Back to Roosters

I hadn't whittled a rooster in over a year, but since Les Townsend at Island Books and Crafts asked if I'd do a demonstration of rooster carving in June, I thought I'd better refresh my skill in that project. Here's what I whittled this afternoon.

I was encouraged that I still had the knack, but I learned something else: dried birch twigs can be carved into roosters and the tail will curl. Wood that is too green will not properly curl, but apparently very dry wood -- at least birch -- curls well. Let me clarify that: if the branches are too dry and too thin, they will break. The thinner branches in my box broke easily. The one I carved had a bit thicker branches. 

By the way, I love carving birch: nice tight, smooth grain that takes detail well.