Ron Ransom's latest carving guide will walk you through the creation of wonderful and whimsical holiday characters to entertain all year long. Full color photographs, easy-to-understand instructions, and detailed patterns make this book simple enough for beginners, yet challenging for experienced carvers looking for new ideas. A color gallery of all the finished pieces provides readers with close up detail of the finished products. The projects shown in this book, designed using simple hand tools, include a "flying" witch and a headless figure with pumpkin for Halloween, a leprechaun to bring out the Irish in all of us, and a wise old Father Time to celebrate New Year's Eve. Simple but precise patterns for all of these projects, as well as instructions on how to paint and antique them are provided. Ron also gives carvers tips on improvising on these projects to stimulate your creativity and keep you supplied with fresh ideas.

For the cigar aficionado, a proper humidor is absolutely essential for the safe storage of favorite cigars. Dick Sing offers his design for an eye-catching cylindrical humidor to the discriminating craftsman and connoisseur. In this book, he provides detailed instructions on the design, turning, and finishing of this distinctive humidor. Helpful hints and practical advice useful to woodturners of all levels are provided. The instructions are accompanied by over 180 color photographs, illustrating each step. Details are presented not only on the construction of the humidor, but also on the proper lining materials and equipment necessary to maintain the optimal humidity level within the confines of the humidor. A photo gallery at the end of the book provides additional inspiration.

Each year many well-used and well-loved Christmas trees are discarded at the end of the holiday season and are too quickly forgotten. By carving next year's Christmas ornaments from the trunk and limbs of this tree, you can save some very special memories for you and your family! Using parts of the trunk, you can carve elves, Santas, angels and more. Incorporating the branches sticking out from the trunk, you can carve angels blowing heavenly trumpets, elves with long noses, and good-natured Santas with drooping hats. In this book, Al and Trinka Chapman will show you how to cut your tree into usable parts, sketch out various figures that fit well into your wooden segments, cut, carve, and sand your figure, and finish it with paint and hanging hooks. They have provided step-by-step instructions for two projects - a Santa, which was carved entirely with hand tools, and a herald angel blowing a trumpet, which was carved using power tools.

Caricature carver Steve Brown puts his unique talent to work carving these conversational writing tools. Herein are 37 designs for unique pens portraying objects and people. There are basketball and baseball players, a golfer, a fisherman, a farmer, a plumber, a doctor, and a Nascar driver. He has a frontiersman, an Indian, an Uncle Sam, and a wizard, along with a bunch of new takes on the ever popular Santa Claus. And there are non-human (and fish) figures, too, including a baseball bat and a string of billiard balls. Steve demonstrates his technique step-by-step for beginners in more than a hundred color photographs, and a gallery of Brown's carvings will help to stimulate new ideas among beginning and seasoned carvers alike.

Italian Renaissance 'plaquettes' are often stored and displayed as a homogeneous category or genre in museum collections due to their apparently uniform small relief format. This has resulted in a scholarly literature that has concentrated largely on connoisseurship and taken the form of catalogues, thereby both responding to and propagating the myth of this classification. However, what is often forgotten, or buried deep in scattered catalogue entries, is that during the Renaissance this small relief format was regularly mass-produced and employed extensively in a variety of different contexts. Far from being a homogeneous category, plaquettes were originally viewed as many separate types of object, including pieces for personal adornment, liturgical objects, domestic artefacts, and models for architecture and painting. For the Renaissance consumer, the commission of a hat badge with a personal motto, the purchase of an off-the-shelf inkwell or the acquisition of a small relief for his study were separate concerns. The aim of this book is to redress the balance by examining these reliefs in terms of their use, alongside broader issues regarding the status of such objects within visual, scholarly and artistic culture from the fifteenth century to the early sixteenth.

Baby birds are some of the cutest creatures on this earth!" So begins Rosalyn Daisey's latest adventure into fine carving. In this new book she leads the carver through the creating of the chicks of five birds: the Carolina Chickadee, the Eastern Bluebird, the Bobwhite Quail, the Killdeer, and the Wood Duckling. Each step in the process is illustrated with a clear color photograph and a concise explanation from the author about what the step involves and how to do it correctly. In addition there are reference drawings, color palettes, and photographs of study skins. As always Rosalyn share the anecdotes and insights of a wildlife lover, and it is easy to see why her work seems to reflect a reverence for her subjects. This is Rosalyn's fifth carving book. She is nationally respected as one of the country's leading wildlife artists. Her work has won numerous awards, and the interest in her seminars speaks well of her ability to teach the art to others. This is the same skill she brings to this book. Enjoy.

Working in full-size is a daunting prospect for most carvers. But, fortunately, some creatures are made small enough to be manageable. So it is with elves. These delightful mischievous characters of myth are traditionally very small, and have a liveliness about them that make them perfect subjects for carving. Kelley Stadelman takes the carver step-by-step through the process of creating a life sized elf. After years of teaching, Kelley makes carving easy and enjoyable. She begins with the blank and ends with decorative painting. The result is a wonderful creature in the primitive style that will adorn your home or shop. Each step is illustrated with a color photograph and descriptive caption. Patterns are included for the main project and several similar projects that are shown in the gallery. This is a great project for the beginning or intermediate carver!

Veteran carver and instructor Al Streetman cleaned up his shop and came up with yet another hot book, this one presenting a thin cast of characters carved from leftover wood scraps. Streetman takes novice and advanced carvers alike through a step-by-step process of carving and painting these unique creations made from piles of narrow leftovers. The task is made simpler with 126 photos and more than 25 illustrations, including the cutout patterns for 20 unique figures, such as Santas, elves, and the featured pirate project. In addition to sharing Al's tips and secrets regarding head, hand, and body carving, this informative book provides detailed suggestions regarding carving tools, paintbrushes, and paint colors.

Though she has not knowingly seen Angels, Kelley Stadelman has received their help in times of crisis. She has felt their presence. These joyful little soldiers of God seem to have a childlike presence. Their personalities are uninhibited. They go about their duties energetically. Yet they are wise, committed to their tasks and reverent to their boss. The whimsy of angels is captured in the designs of this book. Kelley leads the carver step-by-step through the angel carving project, beginning with the blank and finishing with a beautifully painted heavenly being. With concise descriptions and clear color photographs, Kelley's experience as a teacher will lead carvers of every ability to beautiful results.

Dale Power leads you step-by-step through the process of carving a robust and realistic polar bear. Complete, concise instruction and detailed color photographs make the carving of this bear an enjoyable task for the novice and advanced carver alike. Dale approaches the carving with a combination of hand and power tools, giving good advice in both techniques. Once carved, Dale illustrates techniques to burn and paint the details that give your bear a very natural look. Four original patterns for polar bears, grizzlies and brown bears are included as well. The gallery photographs provide detailed and instructive perspective on these bears from different regions of the world. The character and personality of each bear comes through in these photos.

For every fisherman who feels buying a lure and catching fish is not challenging enough, this book takes you back to yesteryear, when there were no department stores or sports shops and helps you create your own fishing lures. In 220 detailed color photos, Greg Hays helps you carve lures step-by-step, from the initial blank to a finished broke-back lure. Every tool needed is listed, every technique employed is carefully described, including painting instructions. Additionally, the author provides a pattern for the lure and illustrated instructions on assembling special boxes for each lure you create. Rounding out the presentation is a gallery featuring a variety of lures to fire your imagination. Once your lure is assembled, give it a try. The author is confident it will help you catch fish!

Step-by-step instructions for carving an amusing golfing figure from wood, painting it, and displaying it. Full of original personality and a spark of wit, the design will delight all who encounter it. Other patterns make up a foursome, with a color gallery illustrating all.

Tom Heller and Ron Clarkson share their techniques and expertise with the reader, going step by step through the process of making a carved Queen Anne foot stool. While complete instructions are given, the emphasis is on the beautiful carving that added such elegance to period furniture. The readers will learn which carving tools to use and how to apply them to this project. They will be able to follow the measured drawings of the project, and will be aided by the full-sized detailed drawings and the ample photography. Tom and Ron have covered every aspect so the readers can execute their own "works of art." From cutting out the stock to applying the finish, no process has been left out. After finishing the project, the reader will be able to apply the knowledge gained here to other furniture. A gallery in the back shows some of those applications. This is truly a book to be owned and enjoyed by anyone who enjoys working with wood and creating beautiful pieces of furniture.

Cheetahs are the fastest land animals. Their beautiful, sinuous bodies allow them to reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Dale Power guides the novice and veteran carver through the process of capturing the beauty, speed and grace of these amazing animals in basswood with a combination of hand and power carving tools, wood burning equipment and paints. Step-by-step instructions, well illustrated with color photographs, simply and pleasurably guide the carver through each phase of the process. Details, including musculature, tear lines and tail rings, are included to give your cheetah a natural look. Patterns for three cheetahs walking, running and at rest are included. The gallery provides inspirational perspectives on the cheetah carved and several others to fire the imagination.

Dramatic social and political change marks the period from the end of the Late Bronze Age into the Iron Age (ca. 1300 700 BCE) across the Mediterranean. Inland palatial centers of bureaucratic power weakened or collapsed ca. 1200 BCE while entrepreneurial exchange by sea survived and even expanded, becoming the Mediterranean-wide network of Phoenician trade. At the heart of that system was Kition, one of the largest harbor cities of ancient Cyprus. Earlier research has suggested that Phoenician rule was established at Kition after the abandonment of part of its Bronze Age settlement. A reexamination of Kition s architecture, stratigraphy, inscriptions, sculpture, and ceramics demonstrates that it was not abandoned. This study emphasizes the placement and scale of images and how they reveal the development of economic and social control at Kition from its establishment in the thirteenth century BCE until the development of a centralized form of government by the Phoenicians, backed by the Assyrian king, in 707 BCE."

Clowns are the ideal subjects for caricature carvers. They give the carver a limitless variety of faces and situations to create. The only boundaries are the carver's ability and imagination, and the realities of the human form. Like all of us, clowns are complex figures, happy and sad, comic and tragic, all at the same time. Because they capture both sides of us, the clown has been a powerful figure through many years of human history. One clown is carved from beginning to end, with each step illustrated to help the carver. Most of the figures are in various comic settings and the gallery has several different clowns in various situations. Also included is a brief section on carving the letters used to label the pieces. This book promises hours of enjoyment and challenge for woodcarvers of all abilities.

Here is a chance to get to know some of earth's most fascinating creatures through wood carving. Brian Gilmore provides patterns and easy to follow carving instructions for 10 species of whales. More than 150 color photographs lead the carver step-by-step through the carving and painting of the Great Right Whale and the Killer Whale and provide direction for the alterations needed to carve the other species. All of the projects in the book can be made as simple or as complex as the carver desires. A gallery of whale carvings will help provide ideas and inspiration, and for the budding naturalists, short descriptions of each of the ten species are provided.

The sea-faring odyssey of Noah, his family, and the world's animals collected two-by-two is well known to young and old. David Sabol brings the story to life with a series of lively and expressively carved and painted animals and characters. David introduces his readers to the use of the traditional carving and realistic coloring techniques which give his carvings a distinctive design, personality, and charm. Step-by-step techniques for carving Noah's wife or one of several animals native to North America. The combination of clear explanation and color photos make each step easy to follow. Patterns include: Mrs. Noah, two turkeys, pumas, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, skunks, and opossums. This new book will provide hours of pleasure for all carvers from novice to professionals, giving them varied and exciting challenges and beautifully detailed results that will please them.

Once again Tom Wolfe brings his artistry, skill, and wit to the mythic figures of bygone days: The Wild West. Taken separately, the cowboy, gambler, bartender, sheriff, and soiled dove offer interesting challenges to the carver. Together they make an enchanting scene, interacting with each other and almost magically taking on a life of their own. Fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions from the blank to the painted figure.

