Sailor.pdf

Sailor with Flag

A patriotic carving unfurls

a few challenges

By Ross Oar

y “Sailor with Flag” composition was

inspired by two events more than 40

years apart. The first was my service in

the Navy from 1958-1960, as a torpedo man aboard

the USS McCaffery . The second was an upcoming

reunion with my shipmates where the carving

would be my contribution to a fund-

raising raffle.

Before finishing this caricature,

the United States was rocked by

the September 11, 2001 tragedy.

That’s when I decided to add the

American flag to make the project

more patriotic.

Ross Oar is the sailor in this photo

He thought back to his Navy days

more than 40 years a g o for the

inspiration and detail behind his

“Sailor with Flag” carving.

service awards carved on the chest

represent “marksman” and

“service time.”

As for most of my projects, I used

basswood. The wood is easy to carve

and holds details well. I believe it is the

best wood for carving caricatures. The

sailor was created from a basswood

block about 5 in. thick by 6 in. wide

and 14 in. long. The basswood flag

began 8 in. long and 4 in. square. The

flagpole is a length of dowel.

Preparation

I first sculpted a clay model of

the sailor. Clay offers a three-

dimensional form from

which to copy; it also serves

as a model for establishing

more animation than I might

achieve otherwise with paper

patterns and illustrations.

While I’ve had many years of

experience carving figures, the

unfurled flag was something I had

not done. To visualize how to

carve it, I used a piece of heavy

paper laid flat and drew the

rectangle for the flag, adding the

stars and bars. I then rolled the

paper like a cone, folded and

glued it to a dowel to have a

model to study when I carved

and painted.

I based the sailor’s

uniform on one I wore while

serving aboard the USS

McCaffery , a destroyer escort

for the aircraft carrier Wasp .

The insignia on the

sailor’s left arm is

the torpedo man’s

rating. The

Carving Tips

My arsenal of tools included a 1 1 ⁄ 2 -in.

carving knife, no. 9 and 10 gouges, a

6mm fishtail gouge, and a 75-degree

12mm V tool. After bandsawing the

cutout to shape, I started with a no. 9

12mm gouge to rough out the two

pieces. Then, I gradually worked on

the details, not overdoing any one area.

Making a lot of small cuts with gouges

gives me a cleaner-looking surface.

Typically, I cut across the grain a lot

because basswood yields the desired cuts

without splitting or chipping.

For the inner part of the flag, I used

a knife and several different gouges—

especially no. 9s and 10s. I finished the

inside with a fishtail gouge and the

outside with a knife to make it smooth.

50 Wood Carving Illustrated • Fall 2003

Sailor with Fla g

P ainting Notes

I used watered-down acrylics for most

of the project, keeping them on the

light side so viewers can tell there is

wood underneath. While colors can be

darkened by adding more paint, they

cannot be lightened. I did find that

applying oil paints to the face and

hands of the sailor allowed me to blend

and texture colors to achieve more

accurate skin tone.

As I do with other carvings, I

painted the face and hands first. These

are areas that can be problematic and

may take some time. To achieve skin

tone, I mixed small amounts of yellow

and red oil paints on plastic lids from

cottage cheese and butter containers,

playing around with the colors until

the mixture suited my eye.

The sailor’s uniform is an acrylic

blue, but I stippled burnt umber under

the arms and in other places where I

wanted to create shadows. To highlight

high spots such as where the shoulders

and elbows stand out, I stippled with

white, adding more water to the paint

so the material looks stretched.

To dry the acrylics quickly, I used a

hair dryer. For the oil colors, I added a

cobalt dryer, which helps dry the paints

in a day. This additive is available at

most hobby and artists’ supply stores.

A few words of advice: Take

your time and be as meticulous as

you can with the painting. Poor

painting techniques will ruin even a

great carving.

Fair Winds and F o l l o wing Seas

The reunion was held in Portsmouth,

Virginia, October 2002. My carving

was such a hit that it sold more than

$600 in raffle tickets. The money will

be used to help fund future reunions.

Ross Oar began carving

in his father’s machine

shop when he was only

nine years old. His carvings,

depicting all aspects of

life, have included com-

mission pieces ranging in

size from three in.to six feet high. An

award-winning carver, Ross invented the

Oar Carver Pocketknife and the Oar

Sharpener, the latter featured in WCI ’s

Issue no. 22.Ross holds other

patents as well. He and his

wife, Barbara, own West Falls

Woodcarving,in West Falls,

New York.

FURTHER READING

If you enjoy the work of Ross Oar,

check out his Folk & Figure Wood

Carving , available from Fox Chapel

Publishing,800-457-9112,

www.carvingworld.com ; and

Christmas Heirloom Patterns for

Woodcarving Vol.II and Creative Wood

Carving & Sketching, available from

West Falls Woodcarving,716-662-

3648, www.broar@juno.com . For

tips on human anatomy, read Ross’

“Carving the Female Face,” WCI’s

Issue no. 5,Christmas 1998.

Sailor with Fla g

Wood Carving Illustrated • Fall 2003 51

PATTERN

design by Ross Oar

illustrations by Jack Kochan

Tips and

TECHNIQUES

Carving Is an Art,

Not a Race

If I am carving steadily, I usually strop

my tools every 15 or 20 minutes. To

keep up the momentum and save

some time, I may have in front of me

two or three gouges and as many as

six knives of the same size; when

one gets dull, I’ll reach for another

so I don’t have to stop and strop.

However, I never finish a piece

like the sailor in one or even two

sittings. I work a couple of hours at

most and then go onto something

else. It’s not uncommon for a carving

to take a few weeks to finish.That

approach gives me better insight into

the look I want. By stopping and

returning to it, I might see

something I want to change.

Drawing resides on 1" grid to the

scale of the original carving.

Actual size of original is 14" in

height.Photocopy to desired siz

Note to professional copying

services. You may make up to ten

copies of this pattern for the

personal use of the buyer of this

magazine .

52 Wood Carving Illustrated • Fall 2003

Sailor with Fla g

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