Gnome Topper

You have a good start MJC4. Gnomes are fun to do.

the shape is coming along nicely.The wood looks like pine? not so easy to carve eh?

Have you tried making the head wider say twice as wide as the shank then give the gnome a neck ,you will find it much easyer to carve and it will enable you to get more detail

I find carving small items in such detail difficult so good job.

Cobalt it is pine.

It doesn't carve too awful bad, lots of shaping with the Dremel sanding drum and small slices with the knife to avoid chipping. Been using a lot of pine as it was cheap, as in free. I got a whole pick up truck load of 2x4's and 2x6's from my G-son's scaffold yard. I pick through them to find some relatively knotless wood to whittle on.

I did found a couple pieces of back cherry yesterday in the clean up piles from Monday's storms. Next project out of cherry perhaps.

Your gnome is looking good. You may need to give the cheery some drying time or it may check or crack on you. As a rule of thumb green wood should air dry 6 to 8 mounths. You can seal the ends with some paint.

your carving is improving, even by using pine (its difficult to get detail with it but you manage quite well)

the stain looks good

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well done MJC4..