Instructions for carving and painting a variety of appealing wooden angel figures with ease and humor. With many color and black-and-white illustrations of the creative steps, the book presents numerous different angle designs as weathervanes, Christmas ornaments, and free-standing figures of appealing and frequently whimsical personalities. The instructions encourage all to try.

Paul and Camille Bolinger present a how-to guide for creating whimsical wooden Christmas figures that sit on shelf edges to decorate all holiday homes. Inspirational as well as educational, Edge of Christmas contains the patterns for nine new woodcarvings, including a Teddy Bear, a Moose, Snowmen, and, of course, some Santas. The great design ideas and decorating touches shown by Paul and Camille are sure to help you perfect your carving skills and expand your ability to a new level. Through easy-to-follow instructions and helpful practice exercises, the "cut out and glue up" techniques detailed instruct novices and old hands alike on how to produce eye-catching figures faster and with more confidence. The design ideas and patterns include ideas on the different beard, mustache, nose, and eye styles, while also encouraging and allowing room for carvers to develop unique and imaginative designs of their own. With the showcase of figures featured in the picture gallery, this book is certain to bring inspiration and innovation to any carving technique, spurring carvers into a carving frenzy.

Santa Mini-Cheers (c) answer the wood carver's perennial question, What can I do with all of these basswood scraps? Presented are six patterns and instructions for carving three miniature Santas and a larger Santa holding a snowman. All are carved in an Old World style, with simplicity and character. Ron skill-fully guides the carver through each project with straight-forward, step-by-step directions, color illustrations, and a bit of humor. A gallery is included. For those who are familiar with Ron's other books, this one will be a welcome addition. For new carvers, this book will both guide you through the process and inspire you to forge ahead in the wood carvers craft.

When Zulu women potters innovate or move to a more urban setting, they are asked why they have abandoned tradition. Yet when they continue to follow convention or choose to stay in rural areas, art historians speak of their work as unchanging symbols of the past. Burnished rejects both stereotypes, acknowledging the agency of rural women as innovative artists and complex individuals negotiating a biased set of power structures. Featuring 90 color images, Burnished engages directly with individual artists and specific vessels, fracturing assumptions that Zulu ceramicists are resistant to rural transformation and insulated from urban realities. Elizabeth Perrill shares compelling narratives of women ceramic artists and the sophisticated beer pots they create—their aesthetic choices, audiences, production, and artistic lives. Simultaneously, Perrill documents the manner in which and reasons why ceramic arts, and at times the artists themselves, capitalize upon bucolic stereotypes of rural womanhood, are constrained by artistic methods, or chafe against definitions of what qualifies as a Zulu pot. Revealing how white South Africans and global art gatekeepers have continually twisted the designation of Zulu ceramics before, during, and after apartheid, Burnished provides an engaging look at the artistry of entrepreneurial Black women too often erased from historical records.

Do animals have their own Santa Claus? One look at these creations by Tom Wolfe and you will believe that they do. Santimals capture all the charm of the season in a new and delightful way. Tom takes the reader step-by-step through the carving of the raccoon Santimal, from the pattern to the painting. Each step is clearly illustrated with a full-color photograph and helpful description. In addition there are patterns and multi-angled color gallery photographs for several other Santimals. These include a goose, a hound dog, a duck, a pig, a mouse, and a bear. In addition, the raccoon pattern can be easily converted to a fox. This creative new project is perfect for the holidays and a welcome addition to the carver's repertoire. It is a great book for carvers of all skill levels. Everyone, from the beginner to the veteran, will enjoy its delightful projects.

Throughout history people have sought ways to mark their passing and to memorialize their loved ones' final resting places. In this book, Dale Power provides you with the tools and techniques to create long lasting, beautiful stone monuments and markers with a sandblaster. Step-by-step, with straight-forward explanations and color illustrations, Dale takes you thorugh the process from preparing the stone and sandblasting mask, through the sandblasting process itself, and finally to finishing touches that will make your monument stand out among the rest. The gallery is filled with fine examples of the sandblasting art-both old and new-to fire your creativity. Also provided are eleven designs to reproduce and ten typeface styles for easy monument and marker lettering.