78 Australian Wood Review
WOODCARVINGA number of knife grips are used here,
including the thumb lever grip, pull
stroke and thumb pull, all common
techniques used when spoon carving.
A different grip used in some of the
more finicky parts of puppet carving,
such as detailing feet and hands, is
the spring pull grip, where to a casual
onlooker it appears you are attempting
to remove your index finger with a
knife. Actually you are pushing the
blade away from your finger and
countering it with a controlled thumb
pull, resulting in a safe spring grip.The last part of the body to shape is
the hip, where simple saw cuts make
recesses to accommodate the legs.With the body and head now shaped,
it’s on to the limbs. These are made
from the section of log we removed
when breaking the head and body
down to size. Saw to arm and leg
length – marionette puppets often
have longer arms and shorter legs
than us mortals – and split the log
into four. Using the knife, carve these
to the shapes you desire.17 18
19
20
21
- A basic control bar made from
a forked branch. - Work space during assembly.
- Starting to layer watercolours.
- That magic moment when the
puppet comes alive. - Spending time carving details
like the clothing for this rabbit
really brings the puppet to life. - Another Pinocchio reading
about himself in AWR#101. - Pinocchio, finished and all
stringed up.