mrtikibar takes a class

I signed up for an open carving class at a near by studio. Here is my project in progress.
My second growth cedar log with some early cuts. The old growth cedar posts in the background are being carved by pros and students for a building at the Sitka Center featuring NW Indian design.

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to convert ideas and images to the log. The instructor helps me and the result, so far, is reasonably symmetrical.

Getting there. Contemplating stain or no stain.

[ Edited by: mrtikibar 2010-06-09 20:26 ]

Good job so far. I like it with the big head personally. You could always screw it to a base to help with the balance.

Back home.

Great looking first tiki or so. Must be all the Mana in that building.

This isn't exactly my first tiki but it is the first one I have carved with a rational plan and some decent tools.
Getting center lines on the wood! Never thought to do that. I bought a pencil they sold at the class that really works well on the wood. (Stabilo 8008 Aquarellable.) Maybe this is something like many of you carvers use. I was shown how to transfer a design, say an eye, from one side of the tiki to the other with tracing paper. First you draw an eye on one side. Next. you tack a piece of tracing paper over the eye. Shove a couple tacks on the center line and draw your center line on the tracing paper. Next, trace your eye. The paper will pick up the lead from the pencil on the bottom of the paper! Finally, flip the paper to the other side of your tiki and line up the center lines drawn on the wood and paper and tack at the same height, maybe using the same tack holes. Draw over the image of the eye on your tracing paper and the eye transfers to the other side of your tiki. Again, this particular pencil helped make this work. I hope I'm not boring you with common knowledge but this tip helped me a lot.

It's not common knowledge to me! I may try that technique, thanks.

I make little templates out of cardboard 6-pack containers and such and trace around them, otherwise none of my stuff would be the least bit symmetrical....because my free-hand drawing totally sucks!!!

I haven't used tracing paper either - I've done the little templates, but things still come out crooked cause I'll end up putting one up to high, or rotating the piece. The tracing paper sounds like it would fix that!

The wood looks so nice, I'd think about no stain, but some shellac to finish it with. It should add just a bit of a warm glow to it, but not hide the grain. But then again, I've never touched a piece of cedar! :)

Congrats on taking a carving class and again for finishing the carving. That is the first real step to a long line of carvings. Thanks for sharing, I Know it's hard in the beginning.
Whats next?
Thanks for the tip on the Stabilo,, I've been looking for a waterproof pencil that is not a permanent marker amd this looks like it might work for writing/drawing on stone/jade!!!

Thanks for the encouragement. I have the next section of the same cedar log -- a bit longer and less thick. I will start carving this soon. The Stabilo pencil says paper, glass, plastic and metal on the side so it looks versatile.

I wouldn't mind taking one of those carving classes myself.

Being completely self taught I still don't know what half of the chisels and wood tools even are or what they do!

Where did you take this class?

I took an open woodworking class at The Sitka Center which is about six miles north of Lincoln City, Oregon. http://www.sitkacenter.org/index.html
We are out in the boonies and this place just happens to be up the road. There must be community college workshops out there somewhere that might offer some basic classes.

[ Edited by: mrtikibar 2010-06-22 16:13 ]