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Carving a Santa Face on a JOY Plaque with Bob Biermann

1. I found this pattern in a Painting Book by Jean Zawicki. She paints Santa faces and draws a wide variety of other projects that are useable by carvers. I contacted her for permission and she was happy to share them with carvers. This JOY plaque is a great start because you can put a wide selection of things in the letter “O” to add variety. I hope you enjoy this Santa Face.

2. Start with a one inch board basswood board. Transfer the pattern using carbon paper. I use a scroll saw to cut out the letters and the hole between the “Y” and the “O”. You can also use a band saw for the shape and a coping saw for the hole.

3. Start by using your #15-3 V-tool to outline the hat, hair, and the major clumps of beard. Do not use the V-tool on the face. Keep the outside wing at a 90 degree angle so the outside edge is vertical and the inside is slanted toward the face. Don’t do anything with the mustache at this time. You can also outline the Holly, also keeping the outside wing vertical.

4. Use a #11-3 gouge along the side of the nose going up and around the eye socket. Repeat several times to make the cut deeper to make the nose stick out. Continue around the top and toward the side of the face with a little sweep up at the end. Do not go to the edge of the face. Outline the bottom of the nose bringing the nose out more.

Figure 3.

5. Use a #3-8 gouge upside down and cut the bottom of the cheeks. Remove the chip at the bottom with the gouge right side up.

Figure 4.

5A. Use the same gouge to cut the edge of the eye socket. Make a stop cut straight down along the side of the nose. Then tilt the gouge about 45 degrees and cut down to the stop cut forming the top of the eye socket and eye brow. Repeat on the other side.

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6. Refer to Figure 6 for the layout of the eye socket, the bridge of the nose and nostrils. Form the bridge of the nose using the #3-8 gouge on a 45 degree angle cutting down the bridge of the nose and stop at the center line of the eye socket.

See Figure 7. Use a smaller #3-5 gouge and cut the other way taking the wedge out down to the same centerline. Then remove the wedge of wood from the bridge going up to the forehead. Leave the mound that forms the eye socket and eye brow and taper it up under the hair line.

7. Shape the side of the nose with the #3-5 gouge. Keep the width of the top of the nose the same all the way up. The nostrils will be created and be lower and wider at the bottom of the nose. The circle shows the characteristic Santa ball of the nose and it is the highest part. Scoop a little out above the circle and then make it slope down to the centerline of the bridge. Do not put the nostrils in at this time.

8. Start tapering the sides of the face down into the hair with a #3-8 gouge. The human face is shaped like a wedge. We want to keep it that way as much as possible like an in-the-round carving. The nose is the highest point and the cheeks should be shaped down and tapered slightly to keep the wedge shape. If the nose isn’t high enough to make the wedge shape, you may have to lower the nose cuts to make it appear higher. Deepen the eye sockets. The outside corner of the eye should be lower than the inside corner. Likewise, the outside end of the eye brow should be lower than the center end. This keeps the appearance of the wedge. Be sure that the eye has a gentle curve at the top of the socket where the upper eye lid will go. See Figure 9. It also has a little up sweep at the outside edge. Shape the temple with a #3-8 gouge by making a cut straight down at the edge of the face producing the depression of the temple. The general structure of the face is finished

9. We will start shaping the beard. Using your knife, stop cut around the outside of the beard in the V-tooled outline. See Figure 10. Cut straight down keeping the outer edge vertical. Use the #3-8 gouge and lower the edge of the beard to match the structure of the face. Re-cut the major locks of hair down into the lowered beard. Decide which lock is higher and make the adjacent locks lower and tapered under the high ones. Taper the mustache under the nose and down to the cheeks. Redraw the mustache. Shape the hat the same way. Be sure to round the edges so that it appears to fit to the general shape of the head. See Figure 11. Be sure that all parts are equal size and shape and that everything appears to be correctly shaped and in the right place.

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10. Refine the face by using #9-5 gouge and cut the nostrils. Hold at a 45 degree angle and define the wide portion of the nostril. See Figure 12. Be sure they are the same size and shape and that they are in the same position. Reverse the gouge and take out a small chip to define the nostril better. Finally, use your knife to define the smile line. See Figure 13. Cut around the nostril and on around the cheek to deepen the smile line. Use a #9-4 gouge to shape the ball part of the nostril.

