Interview For Sakhalin TV Channel

I have been interviewed for a local TV channel about fruit carving art. This video was taken a few years ago at 'Rome Holidays' Cafe, in my hometown.

In the video I introduce simple and quick fruit carving centrpieces, and tell about tools (Triangle) and products I use for my carvings.

Watch all videos at my YouTube channel

 

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Watermelon Carving: Face And Back Sides

Do you care for a back side of watermelon when you carve one?

I do watermelon displays for events. Usually the fruit displays are placed at the head table. The guests of the event see all the beautiful decorations like flowers and fruit displays, arcs and fabric drapes above the head table. And what about the people who sit at the head table? They sit at the beautiful palce and can not see the beauty.

This thought was shared by one of my clients. To feast her eyes on the watermelon display I decorated the back side too, which is usually bold.

See more watermelon designs:

Fashionable Watermelon Carving Design

Beach Wedding Watermelon Carving

Chinese Horoscope Watermelon Carving

Face side of watermelon

Back side of the watermelon display

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Cute Cat Sculpture Of Oranges

Orange Cat Fruit Sculpture

A Cute Cat Sculpture of Oranges was designed by me for a gift fruit tray to be sent to a little girl.

Someone may say the cat looks spooky, it is more a gangsta cat than a cute one. OK :) This orange cat still looks great on the fruit tray.

You don't need a special carving tools kit to make this orange sculpture. A small pairing knife and toothpicks will do the job.

Two oranges and a grape were used for the Cute Gangsta Cat.

Who can resist trying the Cute Gangsta Cat of oranges? 

Linking to:

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Fashionable Fruit Carving Design

The rose with curved petals is a fashionable carving centerpiece.

I learned it at Bangkok at soap class.

Rose carving in watermelon

Tools for the watermelon carving:
Thai knife

Wedding fruit design

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How To Make A Turtle Of Apple, Melon and Watermelon

I got a lot of responses on how to make a turtle of fruits the same that I did one from watermelon for the Beach wedding.

I prepared a tutorial to show how to make the turtle and explained the method in an apple. This method works for making a turtle of watermelon, melon, pumpkin and other materials.

How To Carve A Turtle Of Apple

You will need:

1 apple,

nectarine or other apple for its head and legs

Tools:

thai knife

Step instruction:

1. Cut the apple in halves. We will make two cute turtles.

2. With thai knife carve 3 cells at the central line.

3. Add cells around.

4. Carve small swirls in each cell.

5. Slice nectarine for legs and do a head. Place your turtle on a plate.

REMEMBER to treat your carving with lemon water to prevent it from browning!

How to carve apple turtle with swirls pattern

Let's decorate the second turtle with small stars! You will need V-knife for it.

Step instruction:

Repeat steps 1-3 from the first instruction.

Carve stars in each cell with V-shape knife.

Use V-knife from your carving tool set to do the cute stars in the apple turtle

You are done! Again, you can do this turtle in melon and watermelon too. 

Do not forget to apply lemon juice to your carving when you work with apples. Read the article 'How To Carve Apples And Prevent Them From Browning' to safe carved apples for a long period of time.

If you get used to lemon juice use a special cirtus sprayer device. It's perfect to sprinkle lemon juice to salads and dishes.I use the citrus sprayer for a quick carving. 

Cut a lemon and screw the sprayer in

Now you can spray your apple carving or use it for cooking

Here are my turtles made of apples,kiwi, melon and watermelon

Apple Turtles

Kiwi turtle

Melon turtle 

Watermelon turtle

 This article is linked to:

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Fruit Basket With Watermelon

Tasty fruits arranged in a metal fruit basket, and decorated with watermelon carving display.

This arrangement is made for 55 years bithday of a man who runs a construction company. His colleagues asked for a beautiful display to present to the boss. I inquired into his likes and got that he loves pomegranates, kiwi and... construction.

Using this info I built the double-deck fruit arrangement.

Fruit basket:

pomegranates,

apples,

cherry,

kiwi,

apricot.

Decoration:

palm leaves,

roses with curved leaves, carved out of carrot and daikon radish,

watermelon carving.

Wire fruit basket.

Fruit basket with watermelon carving arrangement

Double-deck fruit arrangement: fruit basket and watermelon carving 

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Sea Theme And Hawaiian Theme Fruit Displays

In this post I'd love to continiue the beach theme 

Hawaiian Wedding and Luau

The watermelon was carved to Hawaiian themed wedding.
A melon lantern is attached to the watermelon with wooden skewers.

The Hawaiian watermelon carving display and a Hawaiian theme cake

Hawaiian watermelon carving with names and hibiscus flower

Sea Themed Fruit Display With Sailing Ship

The fruit display to 60 years birthday of a man who loves sailing. 

Sailing ship is carved out of marrow squash.

Anchor is made of pumpkin.

