#1930 Cornsnake XVIII

Carved in big tooth aspen, November 2007

Woodcarving Illustrated, Issue 43, Summer 2008

 

In May of 2007 I was contacted by the editor of Woodcarving Illustrated to ask if I would be willing to do a "how to" article on carving the realistic snake.  I agreed and decided to do a corn snake in big tooth aspen.  My wife, Sue, agreed to be the photographer for the project and we were off and running. 

The Layout

 

This was going to be a long term project as each picture would have to be submitted to the editors and approved before proceeding to the next step.  It would be impossible to retake a rejected photograph of an earlier step if I had continued carving beyond that point.  The very first photo submitted was of the beginning of the layout and in it I was holding a ruler.

 

Roughing In

 It was an old wooden ruler that I had used for years.  I didn't see anything wrong with the ruler but the rejection was quick.  The editor said he didn't like to request that his authors buy new tools for their projects but would I mind working with a better looking ruler.  My immediate impression was that this was going to be a long, long drawn out affair.

Detailing the Head

 

   As it turned out very few subsequent photos were rejected and by November I was in the final stages of both writing and painting.  The carving and the manuscript was delivered in early December.  And the publication appeared in Woodcarving Illustrated, Summer 2008, Issue 43. 

 

Painting

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