yaklady

Since you asked for snow, Regis, here's a little. I'm ready for it to all go away! I saw a guy the other day loading his truck with snow. I wish he would come to my house to get some. This is the bathroom on top of Vail Pass. My daughter and I took a drive up there the other day. This is the nice view from the bathroom. This is Black Mountain. I live at the foot of it. Here's the snow at our house. We won't have to stop if it snows any more. On our way back from the bathroom, we went past the Mount Evans road. They close it off for the winter by pushing all the snow in the road. I bet it was 10 feet high. I hope it's warm where you are! Kathy

As real as those bears look, I can understand why ladies are afraid of them! I must admit, I like a bear with a friendly look on his face. Clay, your bear looks pretty friendly to me. I look forward to meeting him in person. One thing I have always had trouble with in extreme embossing is getting hair on the putty that looks like hair. It looks to me that you have that done very well. I don't know why you're always complaining about the way you paint. Everything you've done is done very well. You just keep getting better and better! Kathy Can I put a fish in his mouth? Or a piece of pizza?

Hi Everybody, I've been trying to think of ways to let George know how much he is loved. All the cards and flowers tell him so, but most of us can't drop by to say hi in person. Smiles and laughs help heal the body as much as anything. I bet a lot of us have cute stories to tell about George that would bring back fond memories for him and bring a smile to his face. Every time I'm around George, a smile comes to my face. Here's one memory that I am particularly fond of: I had given Akiko Okada a ride to Sheridan from Denver one year. At the end of the show, before we were ready for the drive back, Akiko wanted to help George pack up his booth for Hide Crafters. While the three of us were packing boxes, I began to feel out of my league, for those two were talking in Japanese. George is fluent in the language. Then I heard the words "Don't touch my moustache" among all the Japanese. Akiko's face about split with a huge smile and she began to laugh uncontrollably. It turns out "Don't touch my moustache" sounds an awful lot like the Japanese for "you're welcome". To this day, I still can't say "you're welcome" the proper way, I can't get around "Don't touch my moustache". If you have a cute story to cheer up George with, share it here. We'll figure out a way to let George see them all and bring some joy to his recovery room. Thanks! Kathy

George is high on my list of wonderful people. God has been very exceptionally good to the wonderful people on my list lately, and I know He is watching over George. None of us are through with George yet, especially Jane, and we all want him to stick around for a long time to come. I know all the prayers and cards he is receiving will boost his spirits, and he will be good as new in no time. I want to thank those of you who are praying for George. God Bless, Kathy

Now my class is back on. I think it's just a case of disorganization. Hopefully they will get it together and have the book out soon. There is quite a line up of classes, so there won't be a problem finding one you like.

Dave called me, too, and canceled my figure carving class. He said he had 15 similar calls to make, so I have a feeling he was terribly overbooked. They put a new person in charge of workshops, and I guess that got them into trouble. There's only so much room for workshops there. I am very disappointed that they chose to cancel mine. There have been no figure carving classes in Sheridan for a long time. I know some people who want one. I've been trying to get Dave to let me teach one, and he always comes back with Bob Beard's class, which he calls figure carving, but it's not. He does pictorial carving, trees, bushes, rocks, mountains and such. I would not be in competition with Bob, I would teach specifics on an animal, nothing else. I don't know how to get Dave to see this. Kathy

This moose did not! He resisted, so I left him alone. I suspect they wash their noses out in a lake. ) Joe, I haven't even tried the Eco-Flo dyes. They aren't exactly cheap, and I have so much of the Delta sitting around, I stay with it. I also have some acrylics in tubes that someone gav me. I have had good luck with it. I see no reason to change, at this point!

Joe, I use Delta Ceramcoat, which I get at a craft store. It goes on smoothly and comes in all sorts of colors, so if you can't seem to mix the right color, you can buy it! What did Paul recommend? I'm curious. Hilly, it would be tough to explain that! The beauty of acrylics is if you mess up, or don't like something, it's easy to change it. This moose was a lot of trial and error. I started out writing it down, but then everything chnged, and I couldn't tell you what I did if my life depended on it! Interesting thought, to write a book. I can just see it . . . "First paint this part black . . . no, wait make that green, or should it be yellow?" That's about how I paint! Maybe someday I'll get my head on straight and I could tell you how I do more simple things!

