Notmylast Gnome

He is the first tho.
This little guy is my first attempt at a gnome, I consider him a partial success. Somebody asked me to make one, it took a while for me to find inspiration and here he is. He's made from Paulownia, the first time I've used the wood. It has alternating rings of closed and open grain, unlike basswood or walnut, that took some getting used to. Its very soft, and very light. Goody from the Whittlers Porch introduced me to this wood.

I am mostly happy with the gnome's head, the proportions worked out pretty good tho the execution is lacking a little. The eyes are weak, and not symmetrical, the beard and mustache are alos lacking symmetry. I also ran out of wood when it came to the body and feet, but plowed ahead anyway just for the experience. next time I'll start with a larger piece of wood, this one was 1" square by about 3-1/2" tall. he was much fatter in my mind, and a little taller. Next one will be closer to the one in my mind's eye. I debated his future, considered the burn barrel for a bit, but decided his good points outweigh his bad and so he has a home for as long as he'd like to stay. I'd like to try finishing this wood too, prolly tung oil on this guy, we'll see how much he absorbs and what the grain looks like too.

So go ahead and put knife to wood, and don't worry that the end product might not be exactly what you had in mind. My whittlings are all my children, each a little different each with unique strengths and weaknesses, but all are fun. Happy whittling- BfloBif