---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- February 2003 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks! This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/index.html or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfile for 2001 and 2002 newsletters ============================================================ Replying to this Newsletter? PLEASE CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE! ============================================================ CONTENTS: 1. Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals 1) 'The Accomplished V Tool' - 1 2) Beginner's Guide to Woodcarving 2. Website 1) New Green Man 2) New Inspiration 3) New Biography Details 3. Quick Carving Questions 1) Workshop Insurance? 2) A Question of Mallets? 4. Article: Making a Living at Carving Website Bookmarks at the end. ********** NOTICE *********** Last month I suffered a disastrous Computer Event, which I am not going to talk about - except to say but it was the equivalent of finding my carving tools turning to rubber, sticking to the bench, and then disappearing one by one. A nightmare! IF YOU HAVE EMAILED ME IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS AND NOT HAD A REPLY, I APOLOGISE. THAT WAS THE REASON - I DO, NORMALLY, ANSWER ALL MAIL. PLEASE RESEND. ***************************** ___________________________________________________________ 1. SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS ____________________________________________________________ 1) 'THE ACCOMPLISHED V TOOL - PART 1' Because of the 'Computer Event Which We Don't Talk About', I am behind schedule by a couple of weeks on this carving manual project. At the moment a good friend of mine is proof reading a final draft. Looking good and nearly there! I will email the special announcement for the free evaluation download as soon as I can. 2) BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO WOODCARVING Thanks to everyone who answered the survey on my 'basic woodcarving for absolute beginners' manuals. Very useful. I have taken onboard all your comments. It seems to me that I could format the 10 parts around Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). When I have assembled the structure of this course along these lines, I will give you another opportunity to see if I have missed anything. IF YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THE SURVEY AND WOULD LIKE TO: the page outlining my ideas, and a form with which you can email me anything that comes to mind, is still up on the website: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/begin/comments.html ____________________________________________ 2. WEBSITE NEWS __________________________________________ 1) NEW GREEN MAN A lovely Green Man, carved by Eric Carpenter, looks out from here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_gallery9.html For leafy notes and other Green Men, go here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_index.html Have YOU a Green Man carving that might look good in the gallery? Please let me know! 2) NEW INSPIRATION Who's heard of Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc? Nobody? Who's heard of the French Revolution? Bon! What's the connection? The answer is a Gothic nightmare... http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html 3) BIOGRAPHY DETAILS - UPDATE On the website, I have some information about myself in the form of questions that have been put to me from time to time. One that I am often asked goes: 'Are you Artistic, then?' I suppose I am but I am really being asked whether I draw or paint. In which case: not very much. I used to paint a lot before I ever started carving. Here's a painting from back then, 1972: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/connect/c_artistic.html You'll see I am a bit of a Surrealist at heart. When I began to carve, I stopped painting. In the last few years, though, I have picked up my brush a couple of times. So I've included my last painting, end of 2002. Other odd notes about myself: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/connect/c_biog.html ________________________________________ 3. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: WORKSHOP INSURANCE? **** "Where can I find insurance to cover a woodcarving class taught in my home workshop?" **** ANSWER **** My third party insurance comes as part of the workshop/business package and includes mishaps to students. The premiums are so high I'm tempted to throw MYSELF down the steps! I'd discuss with your home insurance providers in the first instance. Good luck with the teaching! =================================== **** QUESTION 2: A QUESTION OF MALLETS **** "Does a heavy wooden mallet (Lignum Vitae - if only I could find one) have any advantage over a heavy (or light) synthetic mallet? And is it a good idea to have one of the small, iron or bronze mallets around? **** ANSWER **** Hand on my heart: my favourite mallet is a white nylon one! And I find a small iron dummy mallet very useful. I use 3 mallets altogether. (And, in case any of these mallets are listening: you are all favourites, ok?) 1. The nylon one - for heaviest work. I originally had it for stonecarving and turned it down to a more manageable size. It's a little less than 2 lbs. I use it with heavier gouges, setting in, big lettering and so on. 2. I have a lignum mallet 1 1/2 lbs for general carving - this I made myself from one piece of lignum - a branch a friend found in Venezuela and brought back in his hand luggage (what a friend!) 