---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- October 2001 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello Everyone! 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 ==================================== ****CONTENTS: 1. Slipstones - October 2001 2. Website Notes 1) New Inspiration 2) New eBook: 'Mistakes & Woodcarving' 3) Calling all Green Men! 3. Quick Carving Questions 1) New Tools & Sharpening 2) Carving Woods 3) Finishing with Beeswax 4. Parallel Lines: Guest Article 'Foresee or Forsake' by Doran Roggio 5. Carving Cuts from Maine 2001 __________________________________________ 1. SLIPSTONES - October 2001 __________________________________________ Slipstones is a *special* this month, 19 pages, concentrating on GRINDERS and SHARPENING SYSTEMS. If you have even the simplest grinder you can save yourself a lot of time, and, in the hands of a busy professional carver, even the most expensive machine will soon pay for itself. In this issue I look at what's available: dry, wet, belt and paper. Come and see what I use, and what modifications I've made! Slipstones is like invitation to my workshop. We can share experience, advice and support, and which aims to further carving at all levels. Join me! *** Insights from Maine My take on the things students learned - see section 4 below. *** And much more, including 'Lines of Light' and Carving Tips. Find full details of your interactive woodcarving journal: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html And get your FREE copy of '101 Master Woodcarving Secrets' - Available only on subscribing. Back issues of Slipstones now available without subscribing. Have you downloaded your FREE sample edition? __________________________________________ 2. WEBSITE NOTES __________________________________________ 1) New Inspiration 2) New eBook: 'Mistakes & Woodcarving' ****** 1) NEW INSPIRATION The 'Oppressed Man' by Leonard Baskin, 1960, in white pine, is pure symbolism and has overtones of Magritte's surrealist paintings. It's very simple, therefore very powerful. Imagine you are the man - what would be your take on the symbolism? I'm not sure he has made best use of his surface texturing, but on the other hand I'm not sure how I would change it-so best left alone I suppose! Here it is: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html ****** 2) NEW FREE eBOOK: 'MISTAKES & WOODCARVING' I had so much welcome response for the series of articles I wrote about Mistakes in the last five newsletters that I thought it might be even more helpful to bring them together as an eBook, much clearer to read. It's in the 'Teaching' Section of the website but here's a direct link (copy & paste it into your browser's address box, hit 'go'): http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/mistakes/mistakes_ebook.html Download it (599kb). Pass it on (for free). Enjoy! Hope it helps... There are now 3 free eBooks on the website - have you read them all? ****** 3) CALLING ALL GREEN MEN! I'm now putting together a few pages about Green Men for the Website and I'd like to include a gallery of interesting, contemporary woodcarvings. Have you done one that you'd like to have shown? Or something similar? I'll open it up to include gargoyles, grotesques and similar genres - but they don't have to begin with 'g'! Yes? Then I'd like to invite you to contribute: *Please drop me a line telling me about it first: Chris@woodcarver.force9.co.uk (You can reply to this newsletter.) *I will need a good photo but this doesn't have to be digital. *I WILL be exercising an amount of editorial control! It can be a simple carving, but must be a good design (derivative or original) and workmanship (but would you offer less?). *No cost or payment is involved. *There will of course be full acknowledgement, with your comment, email or web link if you want. Look forward to hearing from you! __________________________________________ 3. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: NEW TOOLS & SHARPENING **** "I'm a newbie carver and would like to hear the pros and cons of rounding the corners of a gouge and putting a secondary angle on the inside. It seems that the new gouges I buy have square wings and no inside angle but you, and others, advocate them." **** ANSWER **** The inside bevel question is addressed in back issues of Slipstones (you should be able to tell from the contents pages - back issues link above) and in my Woodcarving Tools, Materials & Equipment. It's essential you understand that manufacturers have only given buyers 'ready-sharpened' tools in the last few years, and this in response to the demands of a leisure market. Interestingly these same consumers wouldn't dream of demanding a guitar 'ready-tuned', but it's the same thing. In the past manufacturers expected carvers to 'commission' tools as the personally prefer: with this or that bevel angle, an inner or outer one, corners here or there. Not just because manufacturers wanted to save cost by doing the least amount possible to tools, but also because carving (and wood type) was, and