Hand-Carved Wooden Gifts: Bojji Figure from Ranking of Kings
Hello everyone, in this post we are sharing hand carved and painted wooden gifts. This is a character from the Japanese anime Ranking of Kings, a little prince Bojji who is deaf but has a dream and a kind heart. We carved the Bojji figure out of basswood as close as possible to the image in the anime, including the little crown on his head, the evocative facial expression and the shape and color scheme of his clothes. Would you like to own this unique Bojji? It's a handmade piece that you can't buy in stores, so learn how to make it!
Refer to the picture of Bojji and draw a draft on a wooden block.
The first step in all wooden gifts starts with drawing the front view. We can find a front view picture of Bojji on the internet to copy. Draw six horizontal auxiliary lines to ensure the proportions of the figure's body. An additional vertical line can be drawn in the center of the block to ensure symmetry of the figure. Here are the positions of the six horizontal auxiliary lines:
- The first auxiliary line is located at the top of the figure's head, where the hair is highest, without regard to the highest point of the small crown.
- The second auxiliary line is located at the bottom of the bangs, where the hair meets the face.
- The third auxiliary line is located halfway down the eye, where the pupil is.
- The fourth auxiliary line is located at the corner of the mouth, which is the top of the V.
- The fifth auxiliary line is located at the very bottom of the head, where the head meets the body.
- The sixth auxiliary line is located at the very bottom of the collar.
As shown in the figure, once we have drawn the auxiliary lines for the front view, the same auxiliary lines are needed in the side view, they are an extension of the front view, this is to ensure that the wooden figurine looks consistent no matter which side it is viewed from.
Carving out the shape of the figurine.
Use a small saw to cut the front shape along the outer contour lines, then use a small wood carving knife to slowly carve until the outer contour lines are not visible. It is also possible to just use the carving knife from the beginning to chip away the excess wood, which is more secure, but consumes more time. Once the shape of the front has been sharpened, re-sketch the side view and carve for the left, right, and back in that order; the finished result is shown in the photo.
Sanding and painting colors.
In the final step, sandpaper each part of the wooden figurine to eliminate obvious angles and carvings and make it as round as possible. If you want to keep the original wood color, then the piece is complete at this point. However, if you want it to be the same color as in the anime, use water-based dyes to mix a different color, which can be seen in the finished rendering in this post.
Conclusion
This is a guide to carving wooden gifts for anime characters. As with our previous post on humanoid wooden figurines, this piece is difficult and very challenging for the beginner wood carver. It is recommended that beginners start learning to carve simple objects, such as common shapes like fruits, hearts, or stars, then they can practice simple animal figurines, and finally start learning to carve human figures.
