Bone carving, haven't done one for a year or two, and this needs a polish.

Assorted Bone Carvings, 2009.
Last year I made bone carvings with some kids at school and it proved so popular that I'm doing it again this week. I made these last year (with mixed success, some I can't stand to look at!) as examples to show the kids, but I pinched a nerve in my shoulder during the hours of repetitive filing per piece so I've given up making them myself......for now anyway.

'Grimey', Bone Carving, 2009.

'Rowdy Roddy Peeper', Bone Carving, 2009.

'Hans Moleman', Bone Carving, 2009.
"But Marge,.....the football, the groin, it works on so many levels!!"
I had to freeze the episode at this exact point to get this image, this piece needs another sanding though.

'Poochie', Bone Carving, 2009.
Kent Brockman-"Far be it for me to gloat in another's downfall, but I have a feeling no children will be crying when this puppy is put to sleep."
(P.S. Picture doesn't really do this puppy justice).

'Los Souvenir Jacketos', Bone Carving, 2009.
-"But friend, your jacket is on fire!'
-'Then I shall burn with her.....for I would rather die than have people not know what stores I have been to!'

'Cooder the Carny', Bone carving, 2009.
Classic character from an episode where some carnies take over the Simpson house. Below are some of the files that I use to make the carvings. I don't use electric tools (except to drill the eyes) and the forms and shapes of the face are scratched and filed into the bone by hand and take up to twelve hours per piece.

'Duffman', Bone Carving, 2009.
Still needs another sanding and was difficult adding that detail on a smaller scale, but nice to work with a good piece of bone. Starting some new paintings tomorrow.
P.S. Sweetman.....best entrance music for a hero has to be Yello's 'Oh Yeah'!

'The Yes Guy', Bone Carving, 2009.
This needs a final sanding and I'm a bit disappointed that he is a little cross eyed. This will be the final bone piece for a while so I can concentrate on painting for the upcoming holidays. I will be getting some new bone soon too as I have had to use curved and stained scraps for a while now.

'Otto', Bone Carving, 2009.
This piece of bone has a mottled red stain through it but I am still reasonably happy with it.

'Nelson', Bone Carving, 2009.
This piece of bone is quite curved so it is difficult to get his hunchback and over-bite in the same photo. Everytime I want to move on and do something else I get another idea for a character to do but with holidays coming up, the focus will switch back to painting.

'Number One', Bone Carving, 2009
All together now,
'Who controls the British Crown? Who keeps the metric system down?
We do! We do!
Who leaves Atlantis off the maps? Who keeps the Martains under wraps?
We do! We do!
Who holds back the electric car? Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?
We do! We do!
Who robs the cave fish of their sight? Who rigs every Oscar night?
We do! We do!'
Boo-yah!

'Cleetus Spuckler', Bone Carving, 2009.
Not the nicest piece of bone to work with but I quite like this so far. Other Simpsons candidates for future bone carving include 'Fat Tony', 'Apu' and 'Moe Syzlak'.

Bone Carving #2.

This week I've been working on this piece. I saw the Escher drawing last week and it gave me the idea for the old school skull in top hat carving. This needs a final fine sand and polish as I'm not too happy with it so far.

Dia de los Muertos Skull, 2009.
Lately of an evening I've been eyeing up the dog's bones lying around the house, with an idea to do some bone carving. This is something I have done in the last week with the details carved into the bone with an old file, it now needs a final sanding and a polish.