Kingfisher 1770 1:48 POF

[dockattner]

Just in case you decide to go Technicolor, the brown head is Europe's version of a Kingfisher. The more beautiful one here in the U.S. is my favorite bird and I think the better looking of the two. Notice the very long, stout, and pointed beak.

These birds have a very distinctive call as they fly a quite low and bouncy trajectory along stream courses.

Roy

Hello. I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. The kingfisher you find more beautiful is the European kingfisher. Here's the link to the report.

What are kingfishers?

An introduction to kingfishers (family Alcendinidae), including a brief description of what they look like, what they eat, how diverse they are, where they live, and what their conservation status is.

evolution.earthathome.org

I checked your link, yep you are correct, this is the US version I grew up with on the creek". I have to agree with you, that aqua colored head on the European version is a bit more dignified than the US punk hair (feather) cut bird.
Thanks for getting me straightened out.

Take it outside, boys .
It seems I have carved a duck rather than a kingfisher!!!

 

[dockattner]

True story Paul, however the improvement rate is so rapid it won’t be long before there is no “but still”.

beautiful carving work, well done my friend

Witj
You are a very universal man Paweł, you can conjure up a lot from wood, the reliefs are great. Greetings Mirek

Thank you very much guys!

 

[dockattner]

One becomes so accustomed to the sharpness of your carpentry that the softer organic shapes of the duck and drapery stand out rather. Perhaps it runs against the grain of your profession to carve sharp ridges and valleys, like an old geezer’s teeth.

However, I still think it’s very classy and will probably look brilliant under paint. Thinking about the figureheads on display at Portsmouth Museum, eighteenth century British naval carving was much cruder than the north German work I’ve seen in cathedrals. You know, the wonderful arty stuff that a craftsman worked on for years. I bet the real kingfisher was chipped out in a week.

I believe your work here is already at least as fine as the real thing.

Welcome back Smithy! Thanks for the substantive post!

 

[dockattner]

You went deeper in the bird's wings and flowers too. Nice...
And your curtains look good too. You're quick learner.


Yep. "True story" would Grant say. Watch your neck too, like Herman said. I use the winebox to get the work piece higher and close to the eyes. Pause your work to keep concentrated. More I can't say about that point.

Is it not a lot of fun to do?

Yes, I did conjure up the courage to add more depth. Thanks for pointing that out. It's rather surprising what you can get out of a 1 mm thick piece of wood.

Ergonomics is a big deal in dentistry, so I am very aware of my posture while I am working. How are you lighting your workpiece? I am using a ring light magnifier and it washes out the depth because there are no shadows.

TOO MUCH FUN!

 

[Tobias]

Take it outside, boys .
It seems I have carved a duck rather than a kingfisher!!!

HMS Duck, sounds good too.

 

[Steef66]

How are you lighting your workpiece?

I use a Ikea lamp. 2 in total



Warmwhite bulb in it.
You indeed need the shadows. So a led ring or strip is useless. Best is sunlight if you have that.
Also sometime a magnifier/loupe is useless, because it kills the depth sightseeing. Beter is to use glasses with magnifier to keep the depth. I have a simple one to clip on my reading glasses. Works perfect.

 

[dockattner]

HMS Duck, sounds good too.

Not only do I need to know about ships but apparently I also need to be an ornithologist to get the most out of this hobby.

 

[Jimsky]

Yes, I did conjure up the courage to add more depth. Thanks for pointing that out. It's rather surprising what you can get out of a 1 mm thick piece of wood.

Ergonomics is a big deal in dentistry, so I am very aware of my posture while I am working. How are you lighting your workpiece? I am using a ring light magnifier and it washes out the depth because there are no shadows.

TOO MUCH FUN!

... may I suggest a dental light? It does light the spot instead of the entire place, it is also portable and can be attached to magnifying glasses... Ouch, I forgot who I explaining to...

 

[Steef66]

And ducktape! When you attach a magnifier clip and a dental light to your reading glasses, you need to tape your reading glasses to your ears. That will avoid the glasses falling of your head.

