Grizzly Bear

 

This grizzly was carved out of Basswood. Although basswood is not particularly best for power carving, it was all I had because tupelo was unavailable at the time. I was able to smooth it out with various sanding bits. I tried to give the bear some power-ful contours in its legs and around its neck and face. I used tooth picks and small tapered dowels for the teeth. It was painted with acrylics. The base has a few rocks and sticks to give it a little realistic environment. At first, I tried to cover it with a WATCO Danish Oil stain, similar to what I did with the buffalo, but I found that the wood had areas of light and dark that the stain would not cover. Finally, I decided to paint it with acrylic paint. In places around the fur of the face I tried to give it a little different color to give texture and variety. I'm not real good at that yet. I covered it with a non-gloss sealer spray. It was a fun learning experiment.