The Whale

There is a pile in the shop of prototypes, samples, experiments, and oddities. This one was part of a series of whale designs I created for a house sign commission I had. The prototype wound up in the pile of oddities. I have items from when I first started carving as a maritime carver. It includes the carved study for the first boat portrait I ever carved.

Why save all this stuff? Well, it’s simple. You put a lot of effort into design work, but you may not need it again for ten years. Paper notes and photos only take you so far. The actual study piece seems to help you recall details. The study piece does not have to be perfect. They rarely are; they are three-dimensional thought experiments that eventually led to a finished project. Some of them even have notations on them saying things like – “wrong style of feathers, don’t use.” It helps you avoid dead ends in design.

This whale was unearthed in my recent shop clean-up and reorganization. I now have to find a new home for the pile of useful oddities.