Carve Your Own Totem Pole

by Wayne Hill, Jimi McKee, Beverly McMullen (Photographer), Peter Harvie Haida elder and carver (Foreword by)

Overview

How to plan, carve and paint your personal totem pole.

This well-illustrated guidebook includes the history of totem-pole carving and its West Coast native traditions, techniques and patterns. It examines the historic and modern tools involved. And it also presents great ideas for carving a totem pole, whether with traditional designs or more personal folk-art motifs.

Carving instructor Wayne Hill reveals how to select the right wood and use the correct tools to best advantage. Artist Jimi McKee shows how to create drawings and templates in authentic West Coast styles. There are also special notes on the meanings of figures, along with many instructions on painting your totem pole and recommendations for placement.

A folk-art family totem pole will be treasured for years to come. This handy illustrated guide includes all the background and information required to create one.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781550464665
Publisher:	Boston Mills Press
Publication date:	08/17/2007
Pages:	136
Sales rank:	506,907
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Wayne Hill and Jimi McKee have created more than 300 totem poles for villages, towns, cities, businesses, corporations, families and individuals.

Photographer Bev McMullen has had her work featured in books, magazines, newspapers and calendars.

Table of Contents

Foreword     7
The history of totem poles     9
The designs of West Coast art     19
Two-dimensional art     31
Carving in two dimensions (plus one)     37
Tools and wood     43
Beginning to carve     51
West Coast masks     65
Carving a pole     85
Beaks, wings, and outstretched arms     95
Painting and sealing your pole     109
Placing your pole     119
Symbols of the West Coast     127
About the authors     131

Editorial Reviews

A great book with explicit instructions on how to cure a log and carve it into a totem pole.... Woodsmen of Muskoka will start their chainsaws and create new art forms after reading this book.

Muskoka Today - Lois Cooper

This book will give you ideas for creating a personal totem pole using traditional designs or a more folk-art look. Carve Your Own Totem Pole looks at the history of the West Coast native carvings and provides techniques and patterns using historic and modern tools. The book also explains the meanings of figures, how to paint your totem pole and where to display it. Before you jump into working on a totem pole, you might want to try one of the mask designs also included in the book.

Fine Woodworking Magazine - Betsy Engel