Ok, I'm A Liar. Here's Some More.

When I first started posting I said that I wouldn't show the carvings painted and finished, well I lied, kinda. In my process after I "finish" the carvings I like to stain them so I can make any changes before I paint them. So here's Yasmina's, Alex's and Rebecca's portraits stained and touched-up. I'm still working on Rochelle's carving and I might . . . MIGHT, add a seventh portrait, it really depends on my progress in the next week or so. I was outside all day yesterday (Sunday) carving and got some wicked blisters on my hands, so the progress I make this week will probably be minimal. I think I need to get some golfing or batting gloves to protect my hands while I'm carving, something without too much padding so I don't lose too much feel.

Rochelle To Board

Even though I'm getting better at carving, drawing these on the boards still take quites a while. This is the last one, I think. I don't know if I'll decide to add another portrait to make it an overall count to seven. It really depends on if all of these turn out as well as I hoped once they're all completed. This week has flown bye for me, kinda wish I could get some of that time back. I would probably use the time to stare at a spot on the wall or do something else monotonous so I could really see where that retrieved time goes. Who am I kidding? I'd most likely use the time to have a beer and watch a repeat of Family Guy . . . mmmmm, beer.

Alex Carving Completed

I'm very thankful for the weather we've been having and I'm doing my best to take advantage of it while it's still nice outside. Worked for a couple of hours today and finished up Alex's portrait for the most part. I've noticed it's been staying light outside about an hour longer than when I started, which is absolutely awesome since the only real time I get to work on the carvings is after 5pm. This blog is a big reason I'm working so well on this series, there's a lot of pressure to try and have a new post everyday, a good kind of pressure though. Another thing I'm doing is not cutting my hair until I'm completely done. "So it gets a little shaggy, so what?" you might say. But when my hair starts growing over my ears it annoys the hell out of me. I know it's still a pretty weird thing to do, but if I wasn't weird I wouldn't be so dedicated to my art.

Alex Beginning Carving

I'm really trying to keep my rhythm now. So because of that I skipped posting the "Alex Drawing on Board Post". I'm very happy to say that I've found the "zone" in the creation of the carvings. I literally space-out and find a very happy place (yes, much like Happy Gilmore) and I just go-with-the-flow. I did this in a little over 45 minutes, which would have been more like 4 hours three weeks ago, no joke. My goal is to have everything done by the end of March so I can have all of April to promote the show.

Marissa Carving Finished

Really didn't think I would get this finished before the weekend. I really hope it turns out well once I paint it. If I hang a different carving of Marissa, you'll know how this one turned out. I'm going to be visiting friends in Austin this weekend so I probably won't have an update until Monday.

Marissa Beginning Carving

I went home a little early because the weather was really beautiful and just sitting at my desk all day was killing me. I got in about an hour more for carving than I usually do on the weekdays. I'm using this portrait of Marissa because of the great expression on her face. My main challenge is getting her lips correct, because she's puckering and smiling at the same time. So my main focus is to make her look like she's smiling and not pouting, not something that I'm really used to dealing with when doing these large scale carvings. It'd be a lot easier if life had "Ctrl-Z" (actually Command-Z).

Marissa To Board

The finish on this wood is a bit darker than the past three, so I'm thinking I might have to go over it again with a Sharpie so I won't lose the image once the carving starts and saw dust is all over the board. Hopefully it stays nice outside the rest of this week so I can knock this one out before the weekend, though I doubt I'll be able to.

Rebecca Carving Completed

Ok with three done I'm now at the half way point to the finish line. It's like I'm at the Wednesday of my progress; not as cool as Friday but it's a heck of a lot better than Monday. Wait, tomorrow's Monday . . . crap.

Rebecca Carving Started

I was able to start carving Rebecca's image yesterday. Hopefully tonight I'll get to start putting the remaining three portraits onto the boards.

Yasmina Carving Complete

I finished Yasmina's carving a couple of days ago. Which also just happened to be the day when I found out just how allergic I am to saw dust. I took my mask off early not really thinking about how much saw dust kicks up when I air blast the board before I bring it inside. Let's just say that I experienced a migraine like never before and breathing becomes increasingly difficult each minute until I take some Benadryl and Ibuprofen.

Rochelle Beginning Sketch

Ok I have six sketches actually done, now there is no excuse for me to not get all the carvings started. I appreciate all the support from everyone, it has really motivated me beyond anything that I had originally foresaw. The anticipation of May for me now is like when I waited for Christmas as a child, a little over whelming but over all exciting.

A Very Cold Morning

This is pretty much what you would've seen if you came into my backyard yesterday morning. I think my neighbor still has no idea what I'm really doing when I'm back there, or that I'm smiling when I wave to her. The other day the DHL guy came back there to give me a package but wouldn't get close enough to actually hand it over to me. He just placed it on the ground and backed away. Probably didn't help that I was holding a giant buzz-saw while looking like this.

Alex Beginning Sketch

Here's a sketch of Alex, I forgot to take any progress shots . . . all I can say is that yesterday was a really long day and my brain wasn't really firing on all cylinders. It's first Friday for February so that means I officially have only three months to get everything completed with only 1 and a half carvings done. I'm not panicking just yet. See me two weeks till the due date, then you'll see how I really handle stress.