Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: half eye on November 22, 2014, 12:48:44 pm
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I'm carving a black bear for a friend and thought ya might like to go along. Dan Hamblin sent me a picture called the great Bear but I cant seem to get it to load in my computer so I can attach it here, so maybe he'll see this and add the picture so you know what the "stance" is all about. Basically hge will be standing on a large log looking at the viewer.
There are 5 picks of the bear right off the bandsaw, then some more as it is being rough shaped. so you can see how it's starting to allmost look like a bear. Any questions please speak up. This block of wood was made from 2 pieces of 4" X 5" X 12" glued together to form a roughly 8 X 5 X 12
rich
sorry I did not see the change in # of pics to post so have to put 'em on in 3 entries
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next ones
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last one
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Looking pretty good so far, Rich. Can't wait to follow along. 8)
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What kind of wood do you use, Rich?
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I like the stance/pose on that bear. I watched along as your eagle and pike carving came together and was truly impressed by the process and your carving talent. Keep the pictures coming Rich, I'm liking this bear already.
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Thanks fellas, The wood is Tupelo in this carving. Get it from from La. also use white pine for power carving (rotory tools) and basswood (linden) for blade carving. Although you can use any kind of wood with any carving method. I've made "sculptural" carvings from black walnut for example and used both methods. For the realistic carvings though I preffer the 3 kinds above. Glad ya like the progress photos I'll try not to get to pushy,eh?
rich
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How cool. I'd love to try that with soapstone. ;D
Zuma
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Really nice Rich...I will enjoy watching this bear come to life...
Don
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Lookin good, so far, Rich! I guess with all that snow you'll have plenty of time inside for carvin!! ::)
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You are very talented and as far as I am concerned, you can't pot too many pics nor be detailed enough. I would prove someday to be able to carve like you. Btw, have you seen the box of money carvings by the guy who posts a lot on sawmill creek? Was wondering what you thought. iMO, as fun to watch as your eagle was.
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Thanks for the nice comments fellas. I did some body refining and also got the feet and legs oriented correctly for the pigeon toed walk they have. Also time to take care of the one errant saw mark and the poor glue joint.....most guys use a epoxy putty to fill these but I like to have them mostly all wood so there's some pics of how I fix that by gluing in some tupelo wedges. That way the carving and wood burning looks the same and no "joints" show.
Hopefully be able to get body well along tomorrow and start working on his log and rocks.
DB, Ken thanks fellas, RBL no I have no clue about that fella.
rich
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repair pics
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I am stoked to follow along on another one of your masterpieces Rich. This bear is taking shape quickly.
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Man that bear is looking good, very nice work so far, looking forward to seeing more as you proceed. :) :)
Pappy
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That is really interesting, Rich. How is the wood, on the soft side? It reminded me of citrus a little.
I'll be watching.
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Thanks Howard, Pappy....Parnell the wood has a SG= 50 but is fairly grainless, fairly ::).
Got the body, butt, and legs close enough for now and starting to work on and fit the base composition elements. Right now I'm thinking some boulders and a dead tree (log) so here are the lastest pics....some from a distance and the second group close-up shots of how the feet will set on the "rocks".
rich
PS: Makin these animals is sort of a slow process of "nibbling" away at the carving untill ya get the exact musculature you want so although it might not look like it....there is a LOT less wood that there was.
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rest of them
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Wow!!! That is some bear taking shape. Very cool my friend. Can wait to see the final composition and the smile on that bears face. He must be smiling looking at you all day.......LOL.
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Picture Half Eye mentioned in his first post for this bear carving.
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Looking good rich, how big is that going to be
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The finished composition will fit inside an "invisible box" roughly 20 X 20 X 24-28.
Dan, would like to remind you that there is enough wood on the muzzel yet that he could be made to stick his tongue out at ya ::) Just sayin...
rich
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Sir..............you have done the impossible.............you shut me up. At least until the bear is done. LOL.
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Watching with keen interest!
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Really lookin good, Rich! You are the man!! :P
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Awesome Rich, love these. You are a true artist. Looking great
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Thank you all for the comments....Thought that I would catch ya up on where this thing is now.
