OUT!! #2: A Duck From Wood

I have an interest in wildlife wood carvings, specifically ducks, that I've held for all my life. Ever since I got a copy of Duck Hunting by Dick Sternberg and Jeff Simpson, I have had in interest in the creation and design of duck decoys. Their unique forms coming from a solid block of wood and being transformed into beautiful works of historic art. The decoy makers of old such as Elmer Crowell, Mason Decoy Company, Harry V. Shourds, R. Madison Mitchell, and many others with their trademark styles, folk art roots as working objects designed for trickery and deception, and their simplistic beauty make them as an attractive of an art form as any of the fine arts.

A first time decoy. Hooded Merganser Female.

As a birder, wannabe hunter, and appreciator of the natural world, I can honestly say that I want this as a personal past time and as an art form. I tried several times through high school to get a grip on carving. My first attempts were to try to create a cardinal from a pine block. I didn't even get an outline done for the first few weeks and I tried to cut it out using a coping saw. "Too much work!", I thought at the time. This past Christmas, the gift of a Dremel and draw knife made the carving process much easier and as of last week, I have completed the first major phase of my Hooded Merganser decoy.

Head details including eye holes. Originally was going to be male (from the pencil marks on head), but decided to make it female to better fit the profile that the head presents.

Being a first time carving, there isn't much to look at. It's rough shape formed from the draw knife's repeated waves and strokes over pine 2x4s. I hope to work with cork next time for an easy supply of multiple bodies. My attempt at New Jersey style decoys (hollow as opposed to solid blocks) failed as my Dremel didn't seem to appreciate the idea of burning through several inches square of pine board. I tried drilling the holes demonstrated by many enthusiasts of this medium to speed the process. I even contemplated using a Native American technique called bowl burning to create the depressions needed for the hollow deek. The idea fell apart. Now I had two perfectly shaped sides (top and bottom) and a head piece I had created earlier. The head piece is made of basswood and looks fairly lifelike, though it resembled a Pileated Woodpecker earlier in the process than that of a hoodie. The pictures I've provided below should give a better impression of what I have come up with.