The sailing ship made of a marrow squash and watermelon carving for 60 years birthday

Anchor carved out of pumpkin

Join Fruit and Vegetable Carving group at Google+ to share your fruit carving pictures, for discussion,  recognition of your carving talants and for getting help from other carving artists. I am in the group! This group welcomes fruit carving, soap carving, butter and chocolate carving. 

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Beach Theme Wedding

It's Friday today and the Beach Theme Wedding out here!

Beach theme or sea theme is inspiring for a fruit carving artist. So many fruit crafts and designs can be done. Sea creatures, ships, fish, exotic birds, melon bungalow, melon shell basket, Hawaiian Luau theme, pumpkin lanterns with a romantic pattern (dear readers, let's do a brain storm, please continiue the list with your ideas in the comment bar!).

Since there are no exotic fruits here in Sakhalin even papaya and mango is a rare fruit here, I had to use simple products like carrot, radish, melon and watermelon. I decided to pay attantion to details to make the guests feel  like they are on the beach. I also had a task to fit the client's budget.

Before carrying out this project I sent a drawing with my comments on the design to my clients for their approval. Their answer was Yes we want it!!!

Beach Theme Wedding Project

Melon turtle. A turtle is a symbol of long life and wisdom. It's a mascot for welfare and prosperity. 

Fruit carving topiary on bamboo stands. The stands are not a real bamboo, they are immitation made of a local material, north bamboo, 3 meter high plant which is widely grow on Sakhalin island. Its botanical name is  Polygonum sachalinense. I like to use it for my crafts.

Carrot shell. The shells are carved out of carrot.

The Beach Theme fruit carving display

Watermelon carving details and exotic flower out of kiwi and apple

Melon turtle with carrot head and legs

Carrot flowers and grape bouquet on the bamboo stand

Radish flowers and grape bouquet on the bamboo imitated stand 

Carrot shell and the north bamboo stand bound up with rafia

Head table decoration, Beach theme wedding

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Popular Wedding Fruit Display

This fruit display is very popular and often chosen by my clients form my portfolio. 

I love working on new projects. Looking forward to the next Friday when I will do a fruit display for a Beach Theme wedding. 

But this a job and I have to do what my clients want. They want swans! 

How to hear your clients and how to make them happy? 

How to stay excited with your creative service job?  

These are today's articles from Preston Bailey's guide.

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Books and Guides To Fruit Business

Do you want to do fruit carving for living but you don't know what to start with?

Do you think to turn your hobby into interesting and creative job and wonder how much money you can earn?

In this post I introduce books, which help you to start fuit carving business. These books answer most of the questions you may have on the field. 

Your Ultimate Guide to a Profitable Fruit Bouquet Business

This is e-book (downloadable file) guiding you to fruit bouquet business. This guide covers major questions about fruit business and can be used in fruit carving business too. The e-book gives clear instructions on the basics of arranging fruit bouquets, on getting started in the business, advertising and selling fruit creations.

You will learn about the following:

• what tools, supplies and equipment you wil need
• how to make fruit bouquets, how to wrap them and deliver
• what cerificates you will need
• start-up costs and expected incomes
• how to culculate a right price for fruit bouquets
• how to administrate your fruit business
• how to find clients and promote your business
• how to sell fruit bouquets online and offline

Time to time I look through this guide.

Dear Preston: Doing Business With Our Hearts. 

A practical and friendly guide to running your own creative servce business.

Prestom Bailey, the author and a famouse florist and event planner form New York with 30 years experience in the event industry, shares his thoughts about making creative business. Preston answers different and sometimes difficult questions about our artistic job:

• Am I good enough to make a creative business
• How to cope with low self-worth and envy to your succesful colleauges
• How to put a price on your creativity
• How to find new clients
• How to make your clients say "WOW"
• How to deal with difficult clients
• How to cope with stress and rejection from clients
• How do not lose business to cheap competitors
• How to survive 'slow time' in your business
• How to pick your first employee
• How to present your creative business and what you offer

No secret that artistic people take things emotionally. When you meet difficulties in your creative job don't think you are the only person who faced a specific problem. After reading the book I got that no matter where you live, in a big city like New York or in a remote Russian island, human nature is the same everywhere. Preston gives advices which really work. I myself passed through the situations he writes about. Now I understand I did my way right.

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The Chinese Snake Design in Watermelon For 60 Years Birthday

The Snake watermelon was designed to 60 years birthday party of a korean man. According to korean traditions 60 years anniversary is the most important date in a human life together with 1 year and wedding.

The family of the birthday man asked me for a snake pattern on watermelon to match the Snake Chinese Horoscope of him. 

Here is the result of my work. It was not easy to carve the snake because the watermelon's skin was hard. 

I used 3 knives for the snake design:

thai knife with flexible blade for the small details,

Triangle thai knife for taking skin off inside the snake pattern,

a bigger knife for taking skin off around the snake.

The frame design done with big U-knife and small V-knife.

The Chinese Snake in a frame

the frame details

fruit plate

The whole fruit carving display

Check out more articles about Chinese Horoscope in fruits:
Dragon and Snake Fruit Sculptures. Papillion Method

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