Tips for beginners in wood carving ...

Author: Jason Bibb

     Wood carving is, for many people, an interesting combination of hobby and art. Just like with pottery making or other types of similar art, a wood carver is deeply involved in the creation process. The finished wood carvings are much more than a pretty piece of ornament – they have a symbolic value or the creator that is often hard to express in money or material things. Here are a few tips that will help beginning wood carvers learn how to master this rewarding hobby:

Carving Magazine Carving Hint ...... 10 Tips For Carving Eyes!

Carving Magazine Carving Hint ...... 10 Tips For Carving Eyes!

Here are ten quick tips for carving eyes that have graced the pages of Carving Magazine: 1. the centers of the eyes should line up with the corners of the mouth ... 2. the lower lid is an "S" shape instead of a straight line  .... 3. iris covers about 1/3 of the eye and never fully visible ... 4. having eyes looking off to one side is normally a more pleasing design ... 5. quilting pins make great eyes for animals ... 6. the human eye is the size of a ping-pong ball ... 7. there is a distance of 1 eye width between the eyes ... 8. the eyes are in the center of the head for adults and teens ... 9. oldsters faces often elongate putting their eyes above center ... 10. inside and outside corners of the eyes should be the same depth! --- This and other carving tips, projects, profiles and more are available in Carving Magazine ... www.carvingmagazine.com -

Pictures: Fall Show at Planting Fields Arboretum

Thanks to Ed Sesack for digital images.

October Club Meeting 10/12/2010

Be sure to make plans to attend the October meeting...our speaker will be John Crawford and his style of holiday ornament carving! Bring a knife.

Meeting for SEPTEMBER !!!

THE MEETING FOR SEPTEMBER WILL BE SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAY SEPT. 15 !!!
NO MEETING 9/7/10 OR 9/14/10........NEW MEETING 9/15/10

Stu Martin Seminar new datesssssssss!

Stu Martin dates are now Nov 21 and 22 details to follow...

September Program 2010

Helmut Schilling is going to speak/present for about one hour on the topic:
"Carvings, Antiques and Found on LI" This will cover carvings he has collected and made, wooden carved antiques, and items found on Long Island...Hope to see you all there.
The public is invited!

Making A Good Point

Making a good point: The King of miniature sculpture carves tiny Elvis (and a host of other amazing objects) into pencils

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:59 AM on 30th July 2010
Many artists have used pencils to create beautiful pieces of work - but only one creates stunning masterpieces on the tip of one.
Microscopic artist Dalton Ghetti spends up to two-and-a half years painstakingly crafting each handmade piece on the graphite of a pencil.
Mr Ghetti, who works as a carpenter, has been working with pencils for about 25 years and his stunning sculptures include Elvis, the entire alphabet, linking chains and even an entire church which is just 10mm tall.

Stay Cool, Relax - Take a look at link below

Don't MISS THIS ONE!!!

"This is a great video showing the first assembly lines at the original Ford auto plant. Neat to see those guys making the old wooden wheels, by hand mostly... The places that car could go...is amazing!" Click here

May Competition - Candid Shots

LIWCA 2010 MEETING DATES

Don't forget Open Carving May 19, 2010 6:30 PM

LIWCA MEETING DATES 2010

JUN 8

SUMMER BREAK

SEP 7
OCT 12
NOV 9
DEC 14

2011 TO BE ANNOUNCED

Farmingdale Totem Pole Project

Today April 24, 2010 club members (Ed Conti, Ed Sesack, Charlie LaMorgese, Ashley Maltagliati, and Pres Frank Barry) met and worked on the totem pole for the village of Farmingdale. Pictures of the event are on the right. We had a great day and a great crew! More to follow.

NOTE: (3rd picture is restored totem pole, 4th picture is totem pole in need of restoration. First picture includes Kathy daughter of man who carved totem pole. 0

Meetings

April 28 Wednesday - Open Carving at Club House
May 11 Tuesday - Competition at Club House

Skip is Coming Home!!!

Skip will be coming home Monday April19, 2010. Give him a warm welcome...