is, such a wide field: wood carvers will always have different needs. This still rings true. For myself, the advantages of the inner bevel are indisputable in all but rare occasions; as are the keeping the corners. But there, for example, are rare occasions when 'rounding the wings' (what carvers call 'nosing') is expedient, and a few more where the opposite ('winging') can help, but unless you have a good reason, square ended is definitely the most useful and certainly the one to start with. But why not sharpen up a few tools in different ways and convince yourself one way or the other? Let me know what you think! =================================== **** QUESTION 2: CARVING WOODS **** I'm a beginning sculptor and am interested in working in various materials. Where do I find suitable types of woods for starting out on? Lumberyards don't have the sizes I think I need." **** ANSWER **** Types of wood will depend on what you want to do. I can't know myself what is available to you - I've no idea where you are! Try and see what other carvers have made, are using, that's my normal advice. Who has made what, and with what. Even joinery and architectural work. Check out the art colleges. Size - it's the seasoning. Thick fitches take a long time to dry and are unstable, so a mass of wood is usually joined up. There are some species that can be used as whole loges but again I only know what we have here in England. Your best bet is to find local carvers, say a carving club: people who have been working with the same problems. =================================== **** QUESTION 3: FINISHING WITH BEESWAX **** "I am beeswaxing a woodcarving, taking it slow with lots of very thin coats and buffing. How long does it take to work up the finish?" **** ANSWER **** The colour of wood takes some time to mature after waxing, varying with the type of wood, its age and so on. To begin with the waxed surface often looks raw; the colours a bit garish - our lime can look horribly yellow for example. But sunlight works wonders and, in the course of time (weeks to months), the colour mellows and deepens. Not strong sunlight! Just don't keep the carving covered or in the dark. I always put on thin wax (like yoghurt) with 2-3% carnauba for hardness - and rub it well in with a brush. I use an old rule, although I can't remember where I heard it: * Once a day for the first week. * Then once a week for the next month. * Then once a month for the next year. * Then once a year... _______________________________________ 4. PARALLEL LINES: GUEST ARTICLE 'Foresee or Forsake' by Doran Roggio _______________________________________ FORESEE OR FORSAKE by Doran Roggio What is the key to success? There has been enough written on that subject to fill the Grand Canyon. Is there any one factor that can make or break a business? If there is one key factor to ensuring success, is it available to everyone? Does it involve money, background, education or something each one of us can possess and utilize? Loving new challenges I've undertaken various business ventures, some with success, while others fell by the way side. In the recent year I have extended these ventures to the Internet. Through my failures and successes I have learned that there is one very essential ingredient, in fact the most essential ingredient to ensuring the success of your business. Whether the business is online or off, service or sales, part time challenge or life's dream. In every situation this one key ingredient must be present for any business venture to flourish. And without this ingredient, failure is a certainty. It is inevitable that you will eventually forsake your business venture or it will forsake you unless you develop the ability to 'foresee its success. It is the vision that will give you the stick-to-itiveness when the road seems all uphill. It is the foreseen success that will enable you to continue working hard and long when it seems to be going nowhere. For every business has its clouds. It is the vision that will enable you to persist so you can reach the 'pot of gold' beyond the rainbow. That's the key. You must be able to envision yourself as though you have already accomplished the success. Picture yourself the successful entrepreneur you want to be. Imagine the business earning the money that you want it to provide. 