|
Post by kk on Oct 17, 2016 4:32:11 GMT -5
Look what I'm playing with!!! for a change. Looked for some eyes for my Halloween project and started to rub down some opal That Ian Bell send me some years ago. Only to uncover colour after colour. The pic on the left is outdoor just before rain. So while not in focus basically the worst colour those little things show. The rest taken indoor with flash. The one on the right is the smallest, but needs a lot more shaping to qualify as a cab. Very small buggers, all 5 together are just about 1.5 ct. Going crazy taking pics of nephrite. Must have taken a good 500 of the lizard by now, and not one picture where the focus is clean on the whole piece. Ghost for challenge playing same trick on camera And Ohh yeah, the coral-piece is done too Thanks for looking, Kurt
|
|
|
Post by kk on Oct 3, 2016 21:02:05 GMT -5
Could be in, but not sure if things I make/are in progress, this month qualify for here.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Oct 2, 2016 18:43:56 GMT -5
And polish with bamboo brushes? Not if I can avoid it. I'm too lazy for that!
|
|
|
Post by kk on Oct 2, 2016 0:45:07 GMT -5
Always fun looking at your creations. Do you use a Foredom or hand tools for carving/sculpting? Thank you both! I use Foredome equivalent for cutting and polish. Sanding-stages by hand with wet and dry paper.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Oct 1, 2016 10:08:30 GMT -5
Its been a while. Just finished last week. Playing with Montana Agate A bug found its way into the system. Mexican Fire Agate 12mm, one of the smallest pieces I ever did. And WIP Lizards. The bug above is in prep to be set into the Nephrite as bait. Thanks for looking. Kurt
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 27, 2016 22:41:25 GMT -5
Vast landscapes like shown are simply not something I would ever get used to. I need mountains or at least some taller hills nearby. Would get lost in terrain like that.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 27, 2016 6:01:57 GMT -5
Sorry to hear of your impediment. Wishing you all the best, and keep going towards your goal. Overall, that drive will contribute to stabilization and/or improvement in both; mental and physical abilities.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 25, 2016 20:44:27 GMT -5
Beautiful scenery, and you can't get a better model for the carving than the real thing! Are they safe to touch? Red bellies are usually a warning to predators - Don't eat me, or else! I think the head/nose of the bucolic water buffalo would make a great carving! Thanks for posting, Kurt. Jean Yep on both instances. Two weeks ago as I held the first newt, I was not to sure if there would be toxicity. But had no reactions afterward in whichever regard, so was not worried this time round. Most likely to weak to affect us humans. Possibly not that toxic, as there are few predators, and most of them would come from the air, so having the warning-sign on the belly would prove quite useless. The colour on top, should prove more of a protection. It takes quite a while to actually see one of those critters. The last time they cleaned the pond, they found a whole bucket full while doing so, yet I had a hard time just seeing 7 over all in all 5 days. As for water-buffalo subject: There is a lady here in the valley who looks after them, mostly in winter, when there is little food. Her name is also Jean, and I promised her a water-buffalo-pendant of her favorite animal. Just need to finally get to it.......