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11. Draw in the mustache and make sure both sides are the same size and shape. Select a gouge that matches the shape of the end of your mustache. I use a #9-4. Hold the gouge at a 45 degree angle and cut down and away from the body of the mustache to prevent undercutting and breaking the tip. Figure 14.

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11A. Use a V-tool to underline bottom of the mustache holding it with the top wing vertical. Use your knife to cut a little wedge out for the mouth. Make sure it is centered under the nose. Use a #3-8 gouge to lower the beard and make the mustache stand proud. See Figure 15.

Use the #9-4 to cut below the lip to make it stand out. See Figure 16.

11B. Cut both sides of the lip equally and at the same height. The mouth is as wide as between the centers of the eyes. However, the mustache covers part of it so it should end before that. Approximately under the inside corner of the eyes. Make sure that the lower lip is lower than the bottom of the nose or it will stick out and make a pouty look. See Figure 17.

12. The secret of making a happy Santa is not making the eyes to big, but not small and squinty either. There is a high arc on the top lid which is important for the happy face. The bottom lid has a slight arc with a little bit of a bump up in the middle indicating a smile. See Figure 18.

12A. When cutting the lid, it is important to keep the knife vertical to prevent undercutting the top lid. Then, lay the knife handle as close to the cheek as you can and slice up to the top lid. See Figure 19.

12B. You want the eyeball to appear to be up inside the lid. Make this cut as flat as you can but rounded slightly as you go side to side so the shape of the eye ball is showing. Cut the lower lid using your knife vertical as with the upper lid. No undercutting. Start the cut at the inside corner and make a small bump up in the middle, back down and then back up again. End before you get to the end of the upper lid or your eye will be too wide. See Figure 20 for end point.

12C. Cut the upper eye lids using a V-tool. Start at the middle of the top of the upper arch and follow the eye lid around and down with a little up sweep at the end. Turn the piece over and start at the same point going toward the center of the lid ending at the nose. Repeat for the other eye. See Figure 21.

13. Use a #11-3 gouge and cut the bottom part of the socket to add the bags under the eye. Start in the middle as before and cut to the end of the eye. Do not go too far. See Figure 22. Turn it over and cut the other end. Repeat on other eye. Use your V-tool to add a couple of shadow lines in the bag of the eye. Add a couple of crowfeet lines on the outside edge of the eye.

14. Next, texture the hair. You should have the major locks showing in the beard. Make sure that the beard is deep enough around the edge. If not, use the #3-8 gouge and lower the edge as necessary. Re-cut the locks if necessary. Use a #11-5 gouge and start adding texture following the flow lines. Do not make one long line from top to bottom. Make small “S” and “Y” shapes intersecting and crossing as much as possible. Make sure that the lower locks are tucked in under the higher locks. We want to have large flowing locks. Do not try replicating individual hairs. See Figure23.

15. Once the basic locks are cut, start looking for individual locks. Using your V-Tool, cut short deep shadow lines in the bottom of the large cuts to make the locks stand out. Not ever lock needs one, just the larger ones. Then use a #11-4 and go back and find flat areas. Add just a little texture to the flat areas. Don’t overdo this. See Figure 24 for amount of texturing.

16. Next, texture the mustache and hair. Using a #11-3 on the mustache, follow the contour of the edge making short shallow cuts through the edge to eliminate straight lines. Use your V-tool to break up straight lines in the mustache. See Figure 25. Repeat this on the beard and the hair. Use the #11-3 for texturing the flat areas and the V-Tool to break up straight lines. See Figure 26 for final carving on the face.

17. Finish the hat next. Use a #11-3 to make texture on the fur. Use short random cuts to disturb all the flat areas. Any flat areas remaining should be retooled. Repeat on the hat ball fir. Put wrinkles and folds in the cap with the same gouge.

18. Next, finish the Holly and Berries. Use the V-tool to outline the stems and leaves. Keep the outside wing vertical as before. V-tool the JOY letter borders. Cut the berries next. Using a #3-5 gouge, start the cut with the gouge vertical. See Figure 27.

18A. Then, continue around the berry with the tool vertical cutting straight down with no undercutting. The curve of this gouge will match this pattern for the size of the berry. Turn the tool face down and shape the berries starting at the top and slanting the sides down to the stop cut made with the gouge. Its contour should make a round, even berry. Use your knife and cut straight down around the leaves deep enough to make a stop cut. Use a #7-8 gouge to scoop out the leaves. Start from the center and make the scoops toward the individual points. Let the wings of the tool go to the points. Leave the center vein high and cut down to the edge. Then use a V-tool to make the vein depressed. See Figure 28.