Phone *82-516-868-3912

Send cards etc. to:

Skip Goodwin
1709 Camp Ave
North Merrick, NY 11566-2542

Quotes to motivate you:

“I believe each human being has the potential to change, to transform one’s own attitude, no matter how difficult the situation.”
Dalai Lama

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Walt Disney

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall”.
Confucius

“The greatest failure is the failure to try.”
William Arthur Ward

"A problem is a chance for you to do your best"
Duke Ellington

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal."
Henry Ford

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
Benjamin Franklin

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
Winston Churchill

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps."
Confucius

"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
Henry Ford

"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."
Thomas A. Edison

"The true definition of madness is repeating the same action, over and over, hoping for a different result."
Albert Einstein

"When a man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself."
Jacques Cousteau

Update on Skip

Skip has had surgery on his leg (removal from knee down) he is now recovering and rehabilitating at Northport VA Hospital. (4-6 weeks approx)

I am sure Skip would like to hear from all of us! Send a card or give him a call, his phone number is 631.266.6528
his room is Section 23 Room 24
Please pass this information on to other club members.
E. Goodwin
Sec 23 Rm 24
Northport VA Hospital
79 Middleville Rd
Northport , NY 11768

OutWestWoodCarving: Making A Cowboy’s Lasso

OutWestWoodCarving: Making A Cowboy’s Lasso

OutWestWoodCarving: Monte Walsh

OutWestWoodCarving: Monte Walsh

Painting Rock

by Ed Walicki
A fast easy way to paint wooden rocks to look real is to paint on a wet coat of Gesso.
It can be tinted in several different base colors by adding a small amount of acrylic paint. Then, while the gesso is still wet spatter other colors onto the Gesso rock using an old toothbrush and your thumbnail. Once the colors are applied I spray the rock with a fine mist of water in a handheld spray bottle. Not so much water you wash away the color, but just enough to create a bleed of color onto of the Gesso. Gesso does not absorb the acrylics when it is wet therefore you will have a wet surface for the colors to move around on through capillary action creating some real nice marble effects. By accident I made a real looking Petoskey stone by painting the base coat a light gray Gesso blend. Then with a toothbrush loaded with a dark gray I spatter finished the rock using larger drops of paint. One quick mist of water and the drops bled out without touching each other. The rock was an exact match to a real Petoskey stone. Experiment with different colors and see what you get, the key is to do this over a wet coat of gesso. My favorites are browns and grays over a white Gesso background.(http://www.fishcarver.com/)

Just a note to let you know Skip Goodwin is in the hospital. I know he would appreciate your thoughts and prayer's Please send him a get well card to his home
1709 Camp Ave
North Merrick, NY 11566. Ed

Dear Skip,
As you rest and heal, know that you are thought of warmly and wished a quick recovery.
Ed

What is the Carver of the Year Award?

When Roger Schroeder, a past president of the LIWCA, lost his best friend Joe Cella in 1993, he felt strongly that Joe’s contributions to the carving world should be remembered. The following year, Roger established the Joe Cella Carver of the Year Award, presented annually. Since then, 16 members of the LIWCA have received the award in the form of a plaque. It reads:

The Joe Cella Carver of the Year Award is presented to __________, member of the Long Island Woodcarvers Association. __________ has exemplified the ideals and principles that Joe exemplified: giving of him(her)self, expressing good will, and exerting the extra effort to promote those qualities in the carving community.


The recipients, all dedicated carvers who offered much of themselves to the carving community, are the following:

Ellery Barnaby 1994
Greg Krockta 1995
Nat Friedson 1996
Joel Hull 1997
Cindi Neil 1998
Roger Nancoz 1999
Roger Schroeder 2000
Harold Cannon 2001
Carl Johnson 2002
Phil LaGreco 2003
Mike Quigley 2004
Ed Sesack 2005
Frank Barry 2006
Birt Birkelund 2007
Phil Gonsowski 2008
Skip Goodwin 2009

Roger continues to reminisce about Joe, whom he met at a LIWCA meeting in 1978. Joe was an industrial arts teacher who never hesitated to share his knowledge of wood, tools and techniques. Joe went on to become president of the club from 1980 to 1982. In that last year of his presidency, he retired from teaching and moved to Key Largo, Florida. There he carved full time to support himself, creating a strong following among locals and visitors alike.

Voting for the Joe Cella Carver of the Year Award is held at the April meeting. Guidelines for voting are given, but no names are on the ballot. The award is presented at the June meeting. Start thinking about who you want to vote for...

Reminder - We are Looking for Judges

Please keep in mind that we are looking for judges for the May competition.

Annual Competition May 2010

I have wondered why I should compete when I thought my work wasn't good enough to win a ribbon. After thinking about it for a while I realized that I had seen some some great carvings without ribbons at competitions in the past. In fact I had voted on some for the "People's Choice". Then I realized that just as I went to shows and competitions to see what others did and to get ideas so did others, as the saying goes"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Your carving may not be picked this time but put it in other shows and the results may be different! I also like to put my carvings in show and tell and watch the reactions as other carvers look at my work in a non-competitive setting. Sometimes I ask people what they think realizing that criticism and praise can be very helpful in encouraging me and helping me to IMPROVE. So when all is said and done I will submit a carving or three and know that I'm doing what I like to do...CARVE.
The Annual Competition will be at the May meeting! Ed

A Passing...

A Passing...Harold Cannon passed away today 2/1/10...say a prayer.