'Foresee yourself as successful'. If you can see yourself as a success, then you will succeed. Some may call this self-confidence, or belief in oneself. That is a large part of it, but there is more. Be able to dream your success in such a way that you actually are able to see yourself already having reached your desired goal. Liken it to an actor in a movie. A successful actor becomes the person he is portraying, he believes himself to be the character, therefore he is the character. After all, are we not what we believe we are? The way we see ourselves is how we perform. Believe yourself to be the successful entrepreneur you desire to be. Act out the part. Draw up a plan, place yourself in the plan and act out the successful role. Something that works for me is a daily ritual in the morning. When I am cleansing my face and brushing my teeth, I take a few minutes for play-acting. Similar to positive affirmations, I envision myself in my business successes. Just as a child daydreams for a few minutes a day. Does this really work? Try it and see. Have you ever known a compulsive liar? (I am not advocating you become a compulsive liar, of course.) If you have ever known someone who is really a compulsive liar, you will know that after a while they cannot distinguish between truth and the lie. This is because your sub-conscious will believe what you tell it out loud. Take a few minutes a day and act out loud your success. If asked, all success magnates would have a story of vision. Go ahead give it a try. Foresee your success, act it out, then learn what you need to know and work at it, never lose your vision, "keep your eyes on the prize", and you will achieve the success you foresee. --------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001: Doran Roggio. All Rights Reserved Worldwide Doran Roggio is a writer, computer consultant and Internet marketer. Find many Internet resources including more free articles, software downloads, free tutorials, marketing ideas, and computer tips at Doran's web page. http://www.dolosa.com/ --------------------------------------------------------- *****COMMENT: HOW IS THIS RELEVANT TO WOODCARVING? OK, the author is talking about business and self-development, but - parallel lining here - the more I teach, the more 'vision' and 'visualising' seems such a crucial element for woodcarving; not just seeing the form, but in having the confidence to go for it and succeed. Those who can visualise, can truly see what they are aiming for, have an advantage over those who can't - in both general terms, as here, and in the ability to reveal a desired form in a block of wood. In fact I would go to say that I am never happy beginning a carving without clear vision, and I would consider gaining that as part of the carving process. (To be costed in!) Luckily you CAN learn to visualise. How? As suggested above, by practising. (Is there any other way?) Try this too: Sometimes, when I am trying to visualise some my carving in a block of wood, I move my hands about as if touching the imaginary surface beneath; 'seeing' it beneath my fingers before I carve. I also mutter to myself. This helps me a lot to 'feel into' the work to come. Beware though; it looks rather weird. If I find yourself being watched carefully, I just pretend it's a strange, esoteric woodcarver's incantation that I'm not at liberty to divulge. I get a lot of respect. And people leave me alone... _______________________________________ 5. CARVING CUTS FROM MAINE - III _______________________________________ Started October 01 - Newsletter back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html While teaching at the outstanding Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine, USA this summer, I asked carving students to write down briefly "3 Things I've Learned about Woodcarving" - important insights: practical, personal and technical - for this newsletter. Thanks very much to all contributors! Over the next few months I'll be sharing their discoveries. I'll be commenting and adding thoughts in this month's Slipstones: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html Here, I let the words stand on their own; these are all from the same student: --------------------------------------- 1. "I think the most important thing I learned was to sharpen my carving tools correctly. It has given me power - I don't have to depend on others who do not know how I carve or what I need. By sharpening tools myself, they seem to become more a part of me and my work." 2. "I often find that courses are more oriented toward "self-expression" and do not take into account that if you don't have the proper technique, it becomes difficult to express yourself. I particularly appreciated knowing how carving tools cut the wood, taking into account the bevel angle and so on, as well as the details of the grain of the wood. Again, it's a question of having power over your work." 3. "The discipline of how to work: how to set up a workbench: keeping the sharpening and carving separate: brushing off work instead of using my hands. And of course I was enthralled at the idea of working without sanding. That was a real eye opener for me!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's it. As always I hope you have found this newsletter interesting and useful. Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ----------------------------------- PS: Yet another one to think about at the bench: "The soul would have no rainbow, had the eyes no tears." John Vance Cheney Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2001 Chris@woodcarver.force9.co.uk ----------------------------------- Chris Pye: Woodcarving Newsletter is listed in the EzinesPlus directory of newsletters and ezines. http://ezinesplus.com -----------------------------------