Originally published on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Here is a really nice piece I did quite a few years ago. It was the first one where I experimented with making water so it was really a lot of fun figuring out just how to do it. The technique is really quite simple, especially in this case as the canoe is resting flat on the water. After the water base was cut and the canoe completed and painted and the edges of the blank whittled to look like rippling water I used a hot glue gun to build up the waves against the prowl and down along the sides of the canoe. Next I radiated strings of glue out from the front of the boat to look like waves would look if the boat was traveling forward. Next came the paint which was just acrylics. The last step was to brush on clear acrylic resin. It took a couple coats to get a really smooth surface free of bubbles.
Below is another Mountain Man canoe carving that I mounted on a piece of driftwood. Believe it or not I picked up that piece of driftwood at the Akagera Game Park in Rwanda back in the 80’s. How’s that for a story? The two fit together perfectly! I’m sorry I do not have more photos of these two pieces but they were made back in the pre-digital period.
Comments welcome as always.
Let me know if you teach seminars
Sorry! No seminars. Only Youtube videos and the Out West Blogposts.
Wow, I remember when you were doing this, 2008 wow time flies…..
Your carvings are great. There is a lot of time,thinking,and talent in all your works. You have a great mind. You are great with a knife and paint brush and Judy’s skill with a camera makes it so nice and informative to watch over and over.