Bufflehead decoy update

[Chuck J]

Well I followed the advice give (or at least I think I did.) For my first attempt, I am happy with the results, but not content that I can't do better.

Any more critiques are very welcome. I didn't see it on the decoy when working, but in the pictures the side looks kind of flat. I'll have to look at that closer tonight.

I cut out a second Buffy yesterday, so I think I'll work on that one and paint them together.

Chuck

 

[Bob B]

Looks good chuck. Are you going to hollow it? Don't worry about the flat side too much. The birds wont. Get the paint on it and see if you can get it to self right. That is one of the most important things in a working bird.

 

[Bill McAdam]

You're rolling pretty good now. Got the head nice and round.
But we need more of an eye channel. Perhaps this will help illustrate. I've provided a head on shot of a hen Mallard, but the principle's the same. You need to go back to your pattern and lay in the bill. Go to the MightyLayoutBoys website and look at the reference section and there's a tutorial there. After you've layed out the bill, you need to cut an eye channel from the upper corners of the bill back over the top of the cheek. You can see it in the pic of the hen. It separates the lower part of her head (jaws and neck and bill) from the upper part (her brain). The eyes sit in that channel so she can look down her bill and see forward.

 

[Lee Harker]

Stick some eyes in it and get it painted. First dekes can put you in a funk trying to make them perfect. Get going on the next one..this one will hunt.

 

[Chuck J]

Bob,

Yes I do plan on hollowing it.

Bill,

Thanks for the pointers, I think I will apply them with Lee's advice to get working on the next one (or few). I think I'll keep carving untill it warms up, I don't really want to heat the garage to cure paint on a couple of decoys. I need to get my bench top press back from my brother, them I'll hollow them as a group, keel them and paint them up.

Thanks
Chuck

 

[Lee Harker]

Actually...putting paint on them let's you see a lot of things to work on. Are you going to paint with acrylics? You can do them indoors...even oils can be used..in your basement. My wife complains about the smell..but she complains about everything I do..or don't do.

 

[Chuck J]

My wife complains about the smell..but she complains about everything I do..or don't do.

Yeah, that would be my problem too. She'll probably even complain about the smell if I paint them in the garage. Actually she's been very supportive of the carving venture. I can only immaging it has something to do with the fact that this is the first on going project I've done that hasn't yet caused at least one car to sit out overnight. I'm i a long term plan to work myself up to building another boat (the canoe was built in the bachlor days and the car sat out about 9 months). I figure I'll start out small, with this Bufflehead, work my self up to a wood duck, then a mallard, and then I'll just slip in a boat. Do you think I could disguise a Kara with a giant goose head