Making Progress

These last couple of weeks have been very busy and I haven't had a whole lot of time to carve.  Sometimes like just works that way. 

Tip from the Stump:  it's a good thing to carve a little bit each day, even if it's only for a few minutes.  You will be surprised at the amount of carving you will be able to get done even if you don't have the time to sit down and carve for hours.

Anyhow, I have made a little progress on my Sorcerer project, getting the bottom of the robes detailed, hands carved, and the arms roughed out and attached to the body.  Here's a look at where he stands at the present:

I hope to find some time this week to finish with this figure.  I plan to put him into a small scene with potions and spell casting stuff scattered around.  He should turn out pretty neat if things go the way I have envisioned.  I'll keep you posted on my progress and you can always follow along on the Carving Bench page with me.

Thanks for stopping by.

Updated Knife Gallery

You may have noticed that I have updated my Knife Gallery page here on The Old Stump Blog.  I have added custom drop down selection menus for "Blade Shape", "Blade Length", and "Handle Style" as well as Paypall or Credit Card Payment options to make custom ordering your top-quality carving knives much easier than before.  No more sending inquiry emails, no more waiting for me to respond, no more me waiting to receive your payment in the mail before shipping.  This should make things much simpler for both you and for me.

I have also added a link to a Knife Selection Guide that I have made available to help you select the right knife for you.  It outlines the benefits of each knife blade shape and makes recommendations for the best style for you.

Remember a measly $30.00 gives you a top-quality, razor sharp out of the box, carving knife for you to enjoy for years to come.  Each knife comes with a money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with your new custom-made knife.  I also try to manufacture my custom knives within a few days of a sale, so you don't have to wait long to give your new knife a try.  Just click the "Knife Gallery" tab at the top of this page, or click this link below to go there:

The Knife Gallery

I also want you to know that I use what I sell!  I have put away all of the commercially available knives that I have purchased through the years, for much more than $30.00 I might add, and use my own custom knives for all my knife work.  They just work better for me.  Custom knives from a Carver for Carvers.

So, show your support for The Old Stump, and purchase your custom knife today.  If not, that's okay too, just show your support by continuing to visit here to see what I've been up to.  Thanks everyone for visiting, and safe carving.

The Archer Bust Tutorial Completed

The final section of the Carving The Archer Bust tutorial is now available for download.  In the final segment we paint the carving, assemble it, and apply the finishing touches.  Here are a couple of pictures of the final piece with many more pics available on the Picture Gallery page.

I have truly enjoyed putting this tutorial together and I hope that those of you who have been following along with me have enjoyed it too and maybe learned some tips along the way.  If you haven't tried your hand at this carving, I strongly encourage it.

Tip from the Stump: a carver should be constantly challenging his/her abilities in order to improve.  Something may seem too difficult to accomplish at first, but with some time and persistence, you just might surprise yourself.

Here's a link to the final segment of the tutorial "Painting the Archer Bust".

Painting the Archer Bust

The only compensation that I ask for from this free tutorial is that if you give it a try, that you send me a couple of pics of your completed piece.  If I get enough viewer pics, and if the owners of the pics sent in agree, I thought that it might be fun to put together a viewer's gallery to show off your pieces of art.

If you would like to own the original "The Archer" piece, or any of my carvings for that matter, it is available for purchase with details on the Picture Gallery page.  Just click the tab at the top of this page to go there.

I have also added a new tab at the top of the page where all tutorial links are found in one convenient location.

Taking a Break

Now, don't worry, we'll get that fine yeoman finished up in no time.  I have him already half painted, so I hope to have the tutorial all finished up by the end of the week.  Even though this has been a very fun project, and I've enjoyed taking you along for the ride, I just needed to take a break and just sit down and carve something without have to worry about taking pictures and writing instructions.

Here is a pic of my next project.  He will be an evil sorcerer conjuring something foul from the void.  His head and hat are finished and I have the blank for his body cut out.  This guy already has a lot of character, so putting him in a scene should be a lot of fun.

Check out the Carving Bench page for a few more pics.

The Archer Bust Tutorial - Making the Archer's Base

I got really ambitious yesterday and finished the base for my Archer and put together part six of the Archer Bust Tutorial.  It's a fairly simple base and you could probably have made it without any help from my part, but I figure that I'm in it this far, and I wouldn't want anyone to be left wondering.  So, here's a look at what the base looks like as well as our finished carving mounted to it.

Now all that we have left to do to finish up this fine yeoman is to give him a really nice paint job, and in the next and final part of the tutorial, we will do just that.  Just click on the link below to download part six of the Archer Bust Tutorial.

Making the Archer's Base

The Archer Bust Tutorial - Making the Archer's Bow

We finished up with all of the carving in the previous part of the tutorial, Carving the Archer's Quiver, but I wanted to give our carving a little shot in the arm to put it over the top.  What is an archer without a bow?  Just a guy walking around with arrows I guess.  So, in this section we will make a really cool bow for our Archer to show off with.  Here's a look at what we are going to accomplish.

I really love to carve, but I also have a whole lot of fun with making the metal attachments that I add to my pieces.  They really give my sculptures a lot of added interest.  I hope you enjoy this tutorial as much as I had making it.  Just follow the link below to download part five of Carving the Archer's Bust.

Making the Archer's Bow

The Archer Bust Tutorial - Carving the Quiver

The great saga of Carving the Archer's Bust continues with another fascinating episode.  In this next segment, we will carve the Archer's quiver, attach it to the torso, carve a carrying strap on the torso, and make some really cool looking arrows.  Here's a peek of what we will accomplish in this tutorial:

He's really starting to look like an archer now.  Click on the link below to download part four of the Carving the Archer's Bust tutorial.

Carving the Archer's Quiver

I apologize that this is taking so long, but there is a lot of work involved in creating these tutorials.  I am trying to show every little step so that no one gets lost.  I hope that everyone following along is enjoying our little journey together.  I have had some really positive feedback from several of you and I am very pleased that you are making strides and improving your skills.  Let me know if you run into any trouble along the way and I'll clarify any points of confusion.

I foresee about three more parts for this tutorial.  The next part will cover making the bow, followed by making a nice base for the carving, and finally we will paint this piece and get it ready for display.

I hope that in the end, when you have finished your version of the Archer, that you will send me some pictures showing me your pieces.  I would love to see what you come up with.  It would also be fun to post pictures of every one's creations here on The Old Stump for all to see, with your permission of course.

Now get that tutorial downloaded and get making chips.