Easy and fun sea turtle

I am discovering more and more about life at the beach in Florida; my new home.  I purchased a typical "old Florida" house on the Panhandle.  By "old Florida" I mean up on eight foot pilings, one floor plan, screened porch across the front, open deck across the back.  I am a couple hundred feet from the water.

  One of the first things I had to learn about were the sea turtles, and their nesting on the beaches.  During turtle nesting and hatching season, life on the beach is all about the turtles and protecting them.  There are organized turtle patrols that monitor the whole cycle of nesting and hatching.  It's a real experience, and for me a learning experience.

 My circle of old as well as new friends know that I like to whittle, so some approached me and asked if I could whittle a sea turtle.  Those of you who are more familiar with me and whittling, know that I whittle every day while at breakfast, and I have for years.  One of the fun parts of my routine is whittling where I eat breakfast.  At my new home, my breakfast is taken at THE TRADIN POST on Cape San Blas.  Thus, I spend about an hour and a half whittling with some friends at the TRADIN POST, every day.

Here's a couple finished sea turtles.  These are merely stained instead of painted.  I have a suspicion that I'll be whittling a lot of them.  So I wanted to be able to complete them in the shortest time.  I already have been asked for about ten.

I started by locating a  photo of the sea turtle that I wanted to whittle.

It is rather difficult and time consuming to carve directly from a photo, so I like to simplify the subject (turtle) by making a sketch from which the pattern will be made.  It is at this point that I will consider how I will whittle the turtle with my knife.  I will stay away from tight arcs and curves as much as possible.

                                       

 Transfer the pattern onto a 1/2 inch thick piece of Basswood.

Use coping, scroll, or a band saw to cut out the turtle blank.

Draw the pattern of the shell.  Rather than attempt to paint the sea turtle we'll wood burn instead.  Wood burn the pattern on the shell before any shaping of the shell is done.  It is a lot easier to wood burn on a flat surface rather than a curved one.

 Use your knife to round over the top edge of the shell.

Add the shell pattern that was removed when rounding the shell.  Add another burn line that represents the bottom of the turtles shell.

Knock the edges of the flippers down a bit with the knife.  Dip the piece into stain prep then light brown stain.  Let dry then Polyurethane.
Add a magnet to the back or a pin back or eye hook.  A great way to get rid of some scrap wood.