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E S S E nr I A I. WOODCARVlNG T E C H N I Q U E S

To CARVE IN THE ROUND or in Relief?

Whilc it would be possiblc to carve this banana as a frcc-standing form the skin would havc so much shorc grain rhac it would bc tcmpring fate even ii it survivcd the carving. Stood on its end it would be unnatural. The obvious trcatment is to carve it in high relief, in which casc it needs to bc kept attached to the ground, not an easy thing to do if it is not to look as though it is sinking into a soft substance.

Roughing Out

Having done some drawings, madę a model and chosen the wood, the nexr step is to mark the depth of the ground on the wood. With this piece it was possible to saw down the corncrs to abovc the ground linc and split off much waste quickly (Figs 8.3, 8.4).

As explained with the Chapter 3 leaf, the two best ways for a novice to set down arc to start by running a V tool or decp gougc around the outline or by stabbing down about 2mm ('/6in) outsidc

Fig 8.3 The drawing transferred to the surface of the wood and the ground linę established. The corners tuere quickly removed by saw atts.

the drawn linę using the mallct. In boih cases car. should be taken to prcvent the wood frorr. splitting into the area of the design. After this stagc the procedurę is the same. With a deep gouge cut: are madę horizontally across the grain towards the side of whar will bc the banana. Because both methods of setting down leave an aura of waste wood all around thcrc is no fear of cutting in too far. The woods splitting qualitv can be uscd to your advantagc, as describcd in Chapter 5.

With a piece this deep the ground will be taken down in several stages. Approach the carving methodically by going from one end to the other to create one level and then returning to do the next. which should accclcrate the process. If you have plenty oi cxperience or if you are confident about drawing on an uncvcn surface, you could savc time by taking the top surface down whcrc you know it is Iow. before drawing in and cutting up to the outline. Once the background has been reduccd to a corrugarcd surface virrua!lv at rhe finał depih, it can be levelled with a flattish gouge (No. 3, 4 or 5 and the outline can be cut closely. It does not matter if cuts go too deeply at this stage as the background can bc taken a little lower at the end. Areas which arc surrounded or difficult to reach into because of rhe direction of the grain may be rackled with a spoon bit, followed by a ncarly fiat grounder.

Establishing Highs AND Lows

Once the outline is accurately cut it is safe to establish which arc the high and the Iow areas. sloping the wood from one to the other where appropriate. It is best not to isolate forms cxactly. Eirhcr stab down a little way out from the ourlincs as before or, morę safcly, run around them with a deep gouge or V tool. Figures 8.3 and 8.6 show rwo stages in setting down.

Howard Spiers, the student who carved this and several other cxamples in these chaptcrs, set down

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