinder with a 40-grit flat disk to rough in the shape. From there it was hand-carved with my Pfeil chisels. Carving the feathers on the head and neck and carving the claws were the biggest challenges. It is hard to capture on a picture, but there is actually clearance between the base of the claws and the shield. For that I added a few very narrow (3-4 mm) chisels to my arsenal.

I'm not sure if it is finished as I had originally planned to paint the shield red, white, and blue. When I finished with just the gold paint, I kind of liked it. Now, I'm not so sure. Any constructive criticisms or opinions on painting the shield are welcome.

Thanks,

Tim 100_4055.jpg 100_4056.jpg

[Arthur C.]

Nice work, Tim. You might like to see the eagles of John Shortell on his website. Here 's a War of 1812 Eagle I carved a few years ago, using a bit of color while leaving the eagle gold:
War of 1812 Eagle.jpg

[joepaulbutler]

All I got to say is∙∙∙∙WOW this is great

[sappy]

That is really nice work! Paint or not paint, it will still be very nice!

[Randy]

Well done Tim! nice detail .

[woodburner807]

Nice carving, Tim, and I'm on the edge about color, though a bit of color might be a nice accent. Especially the shield.

[Merle Rice]

Hi, Tim, it's a matter of taste, either way won't hurt this Great Piece of Carving. Detailing Speaks for itself , Great . Merle

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Tim
Either way it is going to look real good as Merle and the other guys say it is all down to what tickles your fancy.

[Claude]

I agree with Merle and Glenn - either way will look great!

Claude

[MDWine]

Eagles are cool, nice work

[Mark N. Akers]

Tim, excellent job on the eagle, very nice.