All Carving is now completed on this American Eagle except for pupils of the eyes. I prefer to adjust those as dictated by the lighting after the finish has been applied. The reason I do this is because the light intensity changes value to a great extent after the wood is darkened with even the clearest finish. Similar to way water darkens wood. The photo on this page shows the first seal coat of polyurethane being applied and the resultant darkening that I speak of. Carving pupils instead of painting them on is preferable because paint flattens the look of the eye, an can be disturbingly distracting especially if the rest of the sculpture is not painted. Carving the pupils can be the most intense part of doing a realistic sculpture. There are so many exactitude’s. All things have to be taken into account at the same instant. Are the centers of pupils at the same level horizontally? Are the equal in depth in the socket of the eye? Are the orbits (bulge or emergence from the lid) the same?. Are both pupils equal in diameter? Is their orientation equal in their respective sockets? -This amounts of location as to, are they equal distant from the top and from the bottom lid vertically, and also from the corners of the eyes.- There are many more tests I ask myself to watch for as I begin to carve at the very center to the pupil and carefully work outward from there, making sure to keep the circle of the pupil intact. Maddeningly intense this is, because so much rides on the result being right, and there is little to no room for error, and always in the back of your mind is, there are no do overs if you get it wrong. All my years of experience, and the skill and knowledge I have gained of over the years must come together at this point and the pressure is immense. What hangs in the balance is wasting weeks of work with the slightest miscalculation, or loss of keeping steady the tool in hand.. It is times like these, I always think of the brain or heart surgeon and revere their skills, when they have so much more pressure to get it right the first time.