19. After all the carving is finished, you can texture the surface of the letters with a #3-8 gouge or leave them smooth. See Figure 29 for the finished piece and texturing of the letters. Sand the edges and back lightly.

20. We are ready for final cleanup. After everything has been detailed, it’s time to make the final inspection. Check the outside edges of the Santa face and leaves. Make sure the stop cut is clean and the edge is smooth and even. Use your knife to clean it out and smooth it up if necessary. Check the beard and mustache for tool marks and chatter. Re-cut where necessary. Gently sand with 400 grit sandpaper if necessary. Do not over sand and remove the details. Use a tooth brush to gently clean out V-tool cuts and eye areas. It is ready to paint.

21. Liberally coat the entire piece, back and front, with boiled linseed oil straight out of the can. Be sure all cuts are covered all the way to the bottom. Any missed areas will show in the final piece as dark areas. Remove all excess oil with paper towels. Make sure there are no wet areas remaining. Place the oily towels in a safe container to prevent having a fire hazard. Trust me, oil on paper or rags enclosed in a tight container will burn and it does not take very long. Especially in the back of a truck on a hot day. You can allow the piece to dry overnight or you may start painting immediately.

22. Start by painting the face. Use Burnt Sienna on the areas where there will be shadows. Place a drop of paint on a pallet sheet and dip your brush in the water glass. Drag a little paint down so that you are using it as a light wash. You want to wood to show through and not be totally covered. Use this a little darker on the hair line and under the cheeks to create shadows. See Figure 30. Let that dry a few minutes and go to the beard.

23. Use Hippo Gray the same way. Place a drop on the pallet paper and drag down a little bit of paint and paint in the depressions in the beard creating darker lines in the deep areas. Paint just the bottom. Do not spread up on the sides of the cut. This color will be used on the mustache also. Do not get any paint on the side walls. Next, paint the bottoms of the cuts in the little locks of hair and mustache.

24. Next, use a very wet coat of Light Gray. This will be painted over the entire beard, included the shadow colors. Use little paint and a lot of water so it is only a light wash. It should not cover up the wood or the shadows painted in the previous step. See Figure 31. If it dries and is not gray enough, use a second coat. Use a little of the gray, slightly darker than the beard, on the eyebrow also.

25. The face should be dry now. Use Cadmium Red for the blush in the cheeks. This is a very strong color, so water it down a lot to start with. If you want it darker after it dries, use a second coat. Start painting by using a wet brush to moisten the whole face. Do not soak. This will allow you to blend the red after you paint it. Paint the red wash on the cheek and immediately use a damp brush to blend so there is no visible start and stop lines. This blending brush will be used for all areas to make sure no hard lines appear on the painted areas. Do the same on the tip of the nose and the lip, blending to remove hard lines. Then, use the damp blending brush, which will have a little of the red color remaining in it, to add a little color to the rest of the face. In all cases, we want the wood to show through. See Figure 32.

26. Use a real light wash of Antique White to paint the pupils of the eye. Using white on the eyes make the Santa look “bug eyed”. You want a nice soft antique white. Brighten up the eye brows a little by using the Antique White with a little water to add streaks. Do not cover completely. Just make an indication of hair. Let all this dry while we will go back to the beard.

27. Use the same Antique White with a little water to lighten the tops of the hair in the beard. Use the blending brush immediately each time you paint one so it does not have time to dry. Once it dries, it won’t blend. Coat the top of each high tuft of hair and blend lightly to remove lines. Figure 32 shows one of the highlights before blending. All the others on the beard were blended as they were painted. Continue until all high points in the beard, mustache, and hair are painted and blended. Let the hair dry and we will go back to the eyes.

28. Start by painting the iris. Using Black with no water and a #4-0 brush. (0000) Decide where you want the iris. I’m using the center here. Just be sure that both irises are in the same position or he may look cross eyed. Carefully use just the tip of the brush. Make the iris slightly curved on the sides and push the paint up to the upper lid and down to the bottom lid. When both irises are completely painted to the size you want, use the little bit of the black paint that remains on the brush and lightly brush the underside of the top eyelid. See Figure 33.

