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Description
A great piece to work on during one of the most beautiful autumn seasons I've seen in years.

Owls have always seemed awfully autumnal to me, especially when they smell like freshly worked and oiled walnut. I'm not terribly pleased with the results, but I suppose that's pretty normal for a first attempt on a new subject. The eyes are iffy, the feathers are...well, they look like lines on a grid, and the feet-don't get me started on the feet. I (ugh) hate birds' feet in any case. The rest of birds are fine, but I find their collective feet disgusting. Given the chance I would cut my wood differently to get a different depth of face as well. Still, though, it was a first try, and I did have fun oiling it. I usually don't bother, because I hang on desperately to the idea that people will want to treat my figures as something other than presentation pieces, but this one is so clearly not a toy that I couldn't help it, and oiling does improve the look considerably.
I decided not to feather the feathers on this one, even though I had plenty of time, because I think it would very probably mess up the polished look I was aiming for and draw attention away from the pleasant abnormalities in the grain on its back and side. Maybe I'll try it if I ever do other birds.

Want to see more of this piece? Why not check out the tutorial in my scrapbook?
I kid, I kid. Sorry, I know the joke is old and played out; I just couldn't help myself.

You can see an actual work in progress gallery and an expanded gallery of the finished piece over at My Little Woodcraft along with expanded and WIP galleries for most of my woodwork and sneak peeks at current works in progress.

Walnut Barn Owl is a commissioned piece for .

Description
A great piece to work on during one of the most beautiful autumn seasons I've seen in years.

Owls have always seemed awfully autumnal to me, especially when they smell like freshly worked and oiled walnut. I'm not terribly pleased with the results, but I suppose that's pretty normal for a first attempt on a new subject. The eyes are iffy, the feathers are...well, they look like lines on a grid, and the feet-don't get me started on the feet. I (ugh) hate birds' feet in any case. The rest of birds are fine, but I find their collective feet disgusting. Given the chance I would cut my wood differently to get a different depth of face as well. Still, though, it was a first try, and I did have fun oiling it. I usually don't bother, because I hang on desperately to the idea that people will want to treat my figures as something other than presentation pieces, but this one is so clearly not a toy that I couldn't help it, and oiling does improve the look considerably.
I decided not to feather the feathers on this one, even though I had plenty of time, because I think it would very probably mess up the polished look I was aiming for and draw attention away from the pleasant abnormalities in the grain on its back and side. Maybe I'll try it if I ever do other birds.

Want to see more of this piece? Why not check out the tutorial in my scrapbook?
I kid, I kid. Sorry, I know the joke is old and played out; I just couldn't help myself.

You can see an actual work in progress gallery and an expanded gallery of the finished piece over at My Little Woodcraft along with expanded and WIP galleries for most of my woodwork and sneak peeks at current works in progress.

Walnut Barn Owl is a commissioned piece for .