It's not much, but I just make stuff up in most cases. You may recognize some of the flowers and bugs from previous posts.
I still need to figure out how to make some cool scene for Cheryl's next project. I'm running out of inspiration at the moment,
not many animals in this bunch.
The paper does not give them that nice 3-D feel. But it works for the bugs just fine. Enjoy!
last weekend I have spent making origami. I just feel like taking a small break from carving and pursuing something a little more mentally stimulating. You see, I usually just fold something until I get to where I want it to look. I rarely pic up a book anymore, And for this reason, I make a LOT of mistakes. 
But every now and then I find something that I can truly call my own. I still have a long way to go since I still cling to certain bases as my just off point. Hats off to those masters that can just jump in with no diagram or fold pattern and make something up that looks awesome!
Here are just a few of the thousands of finished diagrams on Flikr. If you do a search on google or Yahoo, There are tons of free diagrams out there that can get you started. They range from easy to difficult. And all the materials it takes is a piece of paper to get you started. Enjoy!
I had to get to it sometime. and I have been putting it off for several days, but tonight I finally resharpened all my chisels and put them away. You might not find this as a big deal, but, you see, I hate sharpening! Its time consuming and frustrating from time to time. I only damaged two chisels seriously this project, so regrinding the was not too bad. Most of the other chisels I just had to touch up.
Someone on WCI asked me about my sharpening set up so I took a few pics of what I usually do. I use a belt sander for the sharpening part. Assuming the chisels does not have to be reground, I just lightly touch it up on the bevel side. Then I strop it on a piece of leather to remove the burr.
Then a quick buff with the wheel mounted on the drill. Quick and easy. I use a piece of scrap wood to test out the sharpness after. Now all the chisels are polished, and ready for the next big thing in their wall mounted case.
Hope everyone has a great Friday!
I had to overcome depression when I found out that our small 
touristy town can't display anything on the sidewalks of the downtown area. Hurray for Government! Protecting the people from shops that might put displays that entice you to shop in their store. Well, initially my plan was to offer these carvings to several of the down town stores to show off a little of my work while making the streets a little more interesting. Assuming that the shops were willing, of coarse. Ah well, the best of plans always have hiccups. So the ladies will have to remain in my front yard for a while longer.
I really have no other plans for them. Unless some total stranger offers to buy one off the lawn. That would be nice! So here are the finished pics. Done with lighting and background to enhance the colors a bit ( hopefully) 
Enjoy! And I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far
bore you with the decision of what color to make her dress, 
but this is what I settled on. I still have to touch up the eyes and poly coat the entire thing, but for now, I put two coats of paint on her, sanding between coats. She looks rather bold and bright, but I know that she will "dull" a bit as time goes by. Over all, I'm pleased with the way she turned out. Of coarse I see all the flaws in her as blaring, 
but I'm willing to forgive a little and be done with her. Cheryl says she will look good in the front yard with the other women.
As for the remainder of the evening, I worked on some origami Roses with pure colored paper. the pure color allows me to just fold and not bother with gluing the finished flower up. Enjoy!
Well things got a little more complex and now that may have to get pushed back to tomorrow. I worked on the hair trying to give it a little more drama by making the mountains and Vally's a little more interesting. Then I found a bunch of stuff that needed a little patching.
Like her eye. Her right eye has been bothering me ever since I carved out the socket. I think I carved out a little too much and as a result tried to make the left one to match. but it just isn't working out...so I patched it up with wood filler. Now I'll have to wait for it to dry,
but I should have the correct proportions now. So here she is sanded a little more, hair defined a bit better, and the eye repaired and ready for final detail 
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I have been sanding and chipping/cleaning up certain areas for the last couple of days. but finally she is off the table and standing up! I can see now that she is standing,
that there are still areas that need work. But I was planning on perhaps getting a start on painting her tonight. 
That is a pretty optimistic goal, but I'll see how far I get. Right now I'm working on her hair and face, 
Two areas I couldn't really work on while she was on the table. I just thought I would post these pics now before this post becomes really long. Enjoy!
