essentÊrving±00

E $ S F. N T l A I. WOODCARVING T E C H N I Q L E S

object I wish to draw so that it is lit from one direction only. This means evervthing facing towards the light is white and everything furthcst from the light is darkest with varying deprhs of shade on other surfaces. A sphere shows this well (Fig 9.8).

The danger with A is that the strong conrrast of the shadow with the white paper makes that edge jump forward. B is safer and follows the rulc that parts further away are less strongly shaded. The usc of cast shadow in C also helps. although if it crosses a part of another form it can hide important detail. NotÄ™ that without the lighter shadow on the underside of the sphere the cast shadow would appear as part of the form.

Methods OF Shading

Shading can be done by various methods.

1 Toning: simply varying the intensity of tonÄ™ by changing densiry and pressure of strokes (see Fig 9.8).

2    Stippling: where the dots are closer together the shadow is deeper (Fig 9.9A).

3    Cross-hatching (Fig 9.9B).

4    Describing the shape by running the pencil around it and making the lines denscr whcrc the shadows fali strongly (Fig 9.9C).

It is important with thcsc methods that you are consistent in your vicwpoint (Fig 9.10).

Two Examples of Carving COMMONPLACE OBJECTS IN THE ROUND

A Dented Drinks Can

When carving a squcezed drinks can Howard Spicrs did his first drawings putting in all the shadows he saw. After climinating all but one major light source the results are markedly morÄ™ intclligiblc in three dimensions (Figs 9.11, 9.12).

The carving itself. as usual, involved selection of timber, in this case a piece of oak fence post, and deciding how to hoÅ‚d it. As far as possible I try to

FlG 9.6 Stronger contrasts in the foreground.

FlG 9.7 Drawing ushtg dark andfaint lines.

_100_