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A page from one of Laurie’s old carving-project-planning calendars.
How to plan ahead to complete your carving in time.
Whether your project is a commission piece, a competition entry, or on a self-imposed schedule, there is usually a deadline in volved. A deadline could be when you are required to deliver the piece to your customer, the date an entry must be registered for a competition, or a date you created to stay on your own schedule. No matter what the reason, making the deadline can be difficult. It took me years to realize I was not superwoman. I would stay up for three days in a row to finish a piece for competition. Painting in my hotel room the night before the show was another practice I made to get done in time for the competition registration. This caused me to miss Friday-night events more than once.
Most of us have a day-to-day schedule we have to keep. Everyday life, our jobs, raising kids, and being caregivers can get in the way of staying on schedule. Planning the schedule of a project that has a deadline takes practice and the ability to realize you are not a superhero.
It was the competition that drove my deadlines. Back in the mid-1980s and 1990s, the carving circuit was larger and stretched across the country. There were shows everywhere: Iowa hosted the International Decoy Contest; California was home to the PFDA Wildfowl Art Festival and the California Open Wildlife Art Festival; Louisiana host ed the Louisiana Wildfowl Carvers Guild Show and the Catahoula Lake Waterfowl Festival; Michigan had the North American Wildfowl Carving Championship; and Maryland hosted the Ward World Championship.
PREPARING FOR A NEW CARVING: SIX TIME-SAVING TIPS |
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| 1. Choose a Species | Once your species is chosen, you have a pretty good idea of the size of the piece of wood you will need. If you need to order wood, this would be a great time to do so. | 2. Concept Photo or Sketch | It is important for me to find the right photo depicting the species as I want to portray it. If I cannot find a photo, a concept sketch can be helpful prior to creating the clay model. |
| 3. Clay Model and Habitat | Having a clay model depicting the species in the pose you have chosen is invaluable when you are carving, for measuring and visual confirmation. It also makes it possible to create a pattern to match the clay model exactly. The clay model takes the guesswork out of carving. | 4. Checking and Replacing Tools | Truing up your band saw and checking your band-saw blade should be done during the beginning stage of your project. Then collect all the essentials: carving tools, flex shaft, chisels, carving bits, knives, lights, dust collector, dust mask, wood-burning tips, and handpieces—any of the tools you will need to carve should be gathered and set up. Then check to be sure none need replacement or fine tuning. Ordering can take time, and assessing these things early will help you stay on schedule. |
| 5. Carving Area Setup | It is always best, and not always possible, to have a place to set up for carving that can be left that way until the end of the day. This saves time in having to set up and take down daily. | 6. Painting Area Setup | As with the carving area, having a painting area you can leave set up will save time. Having your paint, palette, palette knives, mediums, containers, paper towels, and lighting available and ready to go when you are done carving and texturing makes for a great transition into the painting phase. |
This is not a full list of all the events available to attend and compete in; however, they were the most popular in the United States at the time. I ran this circuit annually, so deadlines were important.
To help keep me on track, I would use spiral-bound calendars and a running checklist. Each competition would be entered, and I would write the number of days left in the lower corner of each day. I would also make daily notes in pencil regarding progress of the piece I was working on at the time. This helped me stay on track for my carving and competition schedule. The checklist evolves with the project but serves as a reminder of what must be completed. Today, we have smartphones and computers that can remind us of our schedules and track the time left before a deadline in a similar way.
I did not realize when I was new to carving and competing that staying up for days was not the best practice for an artist trying to win in a competition. Lack of sleep is not healthy for anyone. It is not conducive to clear thinking or creativity. It only leaves you exhausted and stressed out.
The way I used to think about the length of time it takes me to carve a piece has evolved. I used to only include my actual carving and painting time in my estimate but did not factor in the many time-consuming elements necessary in the creation of a wild fowl sculpture.
Just an idea is not enough, but it is the very beginning. Beginnings also include gathering research material, which includes searching for photos and studying the live bird through video or out in the field. It also includes creating a clay model and a pattern for the selected carving. If this is not figured into the schedule, you likely will come up short on time needed to meet the deadline.
Other delays can include waiting on supplies. Wood selection is a big factor. You need high-quality wood; otherwise, your carving can fall apart along the way. Some wood may look great on the outside, but after getting into it, poor internal quality may require you to restart your project. Most master carvers I know have had this experience at least once. When it does happen, you need to consider: do you have another piece of wood available, or will you need to order more? If so, will it come in time to meet the deadline?
Carving bits, burning tips, and other essential tools need replacement from time to time. It is important to have the tools you need in the right condition so as not to cause delays in your schedule. Sometimes, items may be out of stock causing delays not considered in the original schedule. Tools also break along the way, which can really throw a wrench into the schedule.
Sometimes, the product you have used for years is no longer available. Finding a replacement can take time and involve trial and error. Glass eyes, paint brands, and painting mediums come and go, and long breaks from the carving world can leave you without materials you have used in the past.
The shelf life of paint and mediums can vary. While tube oils are more forgiving and can last for decades, acrylic paint can separate or dry out inside its container. It may look good until you go to shake it and discover there’s no movement. Replacing old paint can be time consuming, especially if you find your old favorites are no longer made.
It is important to consider these needs and check all the tools and products you will require. Have them in hand before you begin. Consider having a backup piece of wood, a backup band-saw blade, and backup glass eyes, just in case. Then there are the things that cannot be planned for. We have no control over the unexpected, and it affects a schedule more than many realize. When your plan consists of giving yourself enough time, having the right tools and materials, and a built-in flexibility for the unexpected, success will be more easily achieved.
From 2006 to 2010, I took a break from carving and competitions. During that period, I returned to working full-time. In 2009, I had a quadruple by pass, and I was required to get a minimum of eight hours of sleep per day to aid in my recovery. I was also raising my 14-year-old daughter. I didn’t return to carving until I received an email from Gary Yoder telling me that loons were the designated species for World Pairs in 2011. This was the species I had been waiting for 25 years. I needed to make my schedule work if I was to successfully complete my entry in time. That was when I mastered my carving schedule, and I still do it the same way now.
Planning your everyday life around a carving project can be daunting. Look ahead to see what obligations you may already have, such as family events or holidays. Knowing and having a deadline, such as a competition, allows me to count backward from that day on the calendar and figure the time needed for each step in the project. If you are honest with yourself about how much you can accomplish in the given time frame, you will meet your deadline.
Since 2011, I have been able to schedule my projects to eliminate the stress of not having the time I need to do my best on a wildfowl sculpture. Finishing projects two weeks early gives me time to study it and make any necessary adjustments. I also get to know my own work more closely before it is swept off into the competition and often into a buyer’s arms. Once that is done, no changes can be made, so giving yourself that extra time prior to a deadline is always beneficial.
Laurie J. McNeil’s passion for wildfowl sculpture in wood began in 1985. For the past 40 years, she has striven to have wildfowl wood sculpture recognized as an important art form. She carves each wildfowl sculpture from a single piece of tupelo wood. Her signature wave bases are carved from butternut, and she uses both acrylic and oil paint. Laurie’s home-based studio is located in Minnetrista, Minnesota. Her works are found in private collections around the world, as well as in the Minnesota Historical Society Museum. Her life-size common loon family, featuring two adults and two chicks, is on permanent display in the National Loon Center in Crosslake, Minnesota. She has authored several articles as well as the Wildfowl Carving Magazine Workbench Project Loon and Chicks. Type @LaurieJMcNeil into your browser to find Laurie’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube page.