Colin's Santa finally finished

Hi Gang,
Dont laugh I am not a Santa carver and certainly not a painter as you can see. This is the Santa I did a long time ago and asked all the advice on painting him. I did finally paint him although I am not finished because I am not happy with it. Unfortunatly it cracked right down the front of the carving but I decided not to fill it. Any comments are more than welcome I have a lot to learn as you can see. I did not sand this carving (mind you I never sand my carvings) maybe it may have turned out better if I had done so. I think maybe I will put this guy on Ebay when he is finished just for fun. It is the right time of the year.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...&members=1
Colin

Nothing to laugh at there Colin! great Santa!

Cracked or not, and 24' high. Great carving!
Just one query? I noticed that some of the native carvers here on the west coast cut a groove thru to the center of the log to control cracking. They mostly seem to be using Cedar, but, does it actually work? and does it work on other species?

Mothy,
Yes I know that some of the chainsaw carvers do this and yes it does eliminate some of the cracking but no always all of it. The reason for making the cut is to relieve some of the tension of the wood therefore giving the wood a place to do that. This particular piece of cedar was bone dry when I started to carve it and there were a few cracks but once you start taking wood away the carving will crack almost right away one minute you are carving and the next the crack is there. BTW where are you from in BC I make a trip to Campbell River every year.
Colin

Colin, he sure looks good to me!

Jerry

Nothing wrong with that Colin. You might want to work a little wood glue into the crack to keep it from cracking any more though.

Colin....Nice work, like the style......Coffeeman

Colin - He looks GOOD. The way you've bad-mouthed your painting ability I was surprised to see something that GOOD !!
The blending of flesh color and rosy cheeks is super.
Congratulations !!
And I think the crack adds character. Is he finished so he's suitable for outdoor use? I think he's be wonderful on somebody's porch - beside a front door.

Colin,
The santa is awesome. Now you are a santa carver, too! See how easy that was? It's addictive, but not fatal!

Someone will love to have him adding Christmas cheer in their house this year and for many years to come. Thanks for sharing.

Donna T

[owlhause]

Looks great Colin!!
Don't hesitate to call yourself a Santa carver!


I think you would be surprised how many you would sell and get orders for year round.
My santas sell just as well in June as they do in Nov. & Dec.

Greg