29. Once you are positive the black is completely dry, use pure Blue Heaven to make little lines on each side of the iris leaving a narrow black line on the outside of the blue and the black in the black pupil in the center. Make sure the blue lines are even so that the black center is round and the outer black lines are even. See Figure 34. When this is completely dry, use pure White on a tooth pick or pin to put a small white highlight spot on the eye. They should be in the same relative position. This simulates reflected light and adds sparkle to the eyes. Use Burnt Sienna to add shadows to the lines under the eye and over the top eyelid. Lightly brush the top of the bottom eyelid with the remaining color in the brush like you did the black on the top lid. This completes the eye.

30. Finish the beard using Light Ivory the same way you coated the beard highlights, blending as you go. These highlights will only go on the bottoms of the locks and not all the way up the beard. It does not need to be watered down much but make sure you blend and remove the hard lines on the edges. This completes the beard. Add a few highlights on the hair and mustache to brighten them up, also. Do not overdo. See Figure 35.

31. Use Santa Red to paint the hat. Use a little water so you can still see the wood, but it needs to be a little brighter than the other colors. Use Antique White, also with a little water, to paint the fur and ball on the hat. When this dries, use Black Plum to shade the hat. Paint short strips and use your blending brush to spread the paint and remove hard lines. Shade around the outside edge and along the fur line. Be careful not to get it on the fur. It’s hard to remove. Lightly shade the folds and creases in the hat and blend the hard lines. If the paint isn’t blending, paint shorter lengths to prevent drying. This makes the hard lines hard to remove. Use Burnt Sienna watered down to shade the fur along the top, bottom and sides. Blend this down to nothing and leave a lot of the Antique White showing in the middle. Brighten up the hat a little by using Yellow with a little water. Drag out a little on your brush and use it like a dry brush to highlight the tops of the folds. This finishes the Santa. See Figure 36.

32. Paint the berries with Fire Red using just enough water to make the paint flow without drying too fast. They need to be very bright. Paint from the center down into the bottom being very careful to keep the red off the side walls. Coat them evenly and it is not desired to have the wood showing through here. Paint the leaves and V-tool cut stems using Gamal Green wash. Don’t let the paint slop onto the top of the letters. Shade the berries using Black Plum with a little water like on the hat. Go all the way around the berry shading and blending so the lines don’t show. It is OK if a little gets on top. Shade the leaves with Black Green the same way you used Black Plum before. Carefully shade around the edge of the leaves being careful not to get paint on the side walls. Shade the veins in the leaves. Blend all lines so they do not show. Highlight the center of the leaves dry brushing yellow like you did the hat. Use a light coat of Burnt Sienna on the lines between letters so they show up better. Keep it off the surface of the letters. This finishes the painting. See Figure 37.

33. Seal the surface of the paint. Paint can be scraped, scratched, or rubbed off if handled too much and is not sealed. Spray a light coat of a Clear Matt Sealer over the painted area. After it is dry, lightly buff the piece front and back with a crumpled up piece of a brown paper bag. Do not use a bag that has writing on it. Apply a second coat and use the same piece of bag to buff the second coat. It is softer then the first time and will produce an even smoother final finish.

34. You may want to add a little Mod Podge to the eyes to get a glass look. Use a tooth pick to dab enough on the eye ball to completely cover it, but not enough to let if run onto the lids. It will appear cloudy, but when it dries it will look like glass. Be sure to do this after you use the mat sealer. It will reduce the shine if sprayed over the Mod Podge.

35. This completes the project. Thanks for carving with me and see me on the web at johnsworldofcarving/Biermann for contact information.

Tools
Numbers are based on Swissmade tools, but most carving tools have the same system.
#15-3 V-Tool
#11-3, #11-4 and #11-5 Veiners
#9-4, #7-8, #3-5 and #3-8 gouges
Knife of choice
Pallet paper
Water glass
Paper towels
Mod Podge
Toothpicks

Brushes
0000, #2 round, #5 round and a variety of sizes and shapes of your choice.

Paint
Burnt Sienna             Ceramcoat
Hippo Gray                 Ceramcoat
Light Gray                   Folk Art
Cadmium Red             Americana
Antique White             Ceramcoat
Black                           Ceramcoat
Blue Heaven                Ceramcoat
White                          Ceramcoat
Light Ivory                   Ceramcoat
Santa Red                    Americana
Black Plum                  Americana
Primary Yellow           Americana
Fire Red                       Ceramcoat
Gamal Green              Ceramcoat

Joy Pattern

Additional patterns

Snowman Joy

Snowman Pattern