Hewey's wood thread - Making a Paipo p20

Hey, i have taken the plunge and started down the road of tiki carving :)

I have muttered a few things about thinking about getting into it, and my girl took it in. Yesterday was our anniversary, and i got a 4 piece chissel set, rasp, rubber mallet, and oil stone - i was bloody stoked! Even better, she got all the info from here on TC! She looked up past posts, and made a list of stuff i would need, and got it for me. She's a legend!I didn't have a clue.

Anyway, this arvo I bought 2 blocks of hebel (also known as AAC or light concrete 'cause it has lots of air bubbles), and I have a big mess - this stuff is very very dusty. My 1st carving is well on its way to becoming a tiki! Having a lot of fun, and looking forward to posting it for all to see.

Funny how it takes on a life of its own and evolves into something way different to what you first planned. And little TC quotes come into your head like "remove all the bits that aren't a tiki" suddenly make sense.

I don't have a digicam, so no pics yet. I will borrow/steal my neighbours when I am done, but I don't want to be stealing it every day for progress shots. And it is too messy to put on the flatbed scanner (how I do my art).

Look out for updates.

Everyone laughs at me because I am different. I laugh at everyone else because they are all the same.

[ Edited by: hewey 2008-07-25 23:57 ]

[ Edited by: hewey 2010-02-26 04:22 ]

[ Edited by: hewey 2010-03-23 04:35 ]

AAC Block carving! Can't wait to see it Hewey!

Aaron

When I think AAC block I think Aaron.

A sidenote for me- I was thinking of this today and was going to post it but this bring it back up for me. I want to start carving wood and I just want a good set of chisels. LIke a small, med. and large. And a hammer. Rubber? or wood? I have never worked in wood so I'm new but I want something that I could do great things with. I usaully can produce what I see or think up.

I wouldn't what to send too much and it would be best to pick-up unless something better was ship only. Something like what Hewey got.

I have looked to flea markets but surprizing nothing. And I wouldn't want dull rusty metal. I have looked to far past this but is Sears an option. I'm not sure if there is a old post for the standard tools.

Not to take any heat away from Hewey but if I can get them soon I can compete with Hewey.

Hewey , less talk more carve .

Hehehe, just kidding mate. Keep us posted and lots of pics too.

On 2005-07-13 19:40, rodeotiki wrote:
Hewey , less talk more carve .

Here you go folks. Walking the walk, not just talking it up :) What do you reckon? My first carving of any kind what so ever.

To give you an idea the block is about 2 foot tall. It has all been done with chisels and a rasp - no sandpaper.

On 2005-07-13 19:33, teaKEY wrote:
A sidenote for me- I was thinking of this today and was going to post it but this bring it back up for me. I want to start carving wood and I just want a good set of chisels. LIke a small, med. and large. And a hammer. Rubber? or wood? I have never worked in wood so I'm new but I want something that I could do great things with. I usaully can produce what I see or think up.

I wouldn't what to send too much and it would be best to pick-up unless something better was ship only. Something like what Hewey got.

I have looked to flea markets but surprizing nothing. And I wouldn't want dull rusty metal. I have looked to far past this but is Sears an option. I'm not sure if there is a old post for the standard tools.

Not to take any heat away from Hewey but if I can get them soon I can compete with Hewey.

My girl got this stuff from the local hardware store. I know nothing about chisels, so I got no idea of their quality. They work okay for me. Price and brand probably mean nothing as I am downunder.

Do you need much to get started? Hell, Finkdaddy was producing works of art with a boxcutter!

Mate, get whatever you need and get carving :)

Here's a higher resolution pic if you want a closer look:
http://www.tikiroom.net/gallery/tc/aja?full=1

It was originally going to be in the style of Aaron's hypnotiki (but with this design). Nice simple lines, and not too 3D, yet wicked looking. I figured the simple lines would be good for a novice. It sucked big time.

Then I screwed up the eyes, and the only thing I could do was make deeper holes where the eyes were. This looked kinda cool, so I then set about making the rest more 3D, and added the character line on the head. Hey presto - a tiki is born.

Estimate a days worth of work, over two arvos/nights.

Everyone laughs at me because I am different. I laugh at everyone else because they are all the same.

[ Edited by: hewey 2005-07-14 08:16 ]

Thats freakin awesome !!!! Nice work Hewey.

Hewey, you're natural, you need to carve more. That tiki is excellent for a first tiki.

I really like it and it kind has a hint of a womans figure. But her mouth looks dagerous.

Nice carve and get started on the next.

