my first tiki....#4 updated new pics 10/3 /07

MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT TIKI CARVING.....STARTED SUNDAY MORNING,,,,
DEBARKED AN
ALMOND LOG ..
GOT OUT MY TRUSTY 6.99 SET OF WOOD CHISELS AND A RUSTY HAMMER.....
AND STARTED CHIPPIN AWAY......I WAS HAVING FUN..........AFTER ABOUT 6 OR SEVEN HOURS OF CHIPPIN. BURNING AND PAINTING.....NOT TO MENTION 1 BLOOD BLISTER.......REMEMBER ALWAYS LOOK AT WHERE THE HAMMER IS FALLING...NOT AT THE QUESTION ASKING 3 YR OLD.....FOCUS....FOCUS.......BY NIGHTFALL I WAS SITTING IN MY PATIO CHAIR ADMIRING MY FIRST TIKI....CRUDE YET SATISFYING.....ON MY NEXT TIKI ILL PLAN A LITTLE BETTER AND TAKE MY TIME......

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-09-03 21:13 ]

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-09-07 19:51 ]

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-10-03 20:20 ]

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-10-03 23:27 ]

Welcome mate! Not a bad first effort.

Take your carving deeper and you'll see a big improvement :D

Ditto what Hewey said. First tikis are always a bit rough. I'm glad you kept the bent top and worked it into the tiki, it really adds character.
Welcome to TC, now Find another log and get to work, No rest for the weary!

after returning from oasis and watching everbody carve and getting some tips i came home with these,,,,

after a couple of days of putting the knowlege i gained at oasis to work ... i came up with this......
....
i cut deeper but kept my design simple to learn the feel of the chisels and see what i could do
now im starting my third...ill get a little more complex with the design and hope it looks like a tiki.......

now i must find more wood...i cant find palmwood ....but there is some really nice palms around the police station.....hmm.......

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-08-28 16:29 ]

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-08-28 16:37 ]

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-08-28 16:43 ]

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-08-28 16:45 ]

Go Man, Go!!

Yes, Keep it up, Get more palms. I'm Sure the Police station wouldn't mind your tikifying some of their palms. GO For it.

after hours of chippin away...ive made progress on my third .....still rough but i have my basic shape...ill start sanding now to clean up the rough stuff...

Great job! Glad you were inspired by Oasis! Are you close to San Diego? I've got a few hookups for logs now in San Diego, but if you're not close, call up a tree service. If there's palm trees growing, I'm sure there's someone chopping them down. :)

i wish i could get down to san diego more often...im in the central valley and palm seems hard to come by....but im looking....

Yo Closettiki! Glad to see you are putting those pieces to good use. Sad to see you're just about out, though. Originally, I looked at some general carving sources on the web and came up with a list of about 7-8 recommended wood types that were able to grow around here locally. I then requested a few of those types from the tree service, along with any palms they took out. It was a good survey of wood types, and I found several I'll never mess with again. It did kill a bunch of time while I was waiting for a big log score. I've had some good luck with ficus, and one branch can hold you over for a few months until you can get some palms. After I got my first whole tree delivered, I never outpaced my supplier. You could also go small like Mieko and get some kiln dried basswood pieces on ebay. I got 8, 30" x 3" x 2.5" pieces of bassswood on ebay for about $28. That little pendant I gave you was some of that very wood.
Anyway, glad to see you catch some fire and carve, carve away. That Moai you did (#2)should even out in tone and match the darker parts over the next couple months.
If you're ever in the hood, drop by and I'll load your car up with some uncarved tikis.

Buzzy

thanks buzzy...ill look into ebay on wood sources.......i might just get a wild hare and jump in the car and run down there to take you up on your offer....its only about 7 hrs....not much for a commuter like me...i feel like i live in my car anyway...well 2hrs a day......thanks for the info...ill keep chippin away...got a flexcut kit coming anyday now....gotta find wood...gotta find wood...gotta find wood....

NICE WORK! ME LIKES!

finished my 3rd tiki today.....i know its not a prime example of oceanic art...its just a tiki...to qoute tiki-kate...{ it is what it is }......things i learned about this tiki....first ....detail is hard to get with cheap harbor freight tools...second ....keep to the layout and plan it well.....third...i had fun......cant wait to break out the flexcuts that i just got and try another....

[ Edited by: closettiki 2007-09-07 20:26 ]

Keep up the good work Closettiki, your tikis are getting more detailed and thats good. I know you have heard it before, but "Don't be afraid to o deep" as there is Always a lot more wood that can come off.
Nice work.

my newest attempt to improve my carving skills......a little more detail.....still a long way from the master carver status...
....things I've learned....good chisels ARE worth their weight in gold.....carving is fun...
...need more wood .
..need more wood..
.NEED MORE WOOD,,,!!!!!

Great twist on a Moai, man!

Wow! Every one better than the last. Nice work.

Great job!!