Custer

[karl]

Hi fellow leathercrafters, here are a couple of pictures I've done and intend to make a picture frame

to put these two and some more I am doing of Custers Last Fight.

These are of General George Custer and His Brother Tom who was also with him. I also intend to

have Sitting Bull, Chief Rain in the face and some more surronding the picture I have.

Karl

[Johanna]

You asked . Here is what I think:

I knew it was Custer immediately, and I opened your pictures before I read your post. Wow, Karl, you have a real talent for doing people, which has got to be the hardest thing in the world to carve. I hope you share with us as you work on this project.

I've always wondered how Custer could have ignored the scouts and attacked 20,000 people with, what, 300? 300 tired, half starved ragtagged troops against one of the biggest assemblies of Natives, gathered for a holiday, and the Apache scouts told him, but he wouldn't stop. They painted their faces and sang their death songs. It is said that afterwards the women pierced Custer's ears with awls because he didn't listen. I wonder what he was thinking as he stood on the bluff and looked down?

You captured the set of his jaw and the tilt of his head. I like the way your lines flow better than the original picture, especially for leather. How do you plan to color and seal it? That's going to be tricky, because you don't want to lose the detail you added. Wow, I envy your sure lines. You do nice work!

Johanna

[ClayB]

Hi fellow leathercrafters, here are a couple of pictures I've done and intend to make a picture frame

to put these two and some more I am doing of Custers Last Fight.

These are of General George Custer and His Brother Tom who was also with him. I also intend to

have Sitting Bull, Chief Rain in the face and some more surronding the picture I have.

Karl

Hi Karl,

I have been watching all your posts and look at your pictures over and over. I really like what you are doing. I agree with Johanna that carving portraits would have to be about the hardest thing to do. Profiles are hard enough, but you have done some straight on views and done them very well.

You really did capture the likenesses of both Custers. On your picture of Tom, there are a couple things that just don't look quite right. His lower jaw looks like it has a lump between the chin and the ear. The photo shows a weird lump there too, so I am not really sure why the carving looks wrong to me. I think if it was mine, I would try to shade it a little more to make this lump not so prominent. The other thing is that the ear kind of stands out. It sort of looks like you might have beveled all the way around the ear, making it look like it is floating beside his head. It could be the stain/ antique you used that just makes it look like that in the picture too. Both of these are small things. I think you did a really nice job on the mouth, eyes, the hair, the jacket. I hope you take this critique in the spirit it is given, and not in a bad way. I really hesitate to give comments on other peoples work because I do NOT want to offend anyone.

I will be looking forward to seeing more of you work. Thanks for sharing.

Clay

[Oscar B]

Like the way you have captured the picture.

Hope to see more of your work.

Oscar