Got the base rocks, log, etc carved and gesso'd and mounted to a piece of 1/4" cabinet grade oak plywood. The oak ply will form the base for the "sand" (sawdust). I decided to make the rocks look like they are on the edge of a lake or river etc. so the base will get a layer of resin "water". This requires that the formal base is carved out to fit the plywood which will be set below the surface of the base and form a dam for the fake water.
Got the face worked down to about 75% and the feet shaped to the "toes-up" shape. From here on I need to paint and finish the base and habitat, final shape the face, and carve the claws and detail the soles of his feet......then carve and burn the fur.....will keep ya posted.
will be 3 sets of pics....forgot to say the formal base is a single piece of white ash I milled up a couple days ago. The first 2 pics are the habitat rough out.
Again, any ? please speak up.
rich
Thanks again for all the comments.
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2nd set
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3rd set
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last few
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Very cool, great work
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Outstanding Rich. Can't wait to see this bear continue to come to life. Perfect my friend.
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Awesome :) I bet u have a lot of hours in that masterpiece.
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Really beautiful
I have a true admiration for your works and sure i cant make nothing similar so forgive me if I dare to make a little criticism.
first pictures of the bear shapes looked really good than suddendly something looked not perfect to me.
It was when the bear was tilted.
carefully watching the newest pictures looks to me that the mass of the body is a little to backward for the foot position.
I think that maybe a less tilted position would make a more natural stance.
I tried a little mod in photoshop to make my tough clearer
Anyway you're a true artist!
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Thank you fellas for the nice comments,
GlisGlis: no insult to me at all sir. I will take a look at what you were saying....hell man might need another rock under that rear end,eh? I'll take a serious look at it. I'm not like that about criticism, everybody has room for improvement, sir.
rich
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Here is a catch-up....will be it till finished. here are some pics of the situation as of now and some ideas as to how I go about it. Like how I lay out the claw location, making the claws, fake sand etc. and the "fur" carving etc.
rich
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few more
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Rich, you really do add life to those chunks of wood. Amazing! 8)
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That's wild man!
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Pat, Soy Thanks for the nice comments, making things for friends is a little nerve-racking sort of a self imposed stress deal, so we'll see when it's done.
rich
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Here's a couple of sets of teaser pics
rich
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few more
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Rock on!
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Looks fantastic Rich. Can't wait to see the final finishes. Awesome.
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Lookin sweet, Rich!!
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As easy as you make it look, it makes us mere mortals think we can too!! Great job! Especially on the details of the set. That log looks as real as can be!
FF
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That bear is looking to scavenge leftovers from that pike the eagle was eating!
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That is unbelievably good! You are very talented. :o
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Awesome,that is beautiful. :) :)
Pappy
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Incredible Rich. You did a fantastic job.
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Brilliant work Rich, great to see how it developed.
Great stuff.
Del
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Thank you very much fellas, much appreciated. I don't believe that it rises to the level ya all got it at though. I'm happy to put my name on it, but you cant fool your own self, eh? I still have to compare it to the work I used to do, and it is not up to that standard anymore.
FF, I used to teach carving free though the community programs, it is easy with a few tips along the way.
Pappy, thanks means a lot when you and fellas like Pat, wildman etc like it cause I know you guys know what they look like.
Mr. cat, I like your art work as well, and your archer is what is brilliant,sir.
JW....I think he's lookin for that damned feathered poacher what snatched up his fish.....take a little bit of him on the arm,eh?
Thanks again fellas, it's near done cause I had to re-do the formal base since the ash decided to cup something fierce.
rich
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Personally i think it is totally wrong for one person to have all that talent. It looks likes a miniature version of one that walked by my deer stand three days before bear season opened. You did an outstanding job Rich.
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Personally i think it is totally wrong for one person to have all that talent. It looks likes a miniature version of one that walked by my deer stand three days before bear season opened. You did an outstanding job Rich.
Don't tell him that! He'll be carving you in your stand alongside it next :o ;)
Del
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That would take a big chunk of wood.
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Really beautiful work Rich.
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First of all....thank you for the nice comments fellas I respect all of your opinions.
Well, she's all done and here are some pics. Sorry they aren't too good....got freezing rain and snow and pea-soup fog so had to shoot indoors. There are some general "overall" pics and some close-up detail pics too. Hope you like it, especially Mr. Hamblin.
