Tama - NZ Pounamu/greenstone - Last post for '08! - pg99

Nice work! Glad to hear your an even more eficient carver now! After 5 years you can already see the lines on the piece I suppose.
The adze info was really cool too, as was the well endowed piece.

Yo Tama (the tryer of new things), What a great feeling you must have had doing that in a totally different way. You are getting into something that is fairly important to me and the way I carve. My problem is that I cannot Draw well at all. If someone wants a drawing of a proposal, I would have to pass on the job. So, when I start out with the piece, wood, stone or whatever, I usually start with a centerline and lines for where I want features. I will roughly sketch in those features here and there, but as I start the removal process, I usually let the piece show me where to go and one feature leads into another and I just try to keep it balanced. IF I could draw better, I may do it differently but I don't think so. Years ago, I had a friend who was an acomplished carver. His Horses heads were very realistic looking but NONE of his art had a soul, or a personality. He Always carved from patterns and would draw his lines all over his work. When the carving process took away a line, he drew it right back.
IF he happened to go outside the lines and take off too much wood, he would just throw the piece away. He never believed he could finish a carving that was altered from the original pattern. To me, thats when you start being an artist, when you have to figure out how to fit the pieces together even though the basic shape or concept has changed. Some of my best pieces were ones that I messed up and had to work harder to Save.
I'm not saying to throw away your pencils,just don't rely on them for everything.
Tama thanks for sharing that experience.

Tama,

Nice! I agree. I love carving and hate putting lines on things to confine my flow. On big stuff, I prefer to make minor marks, or no marks, and have at it. I do my best work that way. The small stuff you do is less forgiving and still needs to be carefully planned out, but I can see where a little free-carving would feel great. Beautiful stuff - let us see more of him tonight!

-Gman

On 2006-11-15 23:34, Tamapoutini wrote:
In comparison, I know we are both very fussy about getting our designs 'just so' before commencing a carving. This is a very time consuming route & one that has always left me envious of the lucky few who can really 'see' into a form without the necessity of drawing/redrawing/redrawing, etc...

I think the gist (amongst the haze of cheap red cask wine) of it was that I agreed that the (Benz) method worked as I use it too (rather than being in the fussy camp), and it comes from an understanding of your subject. I have also chatted about this with the man himself. I firmly believe my work has got better the less I draw. The time I used to spend drawing, I now spend studying photos and drawings of old (or new) pieces and absorbing the "elements" and the feel of the design, and then thinking about how I can make it my own. A structured way of "Channelling" if you like. I'm not as bold as you've been here though - I probably wouldn't ever carve the face on one my fellas without a single line to guide me!
All that said, this guy has turned out really nicely, with a lot more animation in his arms and torso, and has a more "organic" feel (for want of a better word), but with a nod to tradition too. He definitely stands out to me as being stylistically different to a lot of your other guys. It'd be interesting to know how the old-timers designed their tikis.

Tama,

Here's a face coming to life with no lines - just free carving. I love to just remove wood and uncover the facial features. They just appear and slowly get refined as I go. This is the type of carving that is truly relaxing for me. Lines and boundaries make me fee confined and stressed. Similarly to what Benz stated, I think this is where the true art/artist lies.

Be bold!

Blocked out...

The face uncovered...

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-11-16 19:01 ]

On 2006-11-15 23:34, Tamapoutini wrote:
Eureka!!! The Ancients bestowed their blessing last night...

Following a discussion with Paipo a few days ago I have been doing a little experimenting & given my approach to carving a bit of a shake-up.

I just took to it with the tools & didnt stop until about this point...

...when it bacame time to add some detail. So far I was flying! Saved about half my roughout time & was feeling GOOD! Instead of carefully 'delineating' each element as usual, it was all about CARVING. Just letting go, seeing what needed doing & just feeling my way, via the tools.
(what?? carving facial detail with NO guidelines?? unheard of..!)

Managed to put a bit of extra depth into it (at the expence of the back which was left pretty flat -Im going to have another go but start with a good thick chunk of stone. See if I can get that big belly to stand out...)

