A head by a nose. The drawing on the nose is further revised and finally ready for carving. I won't get to the specifics of each step or what tool I used to carve the nose. For me once the nose is laid out and drawn in the way I want it to look, carving it is the easy part. After that it's a simple matter of rounding it to shape, cutting each nostril to the same shape and size and burnishing it with the woodburner. The reason for burnishing the nose is that when the final paint and finish is applied the nose has a more realistic look.

 I think now would be a good time to talk about another invaluable tool for woodcarving. Reference material. I can't carve a polar bear if I don't know what  polar bear looks like. Well maybe I could, but would it really look like a polar bear. I gather as much reference material as I can find on the subject I am trying to carve. Books, pictures, the internet and even taxidermy books can all be used for reference. From the intial idea to the final painting I am constantly using my references.

The drawing in of the nose is further refined and ready for carving

This is a taxidermy cast of a black bear nose. All bear noses appear to be fairly close to the same. Along with the nose cast and several close up pictures of the polar bears nose I can carve one.

 Our repairs are complete, now to start. I was once ask how to start a carving. As the Munchkins once told Dorothy it's always best to start at the beginning. For me that means starting at the nose. To me the face of the carving is the most important. If the nose is off center, the eyes not even or set right or the mouth out of place, nothing else will make the carving right.
 Some carvers prefer to work the entire carving at once. I prefer to get the head and face area done, with the look I am after before I move on to the body. As I've said before it may not be the right way, the best way or the only way, but it's how I learned to carve.

 Let me also explain about the tools I use. I am not a tool salesman, so if I mention a tool by name do not think that I am suggesting you need that particular brand of tool. To me tool selection is as much a personal choice as a practical one. There are many brands out there that all do the same job, so use what you have and are comfortable with.

Of all the tools available to a woodcarver, to me these are some of the most important. Laying out, measuring and marking help to keep the carving symetrical. Draw and redraw till you get it right and it looks the way you want it to look. Much better to make a mistake now instead of far into the carving process. Easier to erase a pancil mark than it is to replace wood.

 

Here you can see I have put the outline of the nose on the bear. I may do this several times before I am satisfied that it is correct. The nose has to be correct because as I said it is the beginning. I use the center of the nose as a reference point for lining up the mouth, eyes and ears. Once the nose is done I  move on to the muzzle and mouth area. These need to be set and complete for me to be able to insert the eyes.

Well we have decided to use the patch method to fix our problem.

I first grind out enough wood to get to a solid base. I then chisel or cut the sides and ends as flat as possible.

A plug is then cut as close to the size of the hole as possible.

The plug is then cut to fit as tight as possible and glued in place.

Now that our patch has dried it can be carved to fit the head. Any small imperfections can be filled with wood putty and blended in. Now when I texture the small amount of putty will not affect the look of the texture.

Well our carving journey has begun and already we have problems. There was a bad spot in the wood that wasn't discovered until the cutout was made. Now we have to decide how to fix it. I have three options that will possibly work. I can cut the head off and peg/glue a new one on. I can use Bondo or some other putty to fill the hole. I can use the patch method where a piece of wood is cut to size and glued in place. Lets go over each and decide which is best for this fix.
 The bondo or putty method would be the least disireable because of the size of the hole. When I texture I use stones and carving burrs along with a wood burner The bondo or putty does not burn well. I have found that after painting there is a difference in the look of the texture. It is fine for small fixes but not this large.
  Cutting the head off and gluing a new one in place will work well. I have done this when I want to turn the head some. But I also usually make the neck a little longer to account for this. I am not sure I have the length I need to do that.

   So I think my best option is the patch plug. I usually carve out as much of the wood as neccessary to get to solid wood. I then cut the hole by hand to square up the sides and ends. A plug is then cut and glued in place. Any imperfections can then be filled with a small amount of wood putty.

 

  "Pihoqahiak - The Ever Wandering One." This is the name given to the Polar Bear by the Inuit tribes of the Artic. The Polar Bear has been known to travel hundreds of miles across endless stretches of ice on a journey in search of food. The largest living land carnivore, some reaching weights of up to 1200 pounds, the great bear can eat up to 200 pounds of food at a time. Not bad considering they start out weighing a little more than a pound at birth.

   Follow along as we go on a different type of Polar Bear journey. A carving journey that takes us from a block of wood to a finished Polar Bear sculpture. Carving, inserting eyes, texturing and painting will all be covered.

 First off let me say this in no way is a carving class, tutorial, or lesson. This is the way I start and complete a carving. It may not be the best way, the right way or the only way, it's just the way this Old Bear has learned to carve. If you have any questions please ask and I will attempt to answer them as best I can. On the same note if you have any suggestions please share them. Learning to carve for me is a never ending task and I am always ready to try new and different ways of carving.
 

The first few pictures are of the rough cut out of the bear pattern. I always cut my patterns oversize to allow for any subtle changes along the way. As you can see the center line is drawn in and the basic outlines of the bear are shown.

I have started a polar bear carving and decided to post  the entire carving process here on my blog. I will post up many pictures and text along the way. Some how to's and other tips I have learned along my wood carving journey. Check back often as almost daily there will be somthing added.

The Challenger

This is my latest elk carving. Would haved like more movement in the water. Something I will have to work on a bit.