2011 April » Ozark Walking Sticks

Wood Carvers Block

Apr 262011

If you have been carving wood for very long, you have probably experienced carver’s block. Just like writer’s block for writers, carvers block is a time when wood carvers find it difficult to carve.

A couple months ago, I found myself smack dab in the middle of carvers block. I couldn’t seem to carve anything that made me happy to look at, much less show anybody. Everything that I attempted to carve turned out to be out of proportion or the wood tore while carving. Every cut I made, seemed to be wrong.

I posted a question to other veteran carvers on the Woodcarving Illustrated wood carving forum, asking for advice. The responses that received seemed to be fairly obvious, but some were things that I hadn’t thought of.

Here are some of the tips that I received:

1. Go back to a previous project that you found fun.

2. Take time to explore other things.

3. Make sure your tools are sharp and in working order.

In my case, I made sure my knife was sharp and began working on a previous Santa ornament that I enjoy carving. Do this helped me regain my confidence and get my focus back.

Currently, I have been devoting time to getting his website updated and running smoothly. Hopefully, when I get my knife back out, I am able to put it down. I am already feeling withdrawals.

Just remember, the Number 1 tip to wood carving is to Practice, Practice, Practice!

Hillbilly Checkers Project

Wood Carving Projects 1 Response »

Apr 222011

After watching Gene Messers’ video on how to carve the famous, Harold Enlow character “Rufus”, I tried my hand at carving and painting one. My wife thought it would make a really cool game piece for a checker set.

So with that encouragement, I have set out to carve a complete checker set of Hillbillies carved in basswood. I plan to make one team of 12 just like the above picture and the other team of 12 Hillbillies with green pants and yellow sleeves.

I have carved 2 others like the one above, without the paint so far. If I can just get a chance to sit down and carve some more, I plan to get the entire Hillbilly Checker set carved and painted by the end of summer.

Caricature Carving from Head to Toe: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide to Capturing Expression and Humor in Wood

Wood Carving Articles/Reviews No Responses »

Apr 182011

Caricature Carving from Head to Toe is one of my favorite books for a beginner wood carver. I got this book last Christmas and it grabbed my attention the first time I opened the book.

Mr. Dave Stetson does a wonderful job of documenting the steps in the carving process through words and pictures. The ideas that he conveys will open up a whole new way of thinking when you are carving. Something that became very clear to me, was the fact that you can only carve what your mind can see.

I will definitely be looking for more material from Mr. Stetson. If you have an interest in caricature carving, you should get your own copy of this great book. You can do so, by clicking on the link at the top of this post or by clicking on the photo of the book cover.

7 Hot Domain Name Selection Tips

Other Interests No Responses »

Apr 182011

Do you have the desire to secure your own location on the Internet? Are you trying to determine what to name your little piece of the web? This step in the planning process is a very critical step. It is right now that you are choosing how you and/or your products are known on the World Wide Web. After you have chosen your domain name and registered that name, you are on your way to setting up residence on the web. Here is a list of things to consider when trying to figure out the best address for your web place.

Use Business or Product Name in the Domain Name

Using your business or product name in the domain name helps to get the word out about your endeavors. It also makes finding your website easier for the general public and potential customers. If for example, your business is called Samples Hickory Mill and you are selling hickory wood products, you would want to try to use a domain name that includes specific information about your website in the name. Using sampleshickorymill.com would be a better choice than using something like hickorymill.com. By including the name of your business, you will set your website apart from all the other hickory product websites.

Short Domain Names

It is always a good idea to use the shortest domain name that will still allow a good description of what your website is about. A long drawn out web address can be hard for people to remember and the longer the name, the better chance that people will enter the address incorrectly. Continue reading »

7 Proven Ways to Gain Publicity For Your Website

Other Interests No Responses »

Apr 182011

Now that you have your website started, your next task is to get people to notice that it is there. The more people that know about your website and can find it successfully, the better your chances of being able to make a secondary income. There are several ways to get your website noticed:

Register With Search Engines

Most people find new websites by searching for a topic on search engines. By submitting your site to popular search engines, you will increase your chances of getting recognized. The key to search engine submission is to only submit to each one once. If you submit too many times to the same search engine, you run the risk of getting your website placed on a banned list.

Find Sources for Incoming Links

One way to improving your listing rank with search engines, is to have other sites create incoming links to your website. There are several ways to accomplish this task. You can agree to trade links with people that you know, who also have websites or politely ask other webmasters that maintain sites related to your same topics Continue reading »

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