Need some ideas on what to do next on my first tiki carving....

Hello all, please don't laugh at my first attempt to carve a Tangaroa Tiki Head. I'm new to carving and I'm not sure how to finish my Tiki.
I want to polish him up a bit and maybe add a little more detail. Any ideas guys? I used three different chisels and a malot. I know most of you are experts in your field and any advice to a novice would be greatly appreciated.....Mahalo!

Step One...

Step Two...

Step Three...

Thanks for your help....nomad.

You are on the right track Nomad, and you are doin just fine. Keep making your V lines deeper around the mouth and eyes, just like you have in the middle of the eyes and mouth. When you get them that deep, then deepen those central lines more yet. Now would be a good time to remove the bark and the log looks fairly fresh so it should strip off pretty easily. After you get the bark off you should paint the ends with latex paint to close the pores so the moisture doesn't escape too quickly and cause the tiki to Split Open.
I Hope this helps. When you get all that done ask more questions and post more pictures along the way. You're doing great!

Thanks alot benzart, I really appreciate the expert tips.
I'll work more on it tomorrow and continue to update my progress....peace.

Here are more pictures of my work in progress.......

More tips on what to do next are greatly appreciated.....
I have to finish the other side carving deeper lines then I want to polish him up alot, make him look real smooth....
Mahalo.......nomad.

[ Edited by: Tikinomad 2006-11-14 17:15 ]

Hey Nomad, He's looking better and better. Continue making your lines deeper and wider and as you do that he will start getting more definition. Once you get the lines deeper all the way around, then you can start the smoothing job. Keep up the good work.

Deeper and wider! Remove wood! It is looking pretty good - but as Ben said, deeper cuts.

It's gonna check/crack pretty severely if you don't slow down the drying. Again, like Ben said, seal the ends of the log so it dries out thru the outer layer...

But when you remove the bark, it'll dry really fast - maybe wrap it in a moist towel for a while. That'll slow down the drying. It takes months to dry a log. What kind of wood is it?

Deeper, Wider = better, you're getting there, deeper and Wider,.

Hey, welcome Nomad. My tikis have always cracked because I took forever to carve them. But cracks are cool because they make your tiki look older! Just go for it, strip off all that bark and go DEEP. I like T-Gap's damp towel idea, that should help. Once you're done you can put a clear coat on it and that will cease any cracking.

A-A

GO DEEP!!! Widen out ya lines in a V shape to take em deep, and then round off the sharp edges. :)

Thanks guys, I'll use everyones advice and continue to post my progress. To be quite honest Tikigap I'm not sure exactly what type of wood it is. I happened to find a few fresh cut logs and decided to just go for it. Deeper and wider.....now that should be my carving mantra.
Big Mahalo expert carvers!

Wider is Better!!!!!!

Still wet....I layed it on thick to give it a nice effect........

Home sweet home.......he's more primitive then I originally envisioned but I'm happy with my first Tiki, Mahalo for all the advice guys!!!!!

Now I've got the carving bug, where do you guys get your wood from and what kinds do you recommend?

The driping stain is an interesting effect - very cool :) Overall, pretty damn cool for a first carving.

Looking forward to seeing more. The only wood I have sourced is from mates or when we cut down a palm at home...

Tikinomad, cool first Tiki! Get logs from your friendly local landscapers. Just call one up and ask for it. They'll oblige with a pick-up place or drop off more than you can handle (just ask BPBuzzy!)