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 25, 2016 11:10:00 GMT -5
thought this was going to be a political thread in which Newt Gingrich goes pokeamoaning so it very pleasant to see China sunrise kurt Never! I keep as far as I can from any discussion on politics and/or guns.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 25, 2016 11:08:36 GMT -5
First thread I opened today. Gonna be hard to beat this one! Thanks for the pictures Kurt. Hope all is well over on your side of the world. Water buffalo or is there another (correct) name? Yep, Water Buffalo is correct. We got them here as leftovers from a farming past. They roam more or less freely here throughout the valley. Massive creatures, but relatively harmless. If you spend a little time next to them, they are quite willing to ignore you. I like observing them and their general behavior. They are quite curious and social creatures.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 25, 2016 5:53:44 GMT -5
To ring out Summer and to participate in a challenge, I needed a special model to compliment my piece. So we got up early, to avoid the heat of the day, being awarded with a wonderful sight. Those towers on both sides of the harbour (one in Kowloon and the other on Hong Kong island) do remind me of the ominous story of the Two towers in Lord of the rings...... But beautiful to look at nevertheless. So we arrived at our destination just before 8am well before the heat of the day. Had breakfast and then went in search for the only type of newt we got here in Hong Kong. Got lucky, caught two in the morning, and one more served its purpose in the afternoon. Those buggers dont wanna stay still, so had a hard time catching a picture with my Canon (Everything is manual, so hard to get a focus on both subjects) Have to admit, I had nearly 300 pictures taken, but that one and the next are from my phone that I took just in case..... Hunting for those things made me feel like a youngster these days hunting for.......? After everything was done, back down home and take a stroll with the dogs to ring out the day. Was not the only one enjoying the last rays of the day..... A good 5 hours hiking, good food, relatively clean air, chasing those creatures, and some at times eyeopening and surprisingly honest discussions with my teenage daughter; no better way to enjoy the end of summer/holiday. Thanks for looking, Kurt
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 21, 2016 20:41:51 GMT -5
Alone the first coral would make the adventure worthwhile.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 20:31:00 GMT -5
I love every pixel of every pic. Dog mattress domination happens here and hobo the wonderdog is only 12#! 5kg! Love the newt. Just remember time of year and weather patterns. Easily found again. Can't wait to see pendant and newt pic! Just got the idea for the pic combo too late. By the time I got it, it had rained and did not stop really, so the pond filled up and got too deep to see anything. So, I still got two weeks before school starts again and will wait for 4 days without rain, before hiking up again to get the chance to catch and photograph the combo. Need a combo like that, as we got an awesome challenge going on with some really good pieces already in the running. Having the newt and the pendant together, might just give me the attraction needed to stand out among some fantastic carvings and cabs.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 20:12:56 GMT -5
Yeah, the kids do enjoy themselves once they are out. Its getting them there first that is usually the problem these days. Lucky for me, both of my girls have a knack for nature, flowers and small creatures, so it does not take much to get them going.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 20:09:46 GMT -5
BC looks a lot like home in central Europe. Always nice to see you guys showing your trip-reports.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 19:59:57 GMT -5
That face and surrounding lend themselves perfectly for a shield-cut.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 9:57:13 GMT -5
Not much going on on the stone side. Just tinkering with some FA's, an agate owl and a Salamander. Had a lot of fun planing and undertaking some hiking-trips with and for my kids. Our destination was just up the hill from the beach 10 minutes from the village we live in. Was lucky to get permission to use one of the stone-houses up there. Build by missionaries in the 1920, and used mostly by military for Gurkha training after WWII. They are in private hands now. Plus-side, no electricity anywhere, and water needs to be carried in. If you dont go to hilltops, you could forget how close civilization/overpopulation actually is for a while. But go round the corner or on a hilltop and the proximity to the city becomes apperant. But for a few days we managed to get the kids happy without their gadgets. My kids and daughter in Law My younger daughter with friends We had pretty much every possible weather within the week we where up there (for me including two supply-runs) One time it was nice enough to grab a yoga-mat and a blanket and just sleep outside to wake up to this. On the last day it was pouring, so nothing more to do than competing for space on the mattress. So now, only one thing remains; need to hike up again (3 hours one way) for a chance to catch photograph this fella again. Paramesotriton hongkongensis, The Hong Kong warty newt or Hong Kong newt is the only species of salamander found in Hong Kong. Once thought to be endemic to the territory, the species has also been found in the coastal parts of Guangdong Province. I absolutely want to have one of these posing with my pendant. Even if I got to go up there several times just to search for him again. Thanks for looking, Kurt
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 9:32:02 GMT -5
Thank you. 50 years done, now lets get the next 50 underway.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 17, 2016 9:24:10 GMT -5
Its August, so nothing much going on. A few projects on the way, but the past few weeks was mostly planing hiking-trips with and for my kids to get them away from their computers for a while. Teasing them on to hunt Pokemons to ensue batteries are empty as quickly as possible and then have no other choice than enjoying nature and real company.......
Will post a trip report a bit later with pictures.
|
|
|
Post by kk on Aug 5, 2016 8:40:50 GMT -5
|
|