Where can I find hebel (also known as AAC or light concrete)???
NICE JOB

[ Edited by: surfinstro 2005-07-14 09:51 ]

The eyes are my favorite part, they look like an ancient carving.

did you have fun hewey.that is nice work!love it.

Very Cool Hewey!! Nice first TIKI!! Aarons Akua gave me 2 AAC concrete blocks to work with. I got to get started.
Later,
Spermy

Allright Hewey. Nice #1.

Off the hook, keep it up dude.

COOL!
ok, more.

Hewey,

He's looking pretty cool for your first tiki carving. And he has a bit of a crazy look which is always good! So, how did you like working with the AAC? Isn't it easy? And the surface cleans up so nice - you'd never know that it wasn't sanded. How many blocks did you get? I had to split a whole pallette with a friend when I got mine.

Aaron

On 2005-07-14 09:51, surfinstro wrote:
Where can I find hebel (also known as AAC or light concrete)???
NICE JOB

Surfinstro, I'm not sure where you are on the east coast, but this post will set you on the right path to finding some AAC in your area. And here's some tools that work well for AAC (basically whatever you can scrounge up will work just fine). Good luck, post pix.

Whoa! Thanks for the props!

Rodeo - thanks for the encouragement (and not harrassing me too much to post those flower pics)

Benazrt - Yeh, I intend on carving more. A natural? Who 'd have thunk it? Not me, thats for sure!

Flacookz - Never thought about the women's figure, but I do look at them a lot, so it is no surprise their influence crept in :)

Surfinstro - I got this from a local hardware store. Cost me $10 for 2 blocks (Aussie dollers).

Freddie - the eyeballs happened after I wasn't happy with the original way i did the eyes so i just kept going till it looked good. I like em too.

Marcus - Did I have fun? Hell yeah. So theraupedic just sitting there chiselin away. Like working on the car without the frustration and stress that goes along with it.

Spermy - get started! This stuff is way easy to work with, and easy to get to a decent looking finish

Raffer - thanks dude

Kirby - am I back on the hook if I don't keep it up? Haha, no chance of that

Surfintiki - more on the way

Aron - thanks dude. Loved that AAC, real easy to work with. My neighbour has been inspired and is going down to get some to play with next week. No tiki though. Only got 2 blocks.

Blows me away that the number of carvers (and artists) whose stuff i have drooled so much over would dig my stuff so much. Awesome

Well, I've got that second block sitting in the garage waiting (impatiently at that too). I might just have to have another go. ive got an itchy chisel finger.

When my parents get back from holidays they are gonna freak out at these tikis in their garden. I don't think they will stay there for long :(.

Where do people get their wood supplies from? I am looking at cheap to free price range.

Everyone laughs at me because I am different. I laugh at everyone else because they are all the same.

[ Edited by: hewey 2005-07-15 01:39 ]

Gettin wood is the REAL quest for me. I still have a hard time getting some. But for smaller pieces, find a hardwood outlet, call around to the wood stores near you and ask around. 2nd, talk to landscapers, make a connection...they can bring you into some great stuff.
3rd, get your own! Drive around, see something? Grab it! Well, maybe ask if you can have it, if someone is standing there. :)

Kerep going! Very nice.

nice job hewey....! i've got a block of AAC in my garage that's waiting for me to carve up.

Thanks for the tip surfintiki.

Thanatos: Already started on #2

Palama: Have a go with the AAC, its cool and different kinda vibe to wood.

I have already started on #2, but he is being a pain. It was originally going to have a big head-dress, but I accidently took a massive chunk from the base at the front, so he was too tippy. Now it's a one footer, and another one footer block.

It's not feeling as 'right' as the 1st one, but I will see what i can do with it.

onya hewey, you've inspired me. the other day i found a cut up palm tree trunk in the local park so i lugged a nice sized piece home - on foot mind you, it was a heavy bugger! i bought a few cheap tools and am planning my next step now.

Cool. Good onya Kane. Good to see some more Aussies on here. Can't wait to see your stuff

Way to go Hewey! Good Job!

I just realised I've been here a year on the 10th of July! Wow, it's gone so quick.

Great going, hewey... I'm getting a kick out of seeing how far you are progressing with each post! First pastels, then carvings! What's next???

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino 2005-07-20 23:50 ]

On 2005-07-20 23:49, Sam Gambino wrote:
Great going, hewey... I'm getting a kick out of seeing how far you are progressing with each post! First pastels, then carvings! What's next???
23:50 ]

When I finally sell the bug, I'm giving the '71 Ford Wagon I'm buying a full-on tiki makeover. Plenty of pics I promise. Just to tease, I'm thinking of covering the roof in 'ghost' hibiscus flowers in a pearl...

