Passing Preflight Inspection

Planning the carving Our blonde cocker spaniel, Charley, seemed about the right size for modeling Rudolph as a fawn, so I had my husband take pictures of Charley and me from all angles. To get the proportions correct for Rudolph, I searched Google images web pages for photos of a sitting fawn, but did not find a single one. This led me to further research on fawns and their anatomy, where I learned that deer do not sit—especially in the position I had originally planned. The pose I settled on was Santa checking Rudolph’s red nose and Rudolph kissing Santa’s nose. I know deer do not have lips that can pucker up for a kiss, but neither do they have noses that glow—I consider it artistic license. I made armatures out of Wireform soft aluminum modeling wire using measurements from the reference photos and drawings. I added wood, crumpled-up aluminum foil, and duct tape to fill out the armatures and conserve clay. Armed with reference photos and materials, such as my husband’s Marine Corps pilot’s flight boots, I made a model out of Plastalina clay.

Carving the Figures Excluding the base, Santa and Rudolph were carved from a single piece of basswood. The blank was larger than my band saw could safely handle, so I used hand tools to rough out the carving. After drawing the front and side views on the basswood, I realized there was no way to clamp or secure the carving on a vise without leaving gaping holes that would later need to be filled. I held the blank against a wood dog on my work bench or in my lap and started bringing my vision to life with Foredom reciprocating tools and then hand chisels. It was a tedious and time-consuming process which become a tad dangerous when chiseling out wood between Santa and Rudolph’s legs. Sometimes even carving gloves don’t stop a sharp chisel.

Painting and Finishing

I paint my carvings with an acrylic paint wash to add subtle color while allowing the wood to show through. To make a paint wash, mix one drop of paint with 12 drops of Minwax water-based wood stain clear base tint. After the paint is dry, I seal my carvings with Deft spray lacquer.

Santa’s suit and hat were colored with washes of red apple and burgundy mixed for the reds, and white washes for the trim. I added shadows with a very small amount of navy blue acrylic paint and an acrylic blending gel. I painted Rudolph with a variety of tans, browns and whites, and used raw sienna for the shadows. Rudolph’s nose is neon pink with a drop of pearl finish to give it a glow. The snow on the base is a combination of white and pearl-finish paints.

Texturing the Trim on Santa's Suit

Planning is an integral part of any original carving, but executing the details well is equally important. From the fur trim on Santa’s suit down to the sole of his boots, the details are what brings a carving to life. If you are unfamiliar with creating any portion of your carving, practice on scrap wood to perfect your technique before attempting to create the effect on your carving, practice on scrap wood to perfect your technique before attempting to create the effect on your carving.

Rough out the shape. Replicate the shape of the carving you want to texture. Adding texture to a flat piece of wood can be very different from texturing a rounded shape. Use a bench knife to round the wood to resemble a cylinder or, in this case, an arm.

Add definition. Shape the scrap wood to resemble the finished carving. Make a stop cut between Santa’s sleeve and the fluffy trim with a knife or V-tool. Reduce the sleeve leaving the trim area larger than the sleeve to give the trim a fluffy appearance.

Add rough texture. It's often easier to create a realistic effect by working in stages. The first step for Santa's trim is to create the overall bunches and folds. I use a %"-wide U-gouge. Use your tool of choice.

Carve more details. Working within the general contours created in step 3, add a second layer of finer details. Use a '/s" or 3mm #11 gouge. Make a series of shallow cuts over the entire trim area.

Woodburn additional texture. Use a ball-tip wood burning pen to burn dimples in each gouge mark. Because the trim will be white, keep the temperature low. For fur or feathers, you may want a higher temperature.

Woodburn fine details. A woodburner can often achieve more precise details than carving tools. Switch to a pin-point woodburning pen and burn a hole in each dimple. Fine woodburning tips are excellent for feather quills and fur texture, such as on Rudolph's coat.

Paint the trim. Use acrylic paint mixed with Minwax water-based wood stain clear tint base to produce a wash, which allows the wood grain to show through. For darker colors, apply additional coats. Dry brush the trim with a stiff brush and full-strength white acrylic paint to highlight the texture.

MATERIALS:

•Scrap basswood (to practice texturing)

•6"x9"x10" basswood

(Santa and Rudolph)

•1%" x 10" x 12" basswood (base)

•Acrylic paints: white, navy blue, red apple, burgundy, brown, tan, neon pink

•Pearl-finish paint

•Minwax water-based stain clear tint base

•Deft spray lacquer

TOOLS:

I used a variety of tools to carve Santa and Rudolph. Use the tools you have available and with which you are most comfortable.

Texturing Tools:

•Carving knife

•%"-wide U-gouge

•’/s" or 3mm #11 gouge

•Woodburner with ball-tip

and pin-point pens

•Paintbrushes of choice

•Stiff paintbrush (dry brushing)