These will probably be the last of the animal collection I post because we have seen quite a bit of VA3D's patterns and already know how good they are. But I wanted to show these actually carved and finished.
I also want to make a case against using Danish Oil here. I used it on the fly fisherman, the deer, and the bass. It settles into the deep areas too much and makes them too dark. The trees behind the deer look like something out a children's horror story because the empty spaces are so dark (it didn't come through in the photos very well because the flash reflection off the lacquer). Again, this was from the Danish Oil, not the patterns themselves.
I still find a Gel Stain is the best for these style carvings (used on elk and pheasant here). It is hard to get out of the deep parts, so it really imparts an antique feel and gives a lot of visual depth to the carvings.
Also on the Pheasants, the lower pheasant has a flat spot on her back. I set the height way up, so the CW cut here flat. You should set the height down a little below the surface on this one.
Finally, the bass in style C makes it hard to see the tail (although it shows on the photo, its hard in RL to see). I think I will look into using style A instead, with a Carve Region slightly deeper than the depth.