Bear Making

raw bear 1

These bears of mine kind of look neat before their final paint job. I start with cutting out the body with a scroll saw. I cut free form, no jigs or preliminary sketches... I don't use clamps so there's a need to be a bit more careful when holding the wood down with my other hand. After that I whittle the edges down with a utility knife and putty any wide cracks with spackle. The head and ears get extra whittling. That is where the essence of the bear comes through.