Caricature Carving: Expert Techniques and 30 All-Time Favorite Projects (Fox Chapel Publishing) Full-Size Patterns & Step-by-Step for a Cowboy, Gnome, Woodcarver, Chess Set, Rolling Animals, and More

Description

Learn how to carve lively characters in wood! 30 favorite projects from the archives of Woodcarving Illustrated magazine 300 photos of carvings in progress, finished projects, detailed close-ups, and more Step-by-step instructions , coordinating photography, and helpful tips Full-size patterns for every project, including a golfer, bear and fish, hunter, sports figures, a chess set, and more Contributors include today's leading caricature carving experts Pete LeClair, Ross Oar, Phil Bishop, Arnold Smith, and many others Discover over 30 fun carving projects, patterns, tips, and techniques from today's leading carving experts! Caricature carvings come in all shapes and sizes while depicting an array of subjects. The one thing they all have in common is they reflect a carver's own distinct sense of humor! In this fantastic 144-page collection of the best caricature carving projects from the pages of Woodcarving Illustrated , both beginner and experienced caricature carvers and whittlers will find a useful reference—especially if you're looking to create your own distinctive caricature style. A plethora of amusing figures like Vikings, bears, gnomes, hobos, football players, and cowboys are presented to provide you with carving and whittling inspiration! You'll even find a chess set project complete with patterns for kings, queens, bishops, knights, and pawns, each with a variation. Caricature Carving will take you into the realm of comic expressionism thanks to artists like Desiree Hajny, Mike Shipley, Jim and Margie Maxwell, Steve Brown, and Gary Batte. You'll gain information, insight, and inspiration from the detailed technique articles by these experts, as well as stunning color photos of their work to spur your imagination for your own creations. The 30 patterns include: A Firefighter Bust A Cowboy Head Quick and Easy Ozark Character Gunnar the Viking Gnome Hobo The Woodcarver Hillbilly Chess Set Baseball Light and Fan Pull Sailor with Flag Pirate Rock Singer Laughing Bear Rolling Caricature Animals And many more! This woodcarving pattern book is divided into two sections. The first section is a set of caricatures of people that covers everything from gnomes to woodworkers to firefighters. The second section is made up of animal projects, including bears and elephants. The variety of projects in this book will not only make you smile, they will also inspire you to create your own unique style. Caricature Carving offers something for everyone, no matter what skill level you are! Patterns provided for every project can be used full-size or sized up or down for your purposes. Tips on carving faces, woodburning details, tools, equipment, and materials, knife selection, wood selection, hand-carving techniques, as well as finishing suggestions and painting notes will help you to complete each wood sculpture with stunning results. Carve out your own distinctive style while creating a variety of inspiring caricature carving projects, with Caricature Carving: Expert Techniques and 30 All-Time Favorite Projects ! Review: King of the Hill, Top of the Heap: The Very BEST Caricature Carving Book - When I decided to pick up a caricature carving book I was thrilled by the number of titles available. This excitement soon turned to confusion as I tried to decide which books to add to my cart and which to leave on the desertcart.com shelf. A large part of the problem was that most of the books within the field of caricature carving seemed to carry a 4 or 5 star rating which prevented me from enacting Rule No.1 of my desertcart RULE OF PURCHASE which states: All things being equal, purchase the item with the highest customer rating. So with Rule No.1 nullified I found myself pouring over page after page of LOOK INSIDE in an attempt to narrow down my choices. Unfortunately, that wasn't much help either so I took the unprecedented step of just buying EVERY caricature carving book I could find that carried a 4 or 5 star rating. 10 days and 5 titles later I'm ready to offer you my feedback, based on a few essential criteria, in the hopes that I'll save you both the time and the money I invested. Before I get to my ratings, let me run down the criteria I used to make my assessments: 1) Larger books with good color photography trump smaller books with black & white photography. 2) Books that provide step-by-step instruction are far superior than photographic collections of finished projects. 3) Books that provide complete instruction, from wood selection to painting techniques, are better than books offering scant or piecemeal instruction. 4) Because individual carvers have unique styles, I found that the books that contained the works of numerous carvers were far more instructional than those containing the works of just one carver. With those 4 criteria in mind, my top 5 caricature carving books are: 1) Caricature Carving: Expert Techniques & 30 All-Time Favorite Projects ~ The BEST of the bunch. Wonderful photographs outlining the steps required to carve the works of numerous different artists. Instructions run from wood selection all the way to paint selection with everything in between including which tools to use. If you have a limited budget or you just want to own one caricature carving book then this is the one for you. 5 STARS 2) Caricature Carvers Showcase ~ Unlike the #1 selection, this title does not include ANY step-by-step instructions on carving so if you're looking for an instructional guide, this ISN'T it. So why do I rate it so highly? Because it contains wonderful color photographs of the work of 50 different carvers; and while it's a mystery HOW the artists created their work, you can't help but shake your head in amazement at the finished product. 4½ STARS 3) Whittling Little Folk ~ A smaller text from a single artist. The work here is more basic than most caricature carvers which is not necessarily a bad thing for the novice carvers among us. Good step-by-step color photography. The first 2 projects are covered in detail from wood selection to final coat of paint. The final 15 or so projects are described in far less detail. Not as flashy as some of the other titles, but this one grew on me and was actually the source book for my very first carving effort. 4 STARS 4) Caricature Carving from Head to Toe ~ A decent text that contains thorough, step-by-step instructions and photographs leading to the creation of an elderly gentleman caricature. The book contains the work of just one artist so you'll garner just one perspective which I think is a major limitation. A gallery of the artists work rounds out the text, and while his work is of the highest quality it's not as varied as that of a collection of artists. 3 STARS 5) Carving the Little Guys ~ With just 31 pages this is more of a pamphlet than a book. The text is again the work of a single artist who's forte appears to be basic caricatures. Good photographs instruct the reader in the production of just a single, basic caricature (is the black thing under his nose a tongue or a moustache?). Overall, rather disappointing. 2 STARS So there you have it, I hope that saves you the time I lost as well as the money I spent! Review: One of the better carving books out there. - Over the years I have invested quite a lot in instruction books dealing with wood carving – or whittling if you like. To be honest I have gotten good information even out of the worst of them. This is one of the most useful of the book I have received. Now this book is probably not for the absolute beginner as many of the patterns are a bit involved and could be a bit overwhelming for the beginner although the material is quite well presented – great instructions and great photograph. If on the other hand you have the basics down and the prober tools and materials these designs, while not a piece of cake, are quite doable. I personally have found that repetition, and by that I mean carving the same pattern over and over again, I get great results with my finished product. Once I have the pattern down then my “finish” product is quite good. I can also make variations to the original pattern. I suppose the biggest advantage to this book is that it forces you to use quite a number of different techniques which in turn expands your creativity quite a lot. The best advice I can give to any wood carver is practice, practice and more practice and to purchase the best carving tools you can afford. Carving is so much easier and rewarding if you have the right and well made tools.