essentÊrving°93

C A R V I K G A COMMONPLACE OBJECT IX HlCII R F. L 1 F F

FlG 8.9 The skin is morÄ™ defined Some undercutting of the skin has been done as its shape is now elear.

Fig 8.10 The undercutting of the ouerhanging piece of skin is nor attempted until the flesh part has been shaped.

way and make it look as if the carved object is partially submerged in the ground. IF you look carefully there may appear slight gaps between the banana and the ground. The carver must decidc whether any gap is useful, whether ii helps one to read the form and whether the gap is a good shape. Usually a tiny gap is not helpful and is not particularly pleasing. It may also reveal that the surfaces on opposite sides are not in linÄ™, which could be disastrous. At all times while carving you must remember that you arc not working with the same materials as the banana is madÄ™ from. You arc making something far morÄ™ useful and stimulating than a replica. If a replica is what you want you should make a mould and take a cast, but a carving in wood is altogether different. It is a combination of the carvcrs inrerpretation of a banana and his technical ability. Viewers automatically accept the limitation of carved wood, so if you tread a middlc path between undercutting too far and not undercutting cnough the shapes will look convincing. The safc and successful approach is to carve the bottom shape inwards so that it docs nor form a complcte circle but the last bit where it tucks under should turn very quickly to crcate a dccp shadow (Fig 8.11).

How much Detail to Show

lt is entircly up to the carrer how much detail is put into the surfacc. It is very imporranr not to confuse tcxture with form. The major grooves on the sides of the banana flesh, for instance, are not just grooves; they are caused bv the dipping in of the surfacc. This important considcration when dealing with veins on leaves and creases on human and other forms dcscrves emphasis (Fig 8.12). Figures 8.13 and 8.14 show a V chisel carving a groove and an inverted shallow gouge rounding rhe form into it.

My interest in carving is in the forms and not the surfacc. Some may prefer to copy exacdy the minutÄ™ transverse ridging of the flesh and the insidc of the skin, but obviously you have to stop somewherc. If the surface is left with shallow chisel marks (Fig 8.15) it will have a softer effect and hoÅ‚d the eye better than one that is sanded very smooth, particularly one treated with a shiny

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