Woke up this morning to find I had sort of slipped back into my normal way of thinking(?), which is probably a better mindset for the nitty-gritty detail. But I do believe that I went through a major breakthrough in my studies last night & my roughouts may never be the same!
*All of this is pretty subtle stuff & you may not even notice anything different about this particular piece..? I know what Im talking about anyway... :lol:

A fair way to go yet & Ill probably have to put him on hold for a few days & get on with some other stuff...

Happy carving all! T3

See what happens when you let the Ancients palay around? They have Bigger, Badder things for you .
I Really do like this guy, he has more freedom and style than your normal excellent pieces. So you guyz analyzed my ways and hijacked my secrets all on your own with a bit of help from those Ancients (there they go again)and now you are carving as good Me. But the only thing is that you were both carving better than me to begin with so the Ancients are joking around again.
I Still really like that guy, hell' just send'em All to me and I will decide what to do with t hem

On 2006-11-16 18:12, GMAN wrote:
Hey Tama,

Here is a face coming to life with no lines.
like Benz said, you'll keep cutting off the lines.....

I'll pull these from your thread if you want them off - PM me.

Happy to have them here Gman, thanks!
I know only too well about grinding lines away/redrawing/grinding them away/redrawing... This has always been my approach, haha.

A confidence game as much as anything; guess Im just getting braver...

Tama

Just had to add, the extra set of "neck 'n' shoulder" holes really works well, I think you're onto something there!

This piece is, aahh, hmmm, uhh, yeah.

I'm speechless.

Whatever you're doing (or not doing), keep doing it (or not doing it)!!

Hey G-man, very fine art. Looks great.
What type of wood?

Mahalo

Ben

Wow! Thanks for the encouragement everyone. The eureka vibe must have pulled you all in? Happy to report the mojo is still flowing & caused more tikis to be born today...

Thanks Sneaky - yeah, the 'traditional' hei-tiki is well & truly burnt into my brain. I doodle them unconciously whenever I pick up a pen. Haunted almost... Finished the tiki/toki today, see below.

Benz: hope you grabbed those reject horse heads, fixed 'em up & sold them off??
Im not quite That bad & have had similar success with potential failures. Still a bit of loosening up is just what the doctor ordered. Facing each days work was becoming a bit stale.

Gman: so you guys have doing this all along and nobody told me, sheesh!
Your right though, it is a bit different with smaller stuff. I know very well the difference just a few millimeters (??somethingths of an inch??) can make... Its just time to let go a little in the roughing out stage & save the fussiness till it really needs it.

Paipo: Didnt mean to lump you into the fussy camp with me. I know your skills..!!
Re: the old timers. Ive wondered that myself; a few of those old pieces are of amazing design (covering all of the 'Elements & Principles' we learned as good children) and youve got to wonder; at which point the design was decided upon? Was the vision there from the start? These pieces took many many months to complete...

Thanks Heath!

(& Bennella for following Gman here... :lol:)

Carried on with this just for you Gman. Not that I needed much convincing.

Finished carving & ready for sanding. Shown dry...

And WD-40'ed...

I have a name for this fella but will save it for when hes finished.

Finished the latest Hei-tiki/toki today. Not bad but the stone let me down in a few places. Just teeny 'chatters' in the stone, but they ruin the purity in my eyes. I know, you guys all think that cracks/flaws are marvelous :lol: and I agree they sometimes add their thing. But when a piece of stone is SO close to being flawless those marvelous things are a real pain in the !!!!

'Jack-Hammer Buzzy'

And this little guy started. Dont quite know what to think of him myself? The plan is to have him swinging off the cord... yeah, I dunno. maybe just silly?

Done away with the doo-dah already...

Another busy tiki day!

