A Whale Of A Tale...er...Mask!
 

Well, at 2 years it took me a bit longer than I thought (might have helped if I had worked on it more than once-a-week in class) but dang if it didn't turn out pretty ding-dong awesome...if I do say so myself!

Okay, it's not nearly as cool as Shorty's bus, but I'm still proud of it!

"What the heck are you babbling about now, ZW?" you ask impatiently.

'Suppose a bit of an explanation is in order: believe it or not, I actually do have a couple of hobbies besides messing with TS2! (I can tell you're stunned!)

Hobby #1 is Tye Dying pretty much anything I can get my hands on (I would have made an awesome Hippie, except for the casual sex thing) & Hobby #2 is Woodcarving. Most the stuff I'm carving right now is in the NW Coast Indian style (the only classes I could find locally) but my ultimate goal is to someday become a world renowned (when I dream, I dream big) carver of contemporary full-size Carousel Figures.

So on Tuesdays & Thursdays I head of to class (with 2 different teachers I should point out) & "make chips" in the hope that my carving skill is somehow improving. For the past few years Christmas time has meant giving my various relatives stuff I have carved.

This year will be no exception, but one of the things I'm giving away is a NW Coast style Orca Mask that I am really proud of, hence the reason for this rambling post!

Well, they say 1 picture is worth 1,000 words so I figure 2 pictures should be good for 2,000 or so.....



This is the mask just after a clear base stain was applied & before painting & attaching the friggen huge dorsal fin.



Here is the finished product! Sorry about the picture quality, but the lighting in my lil workshop is kinda funky. He really isn't quite that shinny!

All told, the mask measures in at 32.5 inches from tail tip to dorsal top, & yes that hair is real & human. (From China, actually...)

Well, it's 6 AM here on Christmas morning, so I think I'll log off & see if Santa's been by yet.

Merry Christmas folks!

Awesome, ZW! The detail is outstanding, surely the envy of every Lummi in the neighborhood! I can feel the nervousness of the seals all the way down here! :lol:

Is that redwood?

Wow! I'm impressed! Looks awesome!

That is simply gorgeous! It sounds like a lot of work, too.

That's wonderful! Very clever and creative! Thanks for sharing the pics with us. I love the paint job too.

That is gorgeous! You should take some pride in that, it did indeed turn out pretty awesome.

Thanks!

My Aunt was thrilled to get it!

Greg: believe it or not, it's well-aged alder. I use Pratt & Lambert Clear Base oil stain (the stuff that they add tints to in order to create custom colors) to seal all my carvings before painting & as you can see it does a truly awesome job bringing out the grain & colors of the wood. Unfortunately it's hard to find locally (only one store carries it it Western Washington so far as I know) but it's totally worth the trouble!

Oh! Golly, I burned tons of stuff in my fireplaces when I lived up there! :lol: