Something new..

I have just started playing with carving cypress knees. It can be such fun cuz they have such unique shapes! They have the same pluses that I love in cottonwood bark- softer and lighter then regular wood, they have 'natural' shapes, and they have a different colored outer layer that you can leave on in parts to give contrast and a feel that the carving is 'emerging' from the piece of wood. The minus is that they are incredibly soft and a little sticky so they have to be carved with SHARPsharp tools and you STILL end up with some grain crushing occasionally...