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Lay your bear on his back.
If you got a touch lazy and haven't done this yet, unscrew the bear from your carving
stump and lay it on its back. Use discarded wedge pieces of wood as chocks to keep the bear from rolling around when you
finish carving.
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Mark your upcoming cuts.
The marks include the corners of the muzzle (snout), the mouth opening, and the forehead
shape.
The two "V" shaped marks are for fur definition.
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Make your V cuts, round off the muzzle (snout), shape the ears, and shape the forehead.
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Give your bear a mouth (optional).
Use your saw to cut out a mouth. A mouth is optional, but we find it gives the little
guys a really friendly, happy look. (Plus, it lets them giggle later on.)
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Here we are trimming and rounding out the ears.
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Shape the head and smooth out the forehead.
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The next step will be the V cuts at the front.
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Using the tip of your saw, make two (2) V cuts, about one-quarter inch (1/4") deep.
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Clean out the ear wax...
Use the tip of your saw to hollow out the ears slightly.
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This is where the giggling starts...
Use the tip and edge of your saw, and lightly 'tap' the blade on the bear to create
texturing and fur.
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Roll your bear on its sides and back to continue texturing.
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Starting to feel fuzzy...
Use the tip of your saw to texture, simulating fur.
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Trim down the top of the bottom paws (feet).
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Your saw-textured bear should be looking like this.
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Next, we will be giving our bear some eyes.
A piece of copper piping makes the perfect tool for defining the eye.
Make two dots on either side of the nose (snout), making sure they are lined up. Place the copper pipe over the dots, and
with a couple of whacks with a hammer, your bear's eyes will be easily -- and perfectly -- outined.
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Define the eyes.
Here, we have used an inexpensive snap-off blade knife to clean up and smooth the
inside eye area. If you have made the eyes a little off-kilter, you can even them up with the knife.
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Final touch-ups and cleaning can be done with a grinder or sander (optional).
Here we are using a 4-1/2 inch Grinder with a medium abrasive sanding disk for smoothing
the snout/muzzle, as well as other edges all over the bear and base. While this is optional, it is a quick way to even out
and smooth down rough spots.
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The last of the touch-ups.
If desired, add a little more defined fur texturing with the Grinder equipped with
sanding disk.
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...Burn, Baby, Burn...
Burning your bear serves two functions. First, it burns off rough edges, and it "caramelizes"
the bear, giving him a golden blond color with darker accents.
We are using an inexpensive, all-purpose propane blow torch.
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Brush off charred, loose bits.
Using a stiff brush, give your bear a good scrubbing all over (don't forget behind
the ears and between the legs) to remove debris.
Here we are using a wire Barbeque Grill brush.
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Decide where your bear is from...
Bears come in all colors, so your choices on colorizing are broad. You can leave
your bear 'au natural' after burning, or stain for color, and add a finish to protect it in the outdoors. Please see our
section on Stains and Finishes for a variety of options.
Here, we have decided to stain the bear the same color as the ones that wander into the back yard.
Paint the eyes dark brown or black. Add a white dot of paint for highlight, and to make his eyes sparkle.
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And, a "STAR" is born!
While a sealing finish is optional, here we have given Star three coats of exterior-grade
polyurethane for optimal outdoor protection. Please see the Stains and Finishes section for more information and options.
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CONGRATULATIONS!
You have successfully carved a cute, happy little bear!
Now, don't forget to name your new bear...they like that.
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