PS: While I was doing the eagle I told you I like to add a little something to be discovered later and add some food for thought. On this carving I changed the "log" so that the "stump-end" was in the water and partially shield a stone head lying under water. It a real hunting point (miniture) knapped by Dan and the scale was just perfect for a "old lost spear point". Sort of like our ancestors and the bears' ancestors met at this place long ago.....or some such as that. The viewer can make up their own thoughts on it.
The "unofficial" title is ....."on the wind"..... thats what I had in mind when the Bear was placed as it is, sort of like he was already there and caught a whiff of something and is about to stand and turn.
rich
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few more
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one last close up
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Sweet, love the arrowhead in there
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Real beauty!
That arrowhead is a very nice touch.
To be just half eye it work surprisingly well !!! ;)
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That is some flat out beautiful work! Thank you for sharing this. Not that I could ever do it but it sure is fun to watch someone who can!
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It's really great. That little arrowhead is a great touch.
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Love it! Thanks again for taking us on this journey.
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Dang Boy, that came out really nice. At first in the pictures of the rough cut form, I thought, hey, didn't he say it was a Black Bear? It looked like a Griz. But I thought, well I will wait to see if he takes the hump down, and lessens the dish face of a Griz. Then you did! Then the white claws, I thought he is going to color them, black, or dark brown. You did! A great job sir! Very good indeed! I am sure your friend will love it. If not, I will stand in for him as your Friend! ;) ;D ;D Have you tried using a small wire brush to simulate the hair pattern? Anyway, outstanding job! Yeah, it is always nerve racking when you make something for a Friend, or Family member, because you are much more self critical of your work.
Lets see some more! I finally got my Girlfriend into wood carving, and I should have let well enough alone! She has gone hog wild with it!
Wayne
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Very well done Sir.. It looks amazing
Thanks Leroy
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Thank you so much for the nice comments, much appreciated. Mailed it off today, so now I get to sweat bullets that it gets there in one piece....we'll see
rich
PS: stickbender, you are exactly right, I cut 'er too big and nibbled on it till it got to black bear size and shape....I showed the claws white so they would show up well and they are a very dark brown so I didn't want to get black on them, painted them last.
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Wow, just wow!
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Good idea, on the claws. ;) Came out exceptionally nice. They better appreciate it, after all the time, effort, thought, and skill you put into it! If they only knew what something like that goes for. ;) What are the dimensions of that piece?
Wayne
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That's a real eye-catcher, Rich! The log tip in the water and arrowhead are nice touches. I hope you signed that thing somewhere. 8)
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Rich, I know that you don't want a whole bunch of flowery flattery and praise on the quality of your work. That's good, cause no words could adequately describe it anyway. Well done my friend, well done! Josh
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stix, stickbender, Ken thank you very much
Josh, thank you sir, you know I value your opinion
rich
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BRAVO!!!
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I am just so damn glad you are willing to share this with us.
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I'm with j.w. :) glad you posted it . Great to see a great piece of art in progress
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A real beauty Rich. Thanks for taking the time to post the pics and give us some insight into the process of the art.
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Came out great! Loved the updates and was looking forward to checking progress every morning. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for the great post!
I loved seeing the progression from beginning to end, The bear turned out awesome, I love the fine detail.
Kevin
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Thank you so much fellas, glad you like it. It really does mean something when guys who are outdoors people and know their animals to say it looks OK.
To be fair though, this aint bow stuff and I dont want to intrude carving on to a bow site.....so I'm happy that the posts are well received, thank you all again.
rich
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Since I am the requestor for this magnificent carving I will tell you all this.................it is exactly what I was looking for and can't be more pleased with the detail and the spirit of this carving. My wife loves bears and I couldn't think of a better gift than something made one of my best friends. Opened it up and couln't stop looking at it. It is for my wife turns 60 in March and the bear will be silent until it becomes a permanent and treasured display in my home. Thank you Halfeye for your detail and true manifestation of a magnificent animal. Just perfect.
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Wow, Dan I'm sure glad you like it and better still hope that the Miss's likes it as well. I'm embarrassed now but thanks all the same.
rich
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Halfeye................I have no doubt this will be one of her greatest treasures.............besides me of course. LOL.
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Fantastic Rich. Excellent work.
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Rich, we all have other things we like to do besides build bows so that's why we added "Around the Campfire" just for those occasions. Thanks for posting your beautiful carvings and the process to get to the end results.