There, it's done! Cold, snowy days help keep me focused. It's either that or go shovel snow. I'm very thankful for acrylic paints. I ended up changing it several times before I got it to look half way decent. Now I have to go find a frame! Maybe I'll do this one someday.

Those F902's do come looking like a pear shader. That's what I don't like about them. If you file down the sides to take away the roundness, it would work much better for you. I haven't played much with the new modeling spoons and don't know what they're like. The -01 does look like it would go with the size of horse you will be doing. You already have a larger one, so I suggest you go with the smaller one. Yes, your spoon does need buffing to get rid of those spurs. You don't want scratches, that is annoying! I use the 1/4" angle blade, and I believe Clay does too. It's the only way I can get the tiny detail, which I do a lot of. Those ceramic blades are pretty nice, and don't need sharpening, usually. I hope my advice works for you! Kathy

See, you are popular, Clay! You have two pages of happy birthdays. I guess that means you're aging real fast and people have to say it while they can. I'll write you a fine birthday poem while you are still able to see to read. This little piggy wnt to market, This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy learned your real age, and went Hee Hee Hee all the way home! You're welcome! Your wonderful friend, Kathy

Hey Gisela! You've got it now! The muscling is perfect! Isn't Peter's modeling tool amazing? I can't do without it. You do need to practice with that pro petal. Cut deep on the top of the nostril. You could even under cut it a bit, toward the inside of the nostril, if that helps you. Then bevel the inside down real well before you stick that thing in there. Hold the handle up so you can cut deep, and try to avoid cutting the edge of the nostril. You can stick the modeling spoon in to lift it afterward. The other thing that could use improvement is the hair in the ears. You've got the right idea, just put in a lot more impressions with the pointy beveller. I hold the F902 above the leather and move it while hitting it with the mallet. The impressions all run together, making it look like hair. I'm so impressed with the progress you've made in so little time! Why can't all my students be like you? Good job! Kathy

Clay, I think you would have every tool that was ever made if you could! You're pretty close, now. bex, if you are tooling horses to go on wallets, they are pretty small, so you would want to stay with small tools, naturally. To be honest with you, I rarely use my tiny figure bevellers any more. I use my F895 a lot, but when it comes to small, I just use my modeling spoon. There is no worry of choppy beveling or inconsistent depth that way. That's for the INSIDE of the horse, I still use a regular beveller around the permiter. When using the spoon on muscles, I push hard to get the depth I want, then smooth it out to where it looks realistic. I stay away from F896. The beveling edge is too sharp, and it's such a weird shape, it's hard to use. That's too big for wallet horses, anyway. F902 is an essential tool, as well. Like Clay said, you may have to cut back the edges if it's too round, which the new ones are. It works best if it's nicely pointed. When I use this tool on the outer edges, where chechering is required, I go into the points with my A104. It's time consuming, but it works. If you were to grind down F976 to a sharp point, I'm sure it would work to do both at once. The matting tools that Clay suggests are good. I have F898 and 900. The smaller one works well in small areas, the bigger one evens out the larger areas. Clay also mentioned Peter Main's modeling tool. That's the only one I use. I try to use the ones my 4-H kids bring to meetings, but they just aren't the same. You can do the eyes, ears, nose, and all the muscling with this one tool, then round out the rough edges and do the mane and tail. If you're serious about tooling a lot, think about getting one. You can only get it from Peter. It cost $35 last I knew, but that may be less than all the figure bevellers. I hope this helps. Clay would be happy to help you spend your money on lots of pictorial carving tools. When you get to that point, he can give you a long list!

Very nice, Ray!