Plus I still got plenty of other 'arty' mediums I wanna try, which are yet to be seen on TC :)

Nice work for your first time. I like it. Keep up the good work.

Well, still no digital camera, and i dont want to bug my neighbour too much.

Here is #2. Sorry for the crap pic, but I had to put it in the flatbed scanner. A crap pic is better than none though. Again, all done with chisels and rasp.

And here are the moai twins. Still in progress. Both this and the last one are about a foot tall. Any suggestions on improving them?

I like these... Simple, yet kitschy!

The twins are off to a very good start but the edges don't really correspond with the very stylized outline you have going on.

If I were you, I would round the corners out . . . a lot, and create more of a shape from the frontal view.

Don't try to be me though. Be yourself.

Be brave, be proud, and whatever cuts you make, commit love and respect to them.

I'm loving that tiki carving. And that's your first try? Not bad for a beginner... Way cool!

I don't know, hewey, I'm kind of diggin' them just like they are.

lookin' good, Hewey.... i hope that AAC didn't tear up your scanner glass.

Nah Palama. I put down a clear overhead projector sheet to protect the glass. Still messy though.

Any others got opinions on "the twins"? I'm gonna leave em for a while before I do anything with them.

Hewey: here's my two cents worth. the more i look at my Moai, the more i realize that i'm pretty far off the mark on the design. i am about to start carving a new design, in the attempt to get as close to the original style as possible. I found this website with some really great photos of the Rapa Nui Moai. I have no idea who these people are, but they took some nice photos that I'll be using for reference. if you are shooting for the ideal moai image, these pics may help.

http://www.georgeandpaula.com/photos/easter_is/easter.htm

Wheres the Moai pics in that link? I got stuck on the hula girls :). I know where your coming from, I dig the genuine designs.

But I'm not 100% comfortable with trying to make a direct copy of a traditional design. I dig this "tiki thing" from the pop culture perspective. I feel a little wierd doing straight traditional designs, its not my heritage. I dont have a problem with others doing it, its just something I'm not big on for my own works. Yes, my work has a big traditional influence. I dont know if this makes sense to others, but its where I stand.

It could be argued that 50's tiki culture is not my heritage either, which is a fair call. I dont think it was as big Down Under. But the basis of tiki pop culture is romanticism about tropical islands, which is what I dig.

(Again, this is not intended as a go at anyone who replicates traditional designs. Please do not take it in this way)

yeah, i got hung up on the dancing girl photo too...

in the end, you gotta carve what your heart tells you to carve. inspiration comes from many different places. me personally, i look to the originals as my inspiration, but haven't yet come close to capturing them. but as you said in your walkabout post, it's not necessarily the destination but the journey that's important.

Hewey,

These look like rough-outs to me so far. Go with your instincts & keep carving. This is the great thing about AAC. It's cheap and you can get things going without a huge time investment. It's a great start, now go for the kill. If it doesn't look right just toss 'em and start over. You guys are getting me excited about doing another AAC piece!

Aaron

Hows the twins coming Hewey?They were looking very good and I've been waiting for updates. Can't wait to see the final Moai twinz.

The moai twins are waitin in the garden for some lovin. I think I know where I want to head with em now. Got a ferw things bubbling along so im not sure when I will get around to em

I love twins...

Me too!

those are lookin sweet hewey! awesome job
-john

[ Edited by: john 2005-10-01 00:01 ]

Update: No real good news carving wise for Hewey. In short, noone local supplies wood carving knives. The ones I have bought just dont cut wood. Boxcutters and the like. I have found a supplier who has quality tool supplies, but haven't been able to make the time to get there yet. No room for a larger project requiring a chisel, so no wood carvings yet.

The moai twins are still sitting abandoned in the garden, I havent bothered to give em anymore attention. The local pigeons have decided to leave their marks on its head. True art critics who leave no confusion as to their thoughts. No candy coated feedback there.

Worst of all, "number 1" has toppled over and broken.

Got home tonight, and itd fallen over and the force broke it in 2 pieces, split about an inch over the mouth (just above the nostrils). The bottom half will be carved up into a smaller tiki, the top half will be slightly buried in the garden at an angle to give it that fallen idol look.

Note for future: Stabilise AAC tikis a little more.

My little one was playing in the back yard & toppled one of mine too. Bummer... cracked right in half. I think these AAC carvings work beter under shelter. They soak up rain & get brittle & crumbly. If you put them outside, make sure & coat 'em with lots of concrete sealer.