Carving a tiki statue can seem like a daunting task. This is especially true if you stay focused on the end result and how difficult it can be to achieve it. Looking at other tiki statues that have a wide range of designs can be overwhelming. Many of them are very elaborate and quite intricate, obviously representing the work of a skilled craftsman. In truth, many tiki statues are works of art.
At the same time, I believe that nothing prevents us from directing our energy and effort towards this task and achieving a result that, although not a work of art, can be quite satisfactory and attractive. An easy way to start the process is to shift our focus to “next step only.” This will keep things in better perspective, allow you to see the project as much more “doable”, and allow you to make steady, incremental progress.
Before you put “the leaf to the log” to begin carving, it will be important to have a clear idea of the design you would like for your tiki. A quick walk around the internet will reveal that there are more varied tiki designs than one might imagine. Many tiki statues have more than just a face design, incorporating arms and legs into the tiki (although they are generally miniaturized in relation to the tiki face). Carvings of pineapples, flowers, palm trees or other Polynesian symbols can also be included. Some simply have a design pattern to embellish the tiki. While they are all good for someone, somewhere, at some point, it is important that you focus on the designs that interest you or you like.
Personally, I’m a bit picky and I don’t like many of the designs out there because I think they look silly or ridiculous. That being said, I’m sure a lot of people would find the designs I liked “dumb or dumb”. Obviously, all of this has to do with personal taste. You will have to see what designs appeal to you. See which PIECES of which designs appeal to you. If you can’t find one that is exactly what you want, draw pictures that incorporate features you like or create our own. A drawing can become your plan or blueprint for your tiki. Whatever your aesthetic requirements, keep doing it until you have a design that is “perfect”. You’ll know it’s okay when you make small adjustments again and find that you don’t want to make any!
Unless you want to make your drawings on a 1: 1 basis (meaning your drawing would be exactly the same size as the tiki you want to carve), you may consider doing them on “scale”. For example, if you want the eye of your tiki face design to be about 4 inches long by about 2 inches wide, you can draw it about 1 inch long by about ½ inch wide. That would be a 4: 1 scale (meaning you would multiply each dimension in your drawing by 4 to get the actual dimensions to mark on the palm trunk). This technique allows you to draw drawings faster and easier, but retains the ability to transfer the design to the part with relative ease.
Once you have your design and all the relevant dimensions, it will be time to transfer it to the piece. Take your time with this step as it will be your guide and will prevent you from straying too far from your design and the overall “look” you are targeting. Chalk is a good marking medium for this purpose, as it is easy to use, easy to see, and cleans up well when you are done. One step many take at this point is to draw a center line along the trunk with the chalk. The center line will give you a reference, especially for the tiki face, allowing you to maintain symmetry more easily (unless you are actually opting for an asymmetrical and skewed look). Use a tape measure to make sure the dimensions are correct and to make sure everything looks good when you’re done.
Now is the time to decide exactly how you want to carve your tiki. Some people use nothing more than a chainsaw to create their entire tiki statue and believe it gives the finished product a more primitive look. There are examples on the internet, and I must say they look pretty good. However, I wouldn’t completely sculpt a tiki statue with one, mainly because I’m not skilled enough with a chainsaw. That level of precision would require someone to have a lot of experience and a lot, a lot of skill; even a small mistake or accident with a chainsaw can be extremely dangerous (or even fatal).
I would recommend the use of hand carving tools such as chisels, gouges, and a hammer or mallet. Hand tools obviously take more time than power tools, but they also allow for greater precision. The slower pace also allows you to be more careful and tweak your design before it’s too late if something doesn’t look right.
The first step in carving is to go around the perimeter of each item of your marks with a chisel or gouge and cut a line on the outer surface. This will give you a good outline of your entire design. For some items (for example, purely decorative ones), you may want to remove just the bark or outer layer just so that it stands out from the surface of the rest of the palm trunk and is visible. For other items (eyes, nose, mouth), you may want to carve deeper to create three-dimensionality.
As you carve, remember to cut only a small amount of material at a time. While it may be tempting to scoop out large chunks of material (to finish your tiki faster), don’t. It’s just too easy to get too much out at once. This can result in a cut too deep, chipping unintended material, or inadvertently cutting out of your design. When cutting any type of fibrous material, including the trunk of the palm, a cut will want to follow the grain. If you’ve cut too deep, a split can extend well beyond your design boundary, even if you weren’t originally carving there. Correcting these errors can take a long time. Obviously, if the mistake is big enough, it can ruin the part.
To carve straight lines or remove material from a flat surface, you will want to use a chisel, as it has a straight beveled blade. Always make sure you cannot see the beveled part of the blade while holding the chisel; the flat side must face up. If the flat side is down, and while holding the chisel you can see the beveled part of the blade, it is upside down. Cutting with a chisel upside down will cause you to dig deeper and deeper, even if you were trying to make a small cut. In the correct position, the chisel will want to rise back to the surface of the wood as you cut, allowing you to make small cuts with ease.
To carve curved lines or to hollow out an area (as you may want to do for the eyes and mouth), use a gouge. Gouges were made to hollow out areas. Obviously, the larger ones work best for larger areas, and the smaller ones work better for finely detailed work or for entering small, tight areas. Those who carve tikis professionally have a wide variety of tools that allow them to make any type of cut they want. You may want to purchase specific tools for the job / design you have in mind.
The nose will require a somewhat different technique, and is what some may consider the most difficult part of carving a tiki. It is called “relief” carving. Carving in relief simply means lowering a flat surface around an object (in this case, a tiki nose) to make the object appear to be lifted. Since you don’t want to just “glue” a nose to your tiki (that would look silly), you need to lower the surface around the nose to make it look like the nose is up. You want this “lowering” of the surface to appear gradual, tapering off as you get closer to the nose. You can choose to cut a very deep relief or a relatively shallow one. Even a half-inch bump will be enough to make the nose stand out and be visible. Once the embossing is done, you may want to carve some details on the nose itself. I prefer primitive and relatively simple triangular nose shapes. Others prefer highly detailed and realistic nose sculptures, with nostrils, etc. The choice is yours.
If you work slowly and methodically, you will be amazed at how the tiki begins to take shape before your eyes. If you get stuck in one area, take a break. Come back to that later. You can change your perspective and provide information on how to clarify the problem. Once you’ve carved your tiki, you may want to stamp it in some way. Clearly, this is much more important if it is to be displayed outdoors rather than indoors, away from the elements. There are many commercial products available that will get the job done.
That’s all you have to do. Obviously, the more details, patterns and decorations there are, the more elaborate the design, the longer it will take. However, keep in mind that some of the simpler designs can appear more eye-catching. Moai sculptures on Easter Island are extremely simple and yet they have held our interest and imagination for centuries. Attractive doesn’t have to mean complicated. Determine what attracts you the most and is best suited to the environment in which you want to display your tiki. Have fun and good luck! Who knows, after you’ve completed the first one, you might want to do a bunch of them.