Kei te Ngenge. TamaTheTuckered/Tired... yawn! :wink:

What a day Tama! Some serious jade work happening - with big changes! The big guy that you free carved some on is marvelous...I mean super trick! I can't get over the beauty of the stone. The Buzzy Hammer looks great to me - what imperfections? The new guy looks like a serious task. You want him hanging from two small holes in those hands? Yikes! I wanna see this guy in a few days....

What ever happened to the non-trad guy you started a while back with the big tongue (page 9). He was kinda wild and crazy looking, with big eyes? I would love to see a pic of him now - I fully realize he is one of the 80 "partially finished" cats now.

Benella - it is cedar.

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-11-17 04:38 ]

Sorry Tamapoutini ,
Your stone carvings are really great. These remind me a hei tiki i've seen in museum of primitive art in Paris last week.

Your pieces are masterpieces.

Ben

Tama, I Really Love the little Swinger hei-tiki, Excellent Idea and you again make it look Eazy.
I Still love the "Buzzy hei-tiki-toki but I shudder to think of how he seems to be powering his chisel. Looks like he's having a hopping good time.
I just wish you would do sometjhing I didn't like so I wouldn't keep sounding like a broken record, I Likee, I Likee, I Likee.
As far as those rejects, I never grabbed any as I would have felt funny about finishing someone elses work, Though I was very tempted a few times.

Hi guys n gals.

Benz: At least you sound like a broken record that I like :lol: Thanks mate.

Benella: No worries, I was only teasing (& it was more directed at the Gman, heehee)

Gman: Thanks for the comps. Im pretty pleased with the new-approach tiki myself -the stone is a much sought after 'Marsden' district stone, material from this area famed for its intense greens, exceptional hardness & sometimes a beautiful yellow/gold crust/rind (the latter being affectionately known as Marsden Flower -rare & 'spensive!!

As for the Crazed-tiki from page 9: (just been back & had a look -spent 15mins poring over Benz's Moais again, damn you're good Ben!), he's still waiting in the wings for a break in the traffic... He has inspired a Big Brother piece which will be gracing the front of the Fez belonging to our man Kings (let me know if I have the go-ahead on revised design Bullet..? the toes will be touching slightly & the 'air-space' between legs will be a little smoother/cleaner...)
Not an exact replica, spot the changes?

And as for the wee swinger...

Oh Ye of little faith... :lol: pukana

TamaTheTinyHoleDriller

all systems are go! he looks great. the swinger is a great design. do you recommend wd-40 or something else to put a shine on my jade pieces?

Thanks Tama the All things good. That guy with the big tongue is Really cool. His tongue is longer, top center tooth gone, legs and feet refined. Doo-dah is missing, He has a forehead, plus he is on Green stuff instead of white stuff and he Looks Unbelievablle, kind of like he is gonna jump off the screen.
I can't help it, ALL your stuff is just so neat, and I'm SO Jealous that I can't have it all, and there I go like a broken record again.

Here's the broken record I hear:

Gimme Dat, Gimme Dat, Gimme Gimme Gimme dat, gimme dat ding, gimme dat. Gimme gimme dat. Gimme Dat ding. Gimme Gimme dat. gimme gimme gimmie dat ding.

Tama - you better send some stuff to Ben, or he's gonna pop!

Great stuff as usual.

I will apologize ahead of time. Sorry!

Hi guys.

Busy, busy. More to share...

Cheers Benz & Tikigap!

Kings: Although WD-40 is a quick and easy method during making I wouldnt really use it once a piece is finished. The main problem is the smell. I personally quite like it but dont think my paying punters would. Neopol furniture polish is nice, seriously!
Your best bet is 'baby-oil' or similar, thin, clear low scented mineral oil. Ordinary cooking oil will do in a pinch, as would thin leather wax, wood polish etc... Its pretty hard to damage jade by means other than dropping onto concrete or smacking with a hammer.
Just a wipe on, wipe off, Bullet-san.
Or do as 'we' do, rub it on your nose :lol:

On with the show...

Started a couple of new pieces today. Well, one was already profiled and shown on an earlier page. A bit of an only-just-tiki day today...