 

[GrantTyler]

And while the banter continues …“HMS Duck “ has hit 200 pages…..

 

[bowwild]

Take it outside, boys .
It seems I have carved a duck rather than a kingfisher!!!

Yes, I wasn't going to point out the duck bill. Of course that's on the makers of the boat, not Paul.

 

[BradNSW]

Thanks, Brad. As I'm still in 'figuring it out' mode I can't yet speak to technique. I have a full set of Pferd jewelers file - is there a more 'micro' set out there?

Correction: the higher number, the smoother the cut. They make a 4cut. I got the smallest (4" length), so they "cut" small angles, grooves, swirls, dots, etc.

 

[Maarten]

Very nice work Paul, but indeed your duck needs some tweaking.
Found this one, maybe it helps.

Hand-Made Kingfisher

 

[The Gavel]

Peter G, Stephan, Russ, Peter V, Ron, Tobias, Grant, Daniel, Dean, and Miguel - I thank you all for the nice posts - and to all the others for the likes.

I have continued to work on the lower tafferel decoration (and have now added some curtains to the upper portion of the tafferel).

BEFORE:

View attachment 507281

AFTER:

View attachment 507278

View attachment 507279

Improving...but still...

This wood carving is exhausting business. The smallest lapse of concentration ruins the piece...

Those curtains are legit my friend! You are clearly sprinting up this particular learning curve. Well done!
Blessings.
Chuck

 

[dockattner]

A rare Monday posting...

I'm not sure if this is an interim result or the final result. Every time I step away and come back I find things that need to be improved. But at my current skill level the rate of return has been getting pretty small.

I have found these human forms and faces to be extraordinarily challenging. We KNOW what a face looks like and carving something realistic at this scale (and as a relief carving) is elusive.

First image is just taken with my phone for scale:



A few more looks:







My utmost respect to those people gifted and experienced who excel in this artform.

 

[Dubz Modelling World]

Super great, I'll have to try it sometime but your results are really great!
Dirk

 

[RussF]

One thing I remember from art class many, many years ago was that in human faces, the eyes are located almost exactly halfway between the bottom of the chin and the top of the head. It seems counterintuitive, because most people's hair covers enough of their forehead that it looks like their eyes are higher up. When you rough-sketch your faces, start by putting the eyes right in the center. Your center figure looks the most realistic, followed by the one on the right. The eyes on the left one are pretty high.

All that said, your ability to carve the detail so smoothly is wonderful. Once you get the proportions worked out, they'll be second to none!

 

[Dean62]

One thing I remember from art class many, many years ago was that in human faces, the eyes are located almost exactly halfway between the bottom of the chin and the top of the head. It seems counterintuitive, because most people's hair covers enough of their forehead that it looks like their eyes are higher up. When you rough-sketch your faces, start by putting the eyes right in the center. Your center figure looks the most realistic, followed by the one on the right. The eyes on the left one are pretty high.

All that said, your ability to carve the detail so smoothly is wonderful. Once you get the proportions worked out, they'll be second to none!

Agreed...and he's already good at making boobs!
On a more serious note, you can add veins on the leaves with an xacto knife, also add definition to the hair using a knife as well. And you could add feathers to the wings that way too. It all depends how detailed you want the carving to be.

 

[Steef66]

You have to imagine the form in your head before carving. A face/head is very difficult. But the boobs look indeed good, I agree with Dean. It's easy to think about them

For the face I use the Loomis method. Works the best for me to positioning the eyes, noose, ears and mouth.
Post in thread 'An easy introduction to making wood ornaments by Stephan Kertész (Steef66)' https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/...-by-stephan-kertész-steef66.16094/post-420069
Also watching carving video's of carving a head/face helps to see how to form the face in depth.


Don't give up, I think that you finally will achieve a good result that meets your expectations, because I see that your learning curve is very steep.
It’s looking great, you just started with this part of the hobby.

 

[Daniel20]

Just keep at it Paul, you know the old saying practice, practice, practice.