Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Carving Hitty

I FINALLY read the book Hitty, Her First One Hundred Years. I am so in love with story of little Hitty. What a fascinating story about a cute little wooden doll. I tried to carve a Hitty doll  about a year ago and kept cutting off her nose. It was very hard to carve such a small face.  I thought it would be easy to carve small but not for me. It seemed like my tools were too large. Maybe it was my technique....at any rate I purchased a set of Dockyard tools for the woodcraftshop.com. The smaller tools made a difference. They are easier to get into small areas of the face. These are the Hitty's inspired dollies I have been carving and painting. They are made from basswood and butternut. They range in size from 6 1/4 to 7 inches. I love carving in wood. I use mainly softwoods and so easy to carve. But I also have dolls in walnut, mahogany and maple I am working on also. Each of the dolls have such distinct personalities. It is so fun to watch them come to life. I joined a woodcarvers group called the Fruitbelt Woodcarvers. I am learning so much about carving tools. Working with SHARP knives really make a big difference. I have also been working on making a handle for my knifes also. Enjoy the dolls....more to come.
The girls are named left to right: 
Chae,Mercedes, Izzy,
 Zana, and Fiona