---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- August 2004 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks! This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfiles for 2001, 2002 & 2003 newsletters ============================================================ Hello Everyone! August? Yes - many apologies for the lateness and shortness of this newsletter, which is appearing in September. September's proper will appear within a week, bringing me back in sync and, with luck will bring YOU the new free, sponsored ebook. CONTENTS: 1. Article: Carving Out a Living by Jeffrey Stone 2. Follow Up: Sharpening Website Bookmarks at the end. List of Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals Teaching __________________________________________ 2. NEW FREE EBOOK! __________________________________________ I'm happy to say that I can now bring you "Quick Carving Questions - 3", the third compilation of those Quick Carving Questions that appear most months in this newsletter. Another great read and full of useful carving tips and advice, and available for free because of sponsoring by Mike Komick and Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies Mike Komick makes very particular knives based on Native American traditions - so not what we more conventional carvers are used to - but they may be just right for YOUR style of carving. I reviewed these knives for Woodcarving magazine recently: very fine steel, hooks sharpened both sides, and beautifully finished and presented. You'll see links to Quick Carving Questions - 3 on the website home page: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ or you can go directly to the download page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq3.html Enjoy, learn, benefit, pass it on - and please take a moment to thank Mike by reading about Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies in the ebook and visiting the website: http://www.preferrededge.ca There's a full list of ebooks and information about 'ebooks' here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html __________________________________________ 2. Article: CARVING OUT A LIVING __________________________________________ Carving Out A Living by Jeffrey Stone When someone hears I am a woodcarver and turner, one of the most common quips they make to me is something or other about my being a starving artist. I think many carvers are reluctant to try to make a living at the trade because of this preconception. I actually make a very good living working with wood, and a number of others do the same. The secret is in your approach to the business end. The people who make the "starving artist" comment are the ones who see me standing in a craft show somewhere selling little carved animals, caricatures, spoons, etc. And if that were where I sold my wares, I would certainly be a starving artist. In order to make a living with carvings (or turnings), I have found that the people must come to you. If they want something that they know cannot be found at any craft show, any mall, or any catalog, they are usually willing to pay for it. One example is an elephant I carved two years ago. I know for a fact that an 8" carved elephant at a craft show would not bring me over $25 to $30. That is just the way it is (at least here in Florida). However, a customer came to me and asked if I could carve for him an 8" elephant because it needed to have a certain pose. Nothing fancy. No finish. I charged $140 for it and was paid because the customer needed it and could get it nowhere else. THAT is the secret to making a living through carving. Advertise, push, sell strictly commissioned carvings and let the people come to you. When you build your name in the community, you will be able to keep a steady business going. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jeffrey T. Stone is an architectural woodcarver living in Largo, Florida. Email: jeffrey@rmg-inc.com __________________________________________ 3. Follow Up: Sharpening [July 2004] __________________________________________ With many thanks to David Daberkoe for these kind thoughts and on 'Fear of Sharpening': I am in complete sympathy with the person who is afraid to sharpen their new tools because they are too expensive -although, in my own case, I would probably change 'expensive' to 'sacred'. My journey to carving began six years ago. I was on a mowing crew and on Thursdays we would have lunch behind an upscale gourmet grocery/wine shop. I noticed some virginal white slats of wood in the dumpster, along with the rotting lettuce and other refuge; the wood, from a disassembled wine crate, seemed otherworldly in context. I salvaged it and attempted to make tiny boxes from it with a Dremel tool with router base that I purchased specifically for the task. It did not go very well! The tool was fast but not strong; the noise was unpleasant; and the precise measuring was more frustrating than satisfying. But I knew that I wanted to work with wood. Your books on carving were alongside the box-making books at the local Barnes & Nobel, so I began leafing through them. The pictures were so compelling and the writing so clear and defined; to the point, yet human, that I began saving for tools and collecting sections of the trees and limbs that we cut down. When my tools finally arrived, yes the ubiquitous Pfeil brand: 8/10, 1/12, 1S/8, 12/6, they too seemed otherworldly. The shoulders were right, according to your excellent detail photos, and when tapped, the whole tool seemed to "sing." Thankfully, they came already quite sharp. I was reluctant to strop them, much less apply them to an abrasive surface. Then came the fateful day when the 1/12 fell out of my home-made, hand-sewn, tool roll! It fell on the cement and had a nasty looking chip in its leading edge. I did not panic (well, maybe a little) for had I not read every word of every book by Chris Pye? Even the seemingly interminable [ouch!] whole chapters on sharpening? Even before I had a single tool? Yes, I had! I knew about the importance of maintaining the angle, correct hopefully, but consistent absolutely. I knew about diminishing the vast white line I was about to create by rubbing the flat chisel's nose to the abrasive surface in a figure eight pattern until the nick was gone. So, with great reluctance but hope in my heart, I went at it. And, to my amazement, it worked! In fact, the damn thing was sharper than it was when I first got it! I have thus far carved a goldfish for my mom for Christmas, two small boats and am working on my third mask. I over-reached trying to carve a full figure, but earlier today I made the hundred mile round trip to the nearest store that sells basswood and obtained there three nice long pieces which are destined to become figures 1B, 2 and 3. I have yet to observe another human being in the act of carving, however your writing is so precise and comprehensive that I do not feel that I am in the dark. Belated condolences on Gino's passing, thank god you were able to photograph and interview him [Elements of Woodcarving]. That particular segment has been very instructive to me, and would have been lost had you not taken the time. Thank you for your efforts. __________________ NOTE from Chris Pye: Actually, this sort of feedback does make my 'efforts' worthwhile - unless I hear, I really don't know whether what I write is of any help or not! The thing is, David overcame his reluctance to sharpening and just had a go. In the end, your carving tool is just a piece of metal. Sharpening is a skill; it can be learned. I've just been watching an Olympic Gymnast somersaulting several times backwards on that long narrow bar. It's so frightening to watch; I have to cover my eyes and cross my legs. Onlookers say I whimper. But THAT's what I call skill... ===================================================== That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: "A goal is a dream with a deadline." ~ Harvey Mackay ____________________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ ----------------- SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS Help yourself! Full list and details: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html * Quick Carving Questions - 1 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq1.html (Sponsored by Tools for Working Wood: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 2 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq2.html (Sponsored by Classic Hand Tools: http://www.classichandtools.com/) * The Accomplished V Tool 1 - Free evaluation copy http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/v1.html * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/learncarving.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/safecarving.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/mistakes.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/fundamentals.html *Slicing, And The Value Of The Inside Bevel With The Chris Pye #2 1/2 Finishing Gouges From Ashley Iles - Free pdf http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slicing.html ----------------- TEACHING * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html Single day: £150 3 days: £360 5 days: £495 Lunch included. Local B&Bs in a very beautiful part of England... * USA (CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MAINE) http://www.woodschool.org/ Sept 20 - 24 Ornamental carving (Mouldings) Sept 27 - Oct 1 Relief Carving Oct 4 - 9 Carving Tutorial Full details to be announced. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2004 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------- -----------------------