Eureka lessons having been learned, I quickly resort back to my tight little ways. Yes, both of these were worked out very carefully on the white stuff first & transferred. So sue me... :lol:

A unique Manaia/birdman form. These are often seen flanking human figures in Maori art & are seen as protective/guardians. Often depicted as simply a beak.

And a new one. A maverick among NZ jade carvers; I very rarely produce anything with a koru (spiral) on it :lol: seeing as how they have been done to death & in 1001 different flavours...

Broke tradition for no reason at all other than I had drawn this the other night & thought it ought to happen. Not particularly tiki but a perfectly acceptable example of 'modern Maori art'...

A classic lovey-dovey image of Mum, Dad and Child all hugging & loving. Someone will love it! Sarcasm aside, I am quite pleased with the design & have been 'discovering' more & more about it as I worked on it. Its got the usual NZ treefern reference, an unfurling frond & the koru is nowdays seen as a symbol of growth & change. A perfect image for a growing family. The image is pretty obvious, a mother holding child & daddy protecting both, but I saw into it that all are also in 'hongi' pose (trad greeeting where noses & foreheads are pressed. A Happy-Hongi-Family-Fuzzy-Whanau-Kuddly-Koru-Kodak moment. Say cheese-ey *

And thats the external shaping virtually sorted, now comes the fiddly stuff; getting into those spirals... another time, heehee

Did a bit more on the Swingers fingers Gman & they are looking cool. Thought Id start with the hands just to be sure that the piece was going to happen, wasnt too sure myself! Possibly have a buyer lined up already...? Stay tuned.

Tama out. Terribly. :)

Tama Out Terribly? ?
OK So now the Koru has been done 1002 different ways which goes to show there is Always room for improvement on even the Oldest styles, or the styles that have been done 1001 ways and times. Yours is a Very unique form with the added presence of the "Hongi" poses, and that makes it yours and probably Soon to be copied by the Thousands by the local bloodsuckers who can't seem to find a form of their own. Well done as Usual.
I think I anm ginng to write and save a response to your pieces and then just cut and paste it into the "respond" box.
I think the mania/birdman is the first I have seen from you, I guess you have done them before back awhile ago? Nice with very intricate cut throughs.
As to your marking lines again, I WILL Sue, just don't know for what yet. You can't expect to totally chance the way you do things overnight. The "Eurika" experience will be added to your arsenel in ways you won't be aware of in the futurea bit at a time. Look back on thios day a year from now and say,"That is when it began to change". Hopefully it will bbe for the Good.
Keep up the Good work.
Tama tha tainted

Cheers Benz. That Manaia has been kicking around for a while now & Ive just been waiting for the right moment to start carving him proper. Happy so far... Havent done many of them at all (though just thought of a pretty special one Ive got tucked away. Been meaning to show you for a while...)

Dont know that it been all that eureka today, but plenty busy...

Pulled a late night & finished the carving of "The New Arrival"/Tri-Koru 1002

Sanded it up this morning & added cords

*You might have noticed I never showed the other side of this one; I was keeping a wee surprise till now. Not a big one, just a wee one. Check out the 'golden child'... spooky

Money $hot...

And spent the rest of the day drawing up this handsome crew. They look a bit like the Jackass boys! :lol:

'WeeMan'

'Johnny K'xville'

Um, 'Skeletor'

And, er, 'No Name'...
Actually this one is for our daughter Kenna who is just about to turn 5 & head off to school. This is the long awaited, 'yes, one day I will make you a tiki of your very own; when you're old enough' piece!
*I think Ive mentioned earlier that bone & pounamu pendants are now an acceptable part of all school dresscodes. Kids cannot be made to take them off as they are seen in the same light as a crucifix or other religious symbol. How times change eh? The wee heathen Devils have rights now -and the tikis too! So, there you go sweety, now off to skool...

One step forward, four steps back...

TamaTheTiki-Daddy :)

Hi Tama,
I absolutely love the "The New Arrival"/Tri-Koru 1002 it's Beautiful! I'm really drawn to swirls, and this one is exceptional.

Bay Park Buzzy and I were at Hiltiki's house this weekend, and when she was fixing lunch I saw her take this out.....

Is it possible you're really from Italy and the producer of olive oil? :)

Zaya

Very beautiful pendants.
I know your daughter will love her future pendant. She will be even prouder of her dad by wearing it.
Have you seen All blacks vs France this week-end? :)

Tama the Virgin Olive Oil, I Knew there was something else going on there, I just Knew it!
How did you plan that "Golden Child out? You're right, that is spooky, who wouldn't want a golden child of their own, or who doesn't already have one. Beautiful piece and definitely not the "Run of the mill" stuff from you.
Of the four "Jackass Boyz" I really like the "K'xville" brat the best. I Love it when they are twisting and curving around like that. Makes him look like he is dancing or playing a little "Air guitar' there.
I'll bet little Kenna will Really proud of her new No Name Hei-Tiki and I'll bet she comes up with a name pretty quick. I think Daddy's a little bit proud that she wants one of his works so badly too!
More Great Stuff!

Damn Tama! You eating spinach or what? Jeeze! These are all destined to be great, but the one for your child is going to be magical. Enjoy the journey with that one as it will be one of the most important pieces you will ever make. Please keep posting pics, as I come to your thread several times a day to view your work. :D

-Gman

Hi guys n gals. Thanks for watchin'!

Zaya: You found out my little secret; I hand-whittle olives in my spare time. It just helps to keep my eye in for carving rounded shapes. As the head of the Tama Trading Co, I employ a small team of 'extra virgins' to help me... :lol:

Actually, apart from TamaPoutini being my schmoosey way of ingratiating myself with the local taniwha/monster (who protects the pounamu), it is a play on my middle name, Tamatea.

Benella: Again, a bit of a radical in NZ, Im not really all that interested in rugby (blasphemy) so didnt catch the game. Dare I ask who won?
I plan to watch this weekends game of All Blacks Vs Wales, only because I have my Welsh mate staying & he does follow the sport (& its just so funny watching a man who supports a team that has never won a game against the AB's, heehee)

Yes, Im sure little Kenna is going to be proud to have her very own Hei-tiki: might get a few orders from school -save up your lunch money kids, haha

Benz: Yep, thats Johnny Knoxville twisting through the air after a trip to an exploding toilet or something just as stupid. Have you seen those guys? I was a little late in catching up. Madness...

Gman: Im torn with Kennas tiki: Do I make it really special or listen to the inner voices saying, 'she could lose it/break it/sell it/swap it on the first day? heehee. No, it will be a nice one. I trust that she knows the preciousssnesss of them by now.

*Big bowl of spinach for breakfast; I y'am what I y'am, arf arf!

Good to hear you check in so often Gman. You obviously dont have a boss looking over your shoulder. Mine has just come in with a look upon her face that says 'what the hell is this? doesnt look like work to me'

Better get back to it. Not sure if there will be anything to show today. A fair bit of toggling/plaiting/packaging/posting to do.

And after that, the Extra Virgins and I have a huge order of olives to carve. Its hell I tell ya!

TamaTheTsar :)

hey Tama, I am not much interested in sports too but i told you about 'cause the french team thinks to be the best in the world : all members pose nude each year for a calendar... but they never won! that makes me laugh a lot :)

Very nice pendants.

Ben

On 2006-11-20 23:45, Tamapoutini wrote:

And spent the rest of the day drawing up this handsome crew. They look a bit like the Jackass boys! :lol:

Where is the progress on the Jackass boys? I missed my jade and rock carving pics fix yesterday?

JP

Hi guys.

Yes Ben, it has been a bit slow in your absence. Ive been laid up with a tummy-bug for the past three days. Wont go into the full horror...

Benella: Im glad our team keep their clothes on! As predicted an easy All Black thrashing against the Welsh, though a bit of controversy regarding the performance of the haka; they did it in the dressing room before the game much to the disappointment of the crowd...

