Carving Santa - #3

A bit of a note, before we start. This is a message to those readers who are experienced at navigating around Blogger and building any tutorials and/or sequential photos, within a posting. IT"S MADDENING!#!!#$&::??/ (Snuffy Smith cuss words)

We left off with having our Santa Ornament drawn and with most of the necessary stop cuts made. Now we will start defining Santa's features a little.

CARVING SANTA #3

Step 1: CARVE THE BOTTOM OF SANTA'S NOSE. To achieve this first cut to define the bottom of the nose, make a thumb/push cut from about 1/4 " below the stop cut at the bottom of the nose up to the stop cut. Then remove the little wedge of wood.

Step #2: SEPARATING SANTA'S FACE FROM THE HAT AND TASSEL. Use your knife to make a thumb push/slice cut from the top of the eye socket stop cut, up to the stop cut at the bottom of the right side of the hat, as illustrated in the photo. Make the same type of cut for the left side, only follow the stop cut that defines the tassel.

Step#3: CARVING THE AREAS FOR THE EYES. This is the area defined by the stop cut at the top of the eye socket, and the stop cuts at the sides of the nose. See the shaded areas in the illustration.
Since the eyes must be set further back into the wood than the rest of the features we'll have to remove a "chip of wood" from the shaded area. We must remove a chip of wood the shape of the shaded areas in the illustration. This wood chip should be thicker at the top than at the bottom.

This can be achieved by laying the knife blade on the cheek area, tilting it slightly up to make a thumb push/slicing cut. Follow the stop cut and go a little deeper with the knife as you move up the side of the nose to the top of the nose.

Next, continue to cut following the top of the eye socket stop cut.

After this cut is made you should be able to remove the wood chip, and be left with a recessed area for the eye. Do this for each eye area.

NOTE: Right handed carvers will hold the Santa as illustrated in the photo, and remove the "cheek chip" as in the photo. Then to carve the other cheek area you'll find it much easier to turn the Santa up side down, and use a paring cut towards you. You may want a thumb guard on your right hand for this paring cut.

Step #4:CARVING THE BRIDGE OF THE NOSE. Start by making a stop cut on the top of the nose, between the two eye areas. Next, remove a small wedge, by using a thumb push/slice cut up to the stop cut.

Step 5: DEFINING and ROUNDING the CHEEKS. The cheek areas that remain are defined by stop cuts at the top of the mustache and what is left of the stop cuts of the eye sockets. We will next "round" the cheeks by making knife cuts from the cheek area down to the top of the mustache and out to the cheek sides.

Here are some samples of finished Santa's. Look at the cheeks. Some are more rounded than others. There are a limitless number of different looks that the Santa can have.

CONTINUED.....