Not-So-Hard Bittern, Part One (Least Bittern)

MATERIALS

• Tupelo wood
• Glass eyes
• Rough-out knife
• Detailing knife
• Gouges
• Micromotor
• Small white ceramic stone
• 220-grit sandpaper
• Wood burner

1. Start by cutting out the overall shape of the bittern and drawing in the center line.

2. The bird has been further shaped down to the main lines, and the wings have been drawn in.

3. Further shaping of the body allows us to define where the coverts and primaries will be placed.

4. Adding definition to the coverts really begins to bring life to this amazing bird.

5. The nape and cape have been detailed in. Please pay special attention to your study materials when laying these out.

6. As you can see, I have detailed the chest and wings. Take note of the chest area, as the feathers in this region are very soft and flowing.

7. The head, eyes, and cheeks have been carved in. There really is a lot of detail in these areas. When carving the face and beak, you can never have too much reference.

8. Further defining and smoothing of the body allow us to contour the feather flow and reshape any areas that may need attention.

9. When laying in smaller feather groups, consider if these feathers are to be dry or wet. This will determine texture, flow, and position. The best way to make feathers appear wet is to separate the feather filaments more at the ends. Keeping them together makes them appear softer. For this carving, I went for a softer upper portion of the body with the appearance of a few wet areas down below.

10. At this stage, it is time to decide if the body needs further thinning out and to complete any further sanding that may be needed. Also, the final detail of the head and beak are done.

11. The same attention can be given to the nape and cape areas, along with the rear coverts.

12. I have decided to put in more feather groups to ensure a more interesting carving.

13. I have placed eyes and defined the eyelids using a two-part epoxy. Please make sure to smooth out any areas before this hardens, as it will save time and possible scratched eyes later.

14. I have accented the belly feathers, giving them even more definition and texture. We can also give the impression of some of these feathers being wet while letting others appear soft and dry.

15. When texturing the tail feathers, remember that these have more ridged filaments, and they are best detailed with a wood burner.

16. When texturing the belly feathers, again, keep in mind which areas are to appear wet and which are to appear dry. Have fun with the overall flow, and try to make these appear random. As you can also see, I have undercut areas of the belly feathers so that they will stick out away from the body.

17. I like to keep the feathers in the nape and cape areas soft, especially with a bird this small.

18. As my last step in this stage of the project, I like to further accent the feathers to make them appear as if they are overlapping each other. In Part Two, I will demonstrate how to paint your least bittern carving.