JohnnyP: Sorry to keep you from your fix. Tentitively back to work yesterday & I managed to get 'Wee Man' half done. Back in full swing today & finished him off & added paua eyes - well, he was only a wee man...

Also added some paua eyes to the 'Hei-tiki with Matau' as per new owners wishes (you'll probably see it on eBay before too long...)

Also did a bit more to the 'swinger' tiki today - Ill flick some pics of all these this time tommorrow...

See y'all soon! Tama :)

Nope. Couldnt wait...

'Wee Man' ready for sanding... (WD-40'ed)

Next day: sanded up.
Toyed with the idea of producing a 'stoner',
"Far-out man" :lol:

But thought better of it.

scowl

And 'Hei-tiki with Hei-matau' -with eyes.

*I'll save the 'swinger' till tommorrow - not finished but getting there...

Shalom. T3 :)

Top-shelf work Tama! The stoner look is neat, but the scowl is mo betta. Post some pics of the swinger. I wanna see where you have taken him. How the heck small of a burr did you use to work on that hook?

-Gman

On 2006-11-26 10:31, GMAN wrote:
How the heck small of a burr did you use to work on that hook?

A: teeny-tiny... (the one on the right) For comparison, the one on the left was used to drill the swingers' hand-holes...

Sorry to hear you're unwell Gman. Ive just got over the lurg myself...

Tama :)

Tama, amazing stuff, as always!

Amy

Tama, Sorry you are feeling Ill! Your wee one has the eyes to prove it. It's Amazing how placement of the Paua markings can change the personality so drastically, and what is even More amazing is that you have to be careful Not to portray the "Wrong" one. I think I ike the 'Scowl" the best.
They are All the best in my book. Hope you feel better soon.

Looks kool Tama. I kinda like the stoner look, but the scowl is mucho better. I love how the 4 are all similar, yet reflect the shape of the stone :)

On 2006-11-25 22:32, Tamapoutini wrote:

Toyed with the idea of producing a 'stoner',
"Far-out man" :lol:

But thought better of it.

It is amazing how just a subtel difference makes such an impact. Too bad you can't make the eyes spin, so you can get both looks.

I'm itchin' to see the swinger.

JP

Kia ora Guys n Gals.

Sorry for the slow postings lately - pretty much over the lurg but overwhelmed with work at the moment. Juggling tikis & customers like they're tennis balls and will be for the next few months Im guessing.

Thanks QueenK! How are your stone creations coming along? Be sure to add the finished products in the Stone Carving thread and/or whistle out for any help...

Hewey: A quick insight into how I come up with many designs... My usual approach is to slab a small block of stone down into jewellery-thickness pieces; have a good look at them under light to show any cracks/inclusions etc & mark these with a pen. I then get them back onto the trimsaw & trim them down to 'good' stone, ie: hack away all of these unwanted aspects, until 'voila' Im left with a small strangely-shaped chunk of material to make a tiki from... To maximise the use of my darling pounamu I pretty much design each tiki to suit the shape of stone available, always trying to squeeze the biggest possible image onto the slab. *I find its kind of nice to let an external opportunity/constraint (the limitations of size/shape) be of influence - it keeps me thinking & saves me from doing ALL the thinking :lol:
The Jackass group are a good example, all were drawn straight onto the slabs I had available.

Benz/JohnnyP: Its funny how the slightest variations make such a difference, eh? Ben you should know -Im guessing that you didnt learn to carve those beautiful peepers overnight!? Im only really picking patterns & moving them about until they look right, but I do realise the importance/impact they can have & take my time when making them.

Here'ya Johnny, more on the swinger...

Took the liberty of putting the doo-dah back. Hope this suits the interested caller? Ill PM shortly.

And the Eureka-Tiki all finished. Quite happy with this one, some good lessons learned.

Ive all but run out of pauashell but a generous friend/neighbour kindly donated some paua jewellery that I promptly smashed to pieces. (it was cheap nasty jewellery but made from nice shell, heehee)

Even when not posting daily, Im here, watching... Let those tikis fly!

Tama :)

I Love it when you finish one and post the pix. The "Eurika" guy came out Fantastic, especially for being an Un-Planned out piece. I'm sure it will not alter the way you go about planning your carvings, but is but one of the daily lessons added to the'Experience" closet wherea ll your creativity comes from.
Glad to hear you feeling better.

Just a tiny posting from me today...

Tama :wink:

Dang!

Double Dang. He is a Mite bit Small, or should we say Teeny Weenie Hei-Tiki. He must be at least 35 cm tall, by 17cm wide. You should be able to finish him up within about 4 daze rather than your usual two,Hey! Might be a Cute little bugger, just my size.

A huge amount of tiny progress...

TamaTheTiddler :)

Seems you never stop! Your pieces always have that small element of humor but mixed with a strict respect for the past, style-wise. Love the stoner one! Too bad you can't have mix-n-match eyes for that one! You're makin' me wanna carve! "Rock" on!

Wonderful, I think your last one is the best. It´looks realy beautiful.
You guys from New Zealand are so crazy! :)
I´m looking forward to see the next pics.

Where izzit? I know you finished the super wee guy today?

On 2006-11-29 16:32, GMAN wrote:
Where izzit? I know you finished the super wee guy today?

:lol: Give me another 5 minutes...

No, actually Ive been in town & dropped the big block of stone off for cutting. No carving today as yet...

I was hoping to take piccies of the block being cut for the Stone Carving thread but am using a new guy as my regular is mucking me about a bit. New Guy has other work on & is going to chop it tonight, to be picked up tommorrow, so no pics this time.

Might make some tiny progress later...

Tama :)

Tama & Johnny P: Nice to see others who work micro! Hope your eyes are not getting bad like mine are.

Looking at your work makes me want to start carving greenstone too. I'm adding it to my want list.

'ta-ding' (tiny fanfare) :lol:

LLT: Never stop, ever! Tiki-making-I-must!
Nah, not really. Relaxing is my other passion; Im getting pretty good! Likewise; Im glad you Get It!

Haikai: Thanks for the props! Means a lot coming from such a talented fellow as yourself! Crazy in a good way, right? :)

Gman: How did you know Id finished it..? :wink: Hold tight...

TikiDav: Would you believe I didnt even reach for my specs with this little guy?!! I do have a pair for weeny-work & also a jewellers magnifying-thingy, but rarely use either. Thank the Lawd for small mercies; I still got my eyes. Sorry to hear yours are failing you; Ive got plenty of aches & pains to make up for it!
As for carving jade: Im sure you would have no trouble whatsoever! Its just a matter of tooling up. Check the Stone, Q&A thread, ditto early Paipo & this one, and sing out for any help... Its really not as difficult as you might imagine.

'Teeny-Tiny-Tiki' by TTT. 2006

*So close Benz: 32 x 14 x 4mm; which for the majority of you means: 1 1/4 x 1/2 x 1/8 inches.
Very, very, very dark NZ Kawakawa variety jade.

Funnily enough, I really made this to fit the eyes which I found in a box the other day :lol: I found a bag with many tiny matched pairs of paua discs, made many years ago to be set in ear-studs. (*Didnt tell you Im a quasi-qualified silver/goldsmith did I? Yes, many years ago I called myself a man of metals & was under the wing of a Great Man of Alchemy. It was actually the frustration/limitation of ring stones that led me to stone carving; I was forever disappointed at the stones available for my jewellery & started in order to be able to make my own. Never went back to metals; now there's fiddly!!)

Realising they would never be used for ear-studs I thought Id better make a tiki for them. Im thinking of emailing the Guinness Book of Records & seeing how it ranks for "Smallest, Darkest, NZ Pounamu Hei-Tiki: reasonably well detailed - Made with Naked Eye" catagory. I reckon its in with a good chance!

A tiny story, but all true...

TamaTheTruthful :)