Category Archives: sketch

Drawknife Fun With a New Bowl

I began sketching an idea on this page of my notebook last September, then added a bit here and there since then. Nothing revolutionary, just some thoughts on a design with rising ends and an underside that goes from convex … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Q-R-S-Tree-U-V

I had wanted to carve an alphabet board for a long time, and I finally got around to it. The process began long before I took a knife to the basswood board above. I first put my thoughts onto paper … Continue reading

Posted in Lettering, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Chip Layout

I was finishing up a small walnut bowl and decided to define the narrow side-panel with a graduated row of chip cuts. I have a slide show and description of the cutting of these on a similar bowl in this … Continue reading

Posted in carving, layout, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

New Walnut Bowl

This bowl started with a black walnut log about 13″ in diameter but only 13″ long. I split it into quarters and was able to get this bowl out of one of those sections. Bark up orientation, so the flow … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, layout, patterns, proportions, sketch, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged | 21 Comments

Winter Whittled Bird

On a “cold, cold, wet day” this past weekend, I sat warm and dry in the shop by the window and whittled a little bird from a pine branch. Winter birds bring a special joy. It’s magical to be in … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, carving, finding wood, nature, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Since You Gotta Brush Your Teeth Anyway

All of the used toothbrushes in the house make their way to the workshop where I use them for all sorts of odd jobs from cleaning, to gluing, to finishing. The one above, made by Mable, was handed down to … Continue reading

Posted in sharpening, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Bird Bowl from Straight Grain

Most of the bird bowls I make come from crooks, with the form following the flow of the fibers. In designing and making this bowl, I tried to achieve similar lines and a sense of movement within the constraints of … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, figure, finding wood, layout, patterns, quotes and excerpts, sketch, tools, trees, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Small Side Panel Cherry Bowl

A few days ago I finished this cherry bowl for a local fundraiser. It features a relatively narrow side panel below the edge of the rim that makes an ideal spot for some chip carving. I took a few shots … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, cherry, finding wood, holding, layout, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Carving American Chestnut 2: A Full Hollow

Following up on this post about carving a bowl in American chestnut, I’ll share some photos and thoughts on the hollowing process. That cross grain trench in the photo above is something I’ve discussed in more detail before. It establishes … Continue reading

Posted in adze, bowls, carving, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Winter Branches

On overcast winter days, I appreciate the quiet simplicity of the landscape. Soon enough, vibrant color will return and leaves will burst forth from every twig. For now, the underlying structure is revealed, with a beauty of its own. When … Continue reading

Posted in nature, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments