D&D Adventuring Party- The Thief (completed!)

The Thief is done! With a gold coin in hand, and a sly look in his eye, The Thief is the newest member of the group.  Where The Fighter uses force, a thief relies on stealth, cunning, and skill. 

These two will compliment each other well, but the party is not yet compete. Magic users, both arcane and divine, will form the support element of this successful group of adventurers.

Next in the Adventuring Party: The Cleric

D&D Adventuring Party- The Thief

The Thief figure is just about carved! The figure features the grinning Thief, gold coin in one hand, hidden dagger in the other. His belt holds two pouches, an empty knife scabbard, and a coiled rope. 

Next I'll carve the facial features, then give it some color with acrylic paint.

A Dala horse, carved in the traditional style

I love the Swedish Dala horse. It's timeless style and durable design make it one of the great toys of the world.

My horses, though inspired by the Dala horse, are usually carved a slightly different way, with softer lines and different proportions. The traitional ones have straight legs, raised ears,and are normally painted in bright, solid colors, with the mane, tail, and saddle painted on.

The flowing mane of a carved toy horse

I've been working on carving more detailed hair recently, and while it's time consuming, I really like the added texture it can bring to a toy. On these toy horses, it makes them look more lively and just plain pretty.

Whittlin' a stable of horses

Just a quick photo update to show some of the horses I'm carving. This new batch will be like Nora's horse, with much more detail in the hair of the manes and tails.

A carved toy horse for Nora

I really like carving these toy horses, especially so when they're going to a friend's newborn baby. Like many others, this horse is carved from basswood using one of my Swedish Mora knives. There's more attention paid to the detail of the mane and tail than in previous horses, and I'm happy with how it came out. I took great care to soften all the edges, and gave it a good sanding. Salad bowl finish, acrylic paint, and spray shellac give the horse it's color, while also sealing it and protecting it. The small letter "n" woodburned onto the right hip stands for Nora.