Mallard, a year in the making...

[Mark(mo)]

I finally finished/made myself stop carving/painting on this bird. I drew the pattern over a year ago.

I worked on a few heads and a RP version of this same bird but, finally sat down this past winter to start on it. Tweaked the head (should have made the bill longer!!)

I primed it at the same time as a couple other birds and there it sat for a couple weeks. I picked it up worked on the back, tail and washed the vermiculation and then set it back down for over two months.

I painted the tertials 5 or 6 times and was never really happy with them but had to stop at some point.
Well after talking with Sutton this past week and knowing how prolific a carver he is and how many birds he'd managed to complete I figured I'd better get off my butt. So this past week I picked it up again and finally stopped working on it. Slap a keel on it and maybe Ira will shoot it this fall!!hehehehehehe

 

[Lee Harker]

Well...not your best effort..but it's passable. I've got a wooden can on the vice that has been there since last October...can't get motorvated!

 

[Mark(mo)]

The only two guys (well outside of george) I know who have managed to get anything done this year are Steve and Ira. Seems like lots of guys in a big funk????? I'm sure it's being caused by years of lead posioning and the anti-gun lobby spiking the drinking water!!

 

[george w]

hey, schupp--you are spending WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much time on those things! one would think you were making artsy stuff, for pete's sake!

 

[Zach Houvener]

Nice gunners...The only thing that i think throws it off is the cork tail curls...

How do you do your vermiculation? I think that look would look good on some pintails I'm about to do. Thanks,

Zach

 

[tod osier]

I see you have your priorities straight and are not over fertilizing our applying too much weedkiller to your yard. The lawnmower could use some sharpening.

Beautiful mallard, BTW.

T

 

[Mark(mo)]

George,
You are exactly correct and probably the reason it sat around as long as it did to finally complete.

Zach,
The vermiculation is combed with the lighter value. I then apply a wash of the darker color. When that is almost dry I go back over it with a slightly damp paper towel wrapped around a scrap keel. This takes off only the high spots and leaves the valleys. If I need to lighten it even more I'll wait till it dries and hit it with some 220 grit sand paper.

Tod,
Fertilizers and herbicides are for the farm, besides clover is a good nitrogen fixer and the kids have fun looking for the four leafed variety. It is tough to not pull out the round-up and start from scratch sometimes.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Wade White]

I really like the pose you've chosen. Relaxed and sunning. Nice deke.

Wade
(Carver wannabe)