Hilly, I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I was teaching my mother how to use the swivel knife the other day. That was interesting. It's funny, I was doing a moose, because I felt it is different. At first, I figured I should do an elk for them, since we have them in the yard all the time, but when I came across the moose, that looked like so much more fun, and it is! Gisela, I did the hair with that Bob tool you found in your closet. You could do one, too! Thank you, everyone, for your encouraging comments! Kathy

Gisela, you're so funny! Hiding all those wonderful tools from yourself! That sounds like something I would do. Those tools will help you a lot in doing the horse. As far as the propetal, I think you figured out your own problem. You do need to cut deep with the swivel knife to begin with. Then pound down the inside of the nostril, first with a smooth beveller, then with a smooth matting tool or pear shader, or both. Point that propetal at about a 45 degree angle so that you are cutting deep into the horse's nose. You have the right leather, so with practice, you will get it. Gosh, I did that Doodle Page a long time ago! That was before my Bob tools and my Peter modeling tool. I've had a lot of practice since then, and have learned lots more. I met Jim several years ago, and have looked forward to seeing him ever since. I only get to see him 2 or 3 times a year. I feel privileged to be able to visit with him like I do. But he never lets me pay for lunch! Kathy

That's simply amazing!

My neighbors burned up part of their house last summer. They hadn't even moved into it yet, as they were trying to fix it up before they moved in. An unfortunate event involving oil based polyurethane dust, which spontaneously combusted, kept them out for an additional 6 months. The wife wants to take leather craft lessons with me, so I figured a leather house warming present should be in store for them. Hopefully, they won't warm their house that much! Here's what I came up with. Some day I will get it painted.

Kathy, you make it so clear that even I could do it. Wish you would do a lesson on the human face. Of course you could do it, Joe! If you want a real lesson on a human face, I could do that at Tandy's in Colorado Springs. If you want one on here, I could do that, too! Kathy

I got side tracked for a bit. Jim Linnell is in town, so I had to go bother him for a while. I love him to death, he's my hero and my mentor when it comes to leather craft. He's the reason I have come to enjoy teaching like I do. I wish he would come more often. Anyway, I took some close-ups of how I do the mane. This shows the different tools. F902 Is a good one to use. F941 is the one you used. It's realy too broad, but if you tip it way up on the point, it can be done. F910 can be ground down to make a tool similar to F902, but with a hair simulation, which is good in some applications, but not necessary here. This shows the different tools used on the ends of the hair. Cut a few hairs with the swivel knife. Simulate hairs with a hair blade. Create depth with a modeling spoon. Break up the hairs with a stylus. Of course, bevel around the hair. With the muscles, one thing most people seem to miss is smoothing them out. Tense up the muscles in your arm or leg and take a close look. If you're a body builder, it might be different, but most of the time, there is a gradual transition from low to high. Avoid having a "ditch" where the muscles are. (Pardon my country hick language) Make a ditch at first, then smooth them to both sides, rounding them to make them look like your own muscles. I'm having a lot of fun doing this! I just hope it makes sense to you. Kathy

Gisela, you're doing a wonderful job! You have all the right shading in all the right places. If you could smooth the shading out a little more so that none of the lines show, the muscles would be perfect. I can't get the right look with just any modeling spoon, I have to use Peter Main's spoon. Any other spoon I've used isn't smooth enough to make a smooth impression. The pointed beveller you have is larger than it should be. I will take pictures of the ones I use so you can see the difference. A smaller one will help you a lot. On the mane and forelock, try using a fine point stylus to break up the hair blade impressions to make it look more real. I'll take close-ups of that, too. It does look like you got close to breaking through with the pro petal. How heavy is your leather? The heavier it is, the deeper you can go with that. I'm certainly not disappointed! In fact, I'm impressed at how well you're doing. You'll have it down in no time. Kathy

Very Nice!

There is no need for using Oxaclic acid. Not only is the stuff hazardous, but it will turn your leather pink or red if it gets put in the sun. Lemon juice does the same thing the acid does, only with no ill effects at all. Put some lemon juice on a sponge and wipe it on your leather. It will take out anything oxalic acid will. Wipe it with a clean wet sponge or cloth to remove any residue when you're done. You may want to do this twice. No need for rubber gloves or any caution of any kind, and you can make lemonade when you're done!

Hey, Clay, when did you sneak in there? Can't you see I'm trying to pick noses here? Hmmm . . . that bring a though to mind (that rarely happens, you know) I need a picture of Freak's nose so I can pick it! On leather, that is!