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What’s on your carving/embellishing bench?

At our Club we make wig stands for ladies with cancer and a friend shared a new idea with me. This lady will have a big hat and a base that will be hollowed a little for rings. Finishing soon. The texture is from an inexpensive engraver then painted with Indian ink. I think it will be look good by Wednesday, Lord willing. Oh and my engraver died before I finished. Ugh.
 

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At our Club we make wig stands for ladies with cancer and a friend shared a new idea with me. This lady will have a big hat and a base that will be hollowed a little for rings. Finishing soon. The texture is from an inexpensive engraver then painted with Indian ink. I think it will be look good by Wednesday, Lord willing. Oh and my engraver died before I finished. Ugh.
Lovely lady!
 
No carving or embelishments yet, but I put this little guy to good use today. I had a very thin natural edge walnut bowl from a demo that had a couple bad tool marks. (OK, lousy transitions) It was so thin and fragile that I couldn't picture how to hold it without crushing it, especially while power sanding. I glued on a tenon and this thing worked great.

I'm glad the handles are so different in size and appearance, it makes it easier to distinguish which is which. I would guess with a heavier piece and/or chuck, it might really be a handful when the one lever loosens everything. It's very nice to have them independent of each other.

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To color or not to color? BTW I’m not good with color

On some pieces, color distracts from the elegance of the form and hides the natural beauty of the wood.
But my feeling is that subtle color might help on this piece, in particular, help visually define the overlapping butterflies.

Keep in mind that "color" doesn't necessarily mean bold, saturated, colors. I sometime see these used in a way that overpowers the piece. Even soft, transparent washes can add be beautiful. Coordination over contrast can add a subtle dimension.

I'm not good with color on wood either. For inspiration and ideas, show this and talk to Jake, the master! (IMHO)

JKJ
 
I do have a guy that good with color. I thought about that but guess I need to learn if I’m going to do many like this.
Ted, if you want to learn about color, you might want to consider this: I'm teaching this 5-day workshop at Arrowmont, Gatlinburg, TN in September. Pyro-Carved and Painted Wood. On top of other skills, you would come away with a good foundation on color after this workshop.
 
Curt Fuller posted a piece he called swamp oak. I had thi cherry burl drying that looks close to his form so I decided to try his feather technique.
 

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