MUSKY. The musky is a very dramatic fish. It will follow a. Power Carving a

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1 Power Carving a MUSKY Make a life-size version of this freshwater fish, or scale it down to fit your décor By Charles Weiss The musky is a very dramatic fish. It will follow a lure retrieved to the boat without biting only to suddenly strike with an energetic splash. It displays an interesting spotted and striped pattern, and they are considered a valuable sport fish resource across North America, so catch and release is encouraged. Muskies can grow to a little more than 5' (1.5m) long and weigh around 70 pounds (31.75kg). I based this pattern one of my favorites on the outline of a specimen I caught and released while fishing in Eagle Lake in northwestern Ontario, Canada. This project is designed to be an introduction to carving a larger fish with an accurate shape and small amount of painted scale detail. From the tip of the jaw to the back edge of the tail fin, the musky is 36" (91.44cm) long; however, you can scale the patterns as you choose. We ll be cutting the fins separately and inserting them into the main body of the fish. We ll also add the tail section separately, in a position that sweeps up and away from the body. In addition to the pattern, I suggest you gather reference photos of muskies to study as you carve and paint the fish. MUSKY: CARVING THE FISH 1 Transfer the side-view pattern onto the blank and cut the perimeter. I use a saber saw. The goal is to express a gentle upward swimming pose. Cut the tail. Use the saber saw to cut a 2" (5.1cm)-deep notch in the body for the tail fin. 2 Cut off the sharp corners of the body. I tilt the saber saw to a 20 angle, but you can also angle a band saw table. Start rounding the body with a coarse rasp. Use a finer rasp to refine the shapes.

2 3 Mark a 3/4" (1.9cm)-diameter circle around the spots where you plan to attach the raised fins. Draw an X to mark the center of the circle. Remove the wood around the circle with a rotary tool and a coarse sanding drum. Sand the body and head with progressively finer grits of sandpaper. Cut a short downward-angled opening between the upper and lower jaws to resemble a breathing fish. 4 Draw a 3/4" (1.9cm)-wide by 1" (2.5cm)-long oval for an eye. Draw a second oval around the first with the lines about 1/2" (1.3cm) apart. Use the rotary tool and sanding drum to remove about 1/8" (3mm) of wood within the 1/2" (1.3cm)-wide ring, leaving the center oval standing proud to complete the eye. Repeat this process for a second eye. 5 Remove 1/4" (6mm) of wood from the area under the upper jaw at the side of the mouth. Use the sanding drum in a rotary tool. The goal is to make it look like the upper jaw fits over the lower jaw. Use the same tool to carve the grooves accross the gills. The grooves start a quarter of the way up the side of the gill cover, curve down like stair steps, and gather in a small V centered on the bottom of the head at the base of the throat. MUSKY: MAKING THE FINS 6 Cut the fins to shape. Align the grain so it runs the same direction as the fin rays. Carve 15 to 19 rays with the sanding drum in the rotary tool. 7 Carve the sharp tips to the ends of the fins. Use a fine rasp to thin the outer edges of the fins to about 1/8" (3mm). Add ripples to the edges of the fins to make it appear that they are moving in water. 3

