The Little Wooden Tour Guide Who Never Exaggerates!

The recipient of this carving has been teasing me about carving him a "voodoo doll" for months now. He doesn't really want a voodoo doll but he's watched as I've given carvings to other people and so he likes getting "on my case" (so to speak). I've kept him waiting for sometime now. Of late, he seemed to have given up teasing me, thinking he's never going to get one.
Well, I couldn't help but carve him one when I came upon the idea of this particular caricature. JZ has an uncanny knack for telling "tall tales" and made up stories at the drop of a hat. Therefore, Pinocchio is most fitting. The outfit is the Summer Tour Guide costume here at Disney World. JZ has been a tour guide for many years and his talent for telling stories comes in handy with children of all ages as he guides them about the parks. I hope you like "The Little Wooden Tour Guide Who Never Exaggerates!"

 We'll begin on the band saw to cut out the blank for this carving. The tupelo wood blank will be roughly 3" X 3' X 6" without the base.

 Below, the surface sketch is trimmed off to allow me to use it as a guide.

 On the front, guide lines are added to help for faster removal of extra wood to save some time.

 

At this point you can begin to visualize the overall carving. Working the entire piece at this point allows small corrections for positioning features, etc.

I try to leave small features (like hands or long noses in this case) for last to avoid breakage.

Below, except for his shoes, the piece is ready for final finishing and detailing. 

Carving pieces for Disney Cast Members usually involves the addition of their nametag.

Now it's time to figure out just how the piece will be mounted to the base. Sometimes they are screwed to the base and sometimes they are inlaid and glued. I decided to inlay this piece so the extra wood below his shoes can be trimmed.

 

Below, two coats of Minwax 209 stain are applied and allowed to dry for 24 hours. Prior to the

application of paint he will be burnished with pieces of brown paper bag to help smooth him out. 



A 1/8" dowel is used for his nose.



 

At last, color is added.

The Little Wooden tour guide is in full summer costume and ready for his new home.