Year: 2022 | Page 3 | LSIrish.com

Jun 16 2022

Wood Spirit Fence Post Carving

The addition of one small board, a bird house, and a copper wire fence changes a classic wood spirit into a fence post sculpture. Move your wood spirit off that walking stick and onto the mantel as a small, fun decoration.

The links to my free, online, step-by-step project on how to carve the wood spirit face are posted below.

Posted on my wood carving, pyrography pattern website, ArtDesignsStudio.com, is an in-depth, step-by-step, free project on how to carve the wood spirit face.

The wood spirit face is a favorite wood carving theme. His wild, flowing hair, his long twisted beard, and his exaggerated nose make him an excellent beginner’s carving project. It may be hard to conceive that the human face is a beginner’s level project, but as we work through the simple steps to create the planes of the face, you will discover how simple and adaptable this style of wood carving is.

I am working my wood spirit face as a cane or walking stick topper, as shown in the sample stick to your right. The wood spirit face is carved using a basswood practice stick – 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 6″ – then attached to the staff of the stick using a hardwood dowel or all-thread pipe.

Discover the carving tools, bench knives, sanding supplies, and other items you will want in your Beginner’s Wood Carving Tool Kit

This step-by-step free wood carving project is a practice piece. Do not work this project as a ‘finished project’ tutorial, it is meant as a learning, experimenting, and exploring endeavor so that you come away being able to carve any type of Wood Spirit face. Approach this project with the idea of learning the planes of the face, learning how to establish the facial features, and learning how you can adjust this wood carving technique to create your own unique Wood Spirits.

Wood Spirit Carving,
Free Project by Lora Irish
1 Introduction and Supply List
4 Planes of the Human Face
5 Carve The Human Face
6 Shaping the Facial Features
7 Sloping the Sides of the Face
8 Rough Cutting the Features
9 Carving the Eyes
10 Detailing the Eyes
11 Shaping the Features
12 Defining the Cheek and Nose
13 Working the Facial Hair
14 Refining the Face Shape
15 Carving the Wrinkles
16 Trimming the Beard
17 Review of the Techniques

Wood Spirit Fence Post Carving Read More »

May 14 2022

The Right To Choose

Uncategorized / By irish

I was 17 years old in the autumn of 1970; my bags were sitting on the floor next to me, my hand was on the back door handle. I was going to college! I had the top grades for my class in high school, I had been voted by my classmates as the person most likely to succeed, and I had a full scholarship to the University of Maryland.

At that moment my dad says to me, “You don’t have to do this, I can pull some strings, makes some calls, and get you into a nice secretarial school where you belong”.

[Quick note here … “Hey, Dad! I’m not going to college to get my MRS. degree!”]

Because I was growing up during the era of Martin Luther King; John, Bobbie, and Teddy Kennedy; Lyndon Johnson, Gloria Steinam, and Barbara Milulski, I knew I had a choice – a choice over my life, my goals, my desires, my achievements, and especially on what road I wanted to travel through life.

I picked up my bags, opened the door and walked out.

I had already spent my lifetime listening to teachers tell me, “That’s very good … FOR A GIRL!”

I had a school principal question why I would want to take certain classes when, “you won’t need them when you are a WIFE AND MOTHER!”

I grew up having heard the old Coal country joke of How do you keep a wife? You keep her barefoot and pregnant. That way she can’t run very far, and she can’t run very fast!

I listened in the background while people asked my brothers what they were going to be when they grew up … it was a question I was never asked because it was assumed that I would be a ‘good girl’ and get married right after high school.

As I pursued my fine arts degree, I learned quickly that no art gallery would take on a woman artist. The reason is that they did not want to invest advertising in someone who was only ‘going to get married and have children and therefore give up their art’.

But what does any of this have to do with you? Great question!!!!

I like to think that I have had a little influence over your joy of the arts, especially the wood arts. I like to think that my 27 years of teaching, through books and the internet, may have made your journey into the crafts more rewarding. I like to think that somewhere out there is someone who never thought they could do what they are doing today in wood art had they not read one of my tutorials.

I like to think that maybe there are so many great, fantastic women artists and teachers in our craft today because of me and those that were there when I started … Sue Walters, Cheryl Dow, Nedra Dennison, Nora Hall… great women who stood up and said, “Yes! We can do this!”

So, I just wonder. Would your life have been ‘limited or less than’ if I had listened to those people that wanted to make my choices over my life? Would you have lost something that you take for granted today if I had accepted that as a woman I could/should only aspire to being a wife and mother?

Would you have that bench knife or burning pen in your hand today if I had ‘gone to secretarial school, like a good little girl”?

Choice matters! When you limit another person’s life choices you may be denying yourself fulfillment !!!!

The Right To Choose Read More »

May 3 2022

Burning & Carving Fish

Adult Coloring, Altered Art, General Crafts, Pyrography, Relief Carving Projects, Woodcarving / By irish

Let’s think outside the box today!

Your wood carving steps can be just the first steps in a larger project. In this sample, Mandala Fish, the basic fish shape has been relief wood carved on a 3/4″ basswood slab. This is a simple rounded over carving that was sanded smooth after the cutting strokes were done. Next I traced my mandala pattern and used my wood burner to outline the pattern details. Colored pencils finish this project bring a bright rainbow of hues to my design.

Is it a carving? Is it a wood burning? Is it mandala work? Is it colored pencil art?

YES!

Many of our carving and pyrography ideas come directly from other fine art styles and media of works. This Lantern fish is a permanent marking pen drawing on Bristol board, brightly accented with colored pencils. It was the inspiration for the wood carving fish above.

Want a free pattern to try your own mixed media fish design. Here’s one! And I have two free pattern packs, ready to download, on my pattern website at ArtDesignsStudio.com.

And … one more idea that fits better in the fish tank then in the standard hobby box. You can use any pattern as the bases for your next practice board. Just because you want a chance to check your tip temperature, establish your strokes and textures, or set your tonal value before you work on your main project doesn’t mean that practice board needs to be a boring, useless grid design.