3 8 Carve a small groove for the pectoral and pelvic fins. Chuck a 3/8" (10mm)-diameter bit in a drill. Angle the drill up at a 45 angle and bore a series of connecting holes to create a 1/2" (1.3cm)- long notch in the middle fin joint section. Move the bit around to enlarge the hole and smooth the edges with a small gouge. 9 Cut the notches for the dorsal and anal fins. Drill a series of side-by-side holes straight into the body. Carve away the wood between the holes and glue the fins in place. Sand the carving with progressively finer grits of sandpaper to soften the edges of the details to create a realistic-looking fish. Refer to a photograph of a musky to make the final adjustments. MUSKY: PAINTING THE FISH 10 Apply several coats of gesso as a primer. Use a large #12 brush. Sand between coats to remove any brush marks. Dust off the carving and apply a sealer coat of shellac with the same brush. Apply a wash of thinned burnt umber over the back side and top of the carving. Paint the musky s back with a slightly thicker wash of the same color. Drybrush the surface of the fins with the thicker wash to add a darkened edge to the details. TIP HOLDING THE MUSKY Screw a small scrap of 1" (2.5cm)-thick wood, approximately 2" x 4" (5.1cm x 10.2cm) to the back of the musky at the balance point. Clamp the block in a vise so you can work the whole way around the piece. You will attach the wallhanging hook to this block when you complete the carving. 11 Draw a fine crosshatch scale pattern on the sides of the head behind the eyes. Use a dark brown colored pencil. Continue the pattern along the top edge of the cheek and across half of the gill cover. Use a gray colored pencil to draw a slightly larger crosshatch pattern from the top of the back, down the sides to the top edges of the pectoral fins, and to the edge of the tail fin. Keep the scales similar in size. Use the large brush to apply a coat of clear Varathane to prevent the crosshatch pattern from being smeared or washed away while painting. 4 Woodcarving Illustrated SUMMER 2017

4 12 Mix iridescent pearl, raw umber, yellow ochre, and Hooker's green with water. Apply the mixture to the side, back, and head of the fish with the large brush. Dip the bristle tips of a #5 brush into iridescent gold and dab it on the back edge of the scales on the side of the head and the scales of the top first five rows along the curve of the side of the fish s body length. Paint around the oval pupil with this gold color. 13 Mix raw umber, burnt sienna, Hooker's green, and iridescent pearl to make a medium dark color. Thin the mixture with water and use the #5 brush to add the irregularly shaped stripes, or bars, on the side, and the spots on the sides of the head. Use the same mixture to add an irregular line along the top edge of the bottom jaw. 14 Mix burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and a small amount of cadmium red with water to create a wash. Apply the mixture to both sides of all of the fins with the #12 brush. Add spots of raw umber for the markings on the fins. 15 Add the spots and stripes to the sides of the musky. Refer to color reference photos to create a realistic pattern using the mixture from Step 13. Then, use a #3 fine-tip brush to add detail lines with Payne s gray or black to the top of the back edge of the gill cover and the edge details of the head. Paint the bottom of the body with titanium white. 16 Mix raw umber and Payne s gray. Use the #3 brush to paint the oval pupil in the center of the eye. Add a single fine line of iridescent gold around the pupil. Use the pupil color to paint an irregular shape around the gold. Add titanium white and yellow ochre to the pupil color to make a lighter color and apply this to the rest of the eye. 17 Add a dab of iridescent gold to the back edge of the scales along the top of the back on the body. Choose three or four rows to add the gold with a fine brush. Using the #12 large brush, add a clear gloss coat to the entire carving to make the musky look like its just been caught. 5

5 Pectoral Pelvic Dorsal Anal Musky patterns Charles Weiss is a professional artist from Toronto, Ont., Canada. You can learn more about Charles and his artwork at 6 Woodcarving Illustrated SUMMER 2017

6 MATERIALS: Basswood, 3 1/2" (8.9cm) thick: musky body 6 1/2" x 32" (16.5cm x 81.3cm) Pine, 2" (5.1cm) thick: tail, 4" x 8" (10.2cm x 20.3cm); assorted small pieces for fins, support block Acrylic paint: bright iridescent gold, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cadmium red, Hooker s green, iridescent pearl, Payne s gray or black, raw umber, titanium white, yellow ochre Colored pencils: dark brown, gray Sandpaper Gesso Varathane The author used these products for the project. Substitute your choice of brands, tools, and materials as desired. materials & tools Shellac Finish: clear gloss TOOLS: Saw: saber or band Drill with bits: assorted Rotary tool with coarse sanding drum Gouge: small Paintbrushes: assorted Rasps: coarse, fine 2017 Woodcarving Illustrated Each block of this grid equals 1" (2.5cm) in proportion to the original pattern. Enlarge this art to 237%, or to 7