3. An iron 'dummy' mallet - 1 lb. This is like having a very large callous in my hand. I've some notes about dummies in the second volume of my Woodcarving Tools Materials & Equipment. (http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bk2.html) On the other hand, the ones I like the least are the hard rubber ones - I just don't get the point! I want every ounce of my effort transmitted to the handle of my gouge, not absorbed by the rubber - 'resilient', or not. They are a little quieter - perhaps that's it. Want to comment, or argue, anyone? ____________________________________________________________ 4. ARTICLE: Making a Living by Carving ____________________________________________________________ Last month, we had a quick question from a full-time furniture maker with a deep love of carving who wanted to carve more, and get paid for it. His question was: "Before you became such a well-recognized carver how did you sell your work and get clients? How did you price your work? He had thoughts of trying to sell carvings in local gift shops but was unsure of how to price them fairly. Or to advertise for restoration or replacement carving work but wasn't sure of the demand. He rated himself a good carver but knew it took him a lot longer to get results compared to a more experienced carver. This obviously affected the value he could put on a carving. What then is my advice? I don't think I have one easy answer; there are a multitude of issues here. We are all different, with different talents, motives, desires and opportunities. And we have different needs and requirements regarding income. So what worked for me is by no means a guide for what will work for someone else. I had never handled a chisel until I was 22. I had no experience of wood, or business. And no money. I painted - as I mention in the biog. details above - but never saw myself as practical in the least. But the day I picked up a gouge I felt like I had carved in a previous life. I don't mean that literally; more that it felt like putting on my favourite old clothes. They fitted so well; I felt so comfortable. I knew what was in the pockets without needing to look. I never thought much about anything important like making money, or a career - I just got stuck in, completely spellbound. I found someone to give me a bit of advice (but hardly anything compared with what I've churned out!) and carving friendship. I got a 3 day-a-week job in an office. I dug concrete covered planks out building site rubbish tips to make my bench. I ate sparsely because I had spent my money on tools, and practised hard. If this sounds romantic, let me disillusion you. It was very hard. I was young and motivated, but naive, unplanned - and very lucky. Moneywise, I got what I could. The days when you could get an apprenticeship at 14 and work in the trade have long gone. Today carvers are very much on their own; forging what path they can, in a world where woodcarving occupies a strange place. My path has included teaching and writing and, recently, the website. I love all that - I feel it balances my heart and head. But my story is quite different from a skilled furniture maker with an established business. I think furniture making is a good platform from which to launch out - there is a great tradition of carved furniture and this would be the place to start, rather than figures and pure sculpture, say. There's plenty of scope: lettered bed heads, deep acanthus leaf console tables, wildlife mantelpieces... But everything depends on you. Here are some thoughts: * THINK THROUGH THE BUSINESS ASPECT CAREFULLY, AND FIRST. And you won't have a business unless you sell your work. Having other work to fall back on if necessary takes some of the money pressure off. I'd advise having at least a part time job to a newcomer: protect your stomach while you learn your craft. Then again, I wouldn't be anywhere like as competent as I believe I am if I hadn't had to carve fast to make what pennies I could. * WHAT ARE YOU MAKING? WHO ARE YOUR COMPETITORS? You need to be someone different; to stand out from the crowd. The better a carver you are, the easier this will be. * FISH WHERE THE FISH SWIM. Who is your target buyer? Where will you find them? Create a niche. * COST & VALUE They are not the same! Cost is what you work out from your time and overheads. Value is what people will pay - this is an emotional thing as much as anything. If your stunning fourposter bed cannot be bought anywhere else, and makes every other fourposter look dull, then a customer will pay. The more unique, attractive, prestigious and desirable, the more 'value' you can add. All this is basic business stuff and I confess to being more an artist than a businessman. I think to be successful you have to approach your future as a carver from this angle, balancing it with what you will be happy carving. I'd certainly never advise the path I took to a newcomer to make it up as I went along. I remember telling an aunt that I had taken up woodcarving. You know what she said? "So, you've taken a vow of poverty then." ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: Another one to ponder at the bench: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ -----------------WOODCARVING TOOLS * UK TOOLSHOP: Auriou woodcarving tools and other equipment http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/ts_uktoolshop.html * UKTOOLSHOP Direct Link (missing out introductory page): http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/uktoolshop/index.html -----------------WOODCARVING MANUALS * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/learncarving/learn_ebook.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/safecarving/safecarving_index.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/mistakes/mistakes_ebook.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/fundamentals/fundamentals_ebook.html -----------------TEACHING DATES * USA (CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MAINE) June 23 - 27 Ornamental Carving June 30 - July 4 Relief Carving July 7 - 11 Carving Tutorial Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_classesUSA.html * CANADA (ROSEWOOD STUDIO, ALMONTE, ONTARIO) Sep 15 - Sep 19 The Outcome of the Tool: Sep 22 - Sep 26 Relief Carving Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_classesCAN.html Here's a link to view Rosewood's latest newsletter: http://www.rosewoodstudio.com/woodworking_newsl/woodworking_newsl.htm Inquiries, please call toll free 1-866-704-7778. * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2003 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com