Copyright © 1996+ Jean D. Lotz last updated - 12/9/97
| List
of Contributors and Links
Many tips contained in this
document have been collected from
|
Now if I drew the original from my original concept and idea and then I carved it (possibly worse than some of you can), I can say I conceived, carved and sculpted this original piece of artwork. MINOR difference here!
Drawing can help any form of art, but NO you don't need to draw to work in 3D. I know of some artists that will sculpt a clay to help them do a serious 2D artwork! But I have a hard time going from my brain to 3D without spending sometime with a pencil in my hand. Either drawing the idea on paper, or drawing a sketch of my idea DIRECTLY ON THE WOOD.
Now if I traced by graphite, Corel, or Xerox an existing wood carving (or any other 3D sculpture) that I admire and then laid it out and carved this, this can at best be called a "wood carving study". An important part of the art training for Renaissance artists was copying master art works. This is not counterfeiting - - it was a "study". This is one of the best ways to learn. But these "studies" should not be represented as original works.
If I bought someone else's sculpture (porcelain, wood, stone or whatever) traced it with a woodcarving machine and called it original art - - THAT'S THEFT! And then to advertise themselves as "woodcarvers" - - THAT'S A LIE!
Jean Lotz
Jump back to top
Since some of my patterns are not clear as to what is the right or front edge, and they are translucent to allow flipping. I put "reference dots" on the edges that Mark wants to identify fast or match.
I trace off the patterns and reference points and HRL with a Sharpie on translucent stencil plastic. All pattern pieces are labeled for identification (which doll type, which doll part, which view). I then cut the plastic out with an exacto knife and sharp scissors. We then store the pattern pieces together in marked clear plastic bags.
Mark buys my big blocks of
basswood (checks out for good buys and keeps track of the stock). He cuts
the blocks into smaller blocks in measurements that minimizes waste. He
squares up at least 2 sides on a jointer/planner (he dreams of a thickness
planner). Then he is ready to quickly lay out and cut my rough outs on
the bandsaw. Mark can match up registration quickly on the wood. He lays
down a straight line on 2 sides of the wood with a carpenter's square and
lines up the horizontal reference lines from my patterns and then traces
the outside of the rather stiff plastic on to the wood. Sometimes he even
rough carves some of the waste off. WHAT A HELPER! From: Jean Lotz
Jump back
to top
Unfortunately, there is a great risk of unethical use of computer robotic machinery. If used in an ethical manner, then CNC (computer numeric controlled) machines have their part in the production of artwork. An artist might envision a work carved in stone but doesn't have the skill or means to carve such an item. There are now companies offering an artist the option of submitting their original 3D study (in clay, wax, or etc.) for duplication in any size in an assortment of stone. Viewed in this way and under these conditions then submitting a sculpture to one of these CNC duplicators is no different then an artist submitting a work to a foundery to be cast into bronze.
Drawing and Storing your patterns in
your computer
A computer can be used to
scan original drawings, trace into a art program (ex: Corel has a trace
function), size accordingly, then print out as full size line art. Minor
changes in the drawings no longer require redrafting the whole thing. After
you change the input data into vector data, the individual parts can be
edited with any good drawing or CAD package. Also once in the computer
you can quickly reprint a pattern for another carving.
Scan your reference photos and print
them out to the right scale
If you are working with
a set of good photographs or a good sketch, you can scan it in to your
computer and use a graphics or photo editing software to scale it to the
exact dimensions you want for your carving. This way you will have an easier
time checking proportions. I print it out at it's current size & check
the size in mm, calculate my scale factor with the formula "size I want
/ size now". Then I use this scale factor to perfectly size my photos and
reprint this wonderful reference material. This is infinitely better
than using one of those proportional dividers, especially when you are
using more than one reference. From: Jean Lotz
Draws his patterns with
a combination of pencil and CAD
It seems the old tried &
true pencil and paper is best for me when it comes to laying out a pattern
- unless I'm looking for a profile view - in which case I may use a photo
(if I happen to have a good shot handy). I scan the image into my computer
and use a CAD or graphics program to draw my side & top views and then
do the rest with the pen & pencil..(Marcel then re-scans the pencil
sketch into his computer to manipulate the size and prints it out on low
tack plastic film - see his recommendation in pattern materials) From:
Marcel
A. Lamarche
Uses CorelDraw to develp chip carving
designs
I used CorelDraw3 to develop
a chip carving design and it saved me a few hours of layout time. I had
to make two Barton/Brandli breadboards to give as wedding shower gifts.
Normally, in the center of the breadboard I carve two circles 2cm apart
with the couples first names in the top half of the circle and the month
and day in the bottom half. The inner circle is 9-1/2cm and I carve the
newlyweds last initial there. Corel Draw's text handling and the ability
to attach text to a curve is really saved me a lot of time. I also had
it group and center everything for me on the drawing. I then outlined the
text and printed it on tracing paper. After a few minutes of tracing I
was ready to carve. In the past, that job took me a couple of hours laying
it out by hand. Now all I have to do is change the text in the drawing.
From: Chuck Martin.
Jump back to top
SOFT TRANSLUCENT PLASTIC STENCIL PLASTIC (or translucent quilting template plastic from a fabric shop.) A sharpie pen marks it and it cuts easily with an exacto or sharp scissors. From: John "Owliver" White & Jean Lotz.
PLASTIC LAMINATE: scraps of plastic laminate from local cabinet shops often for free. It is thin and stiff and easy to trace around but you can't see through it. You can stack a whole bunch of them together for easy storage. I use spray adhesive to attach a paper pattern to it and cut it out with a scroll saw. From: Richard Absher.
THIN PLEXIGLAS: If I have a pattern that I need to see the wood grain, I use the thinnest Plexiglas I can find. Scraps might be available from glass shops for a very good price. From: Richard Absher.
PAPER AND CARBON PAPER: I use carbon paper under my design to transfer it to the wood panel for relief carving. The carbon lines do not smudge or erase. You have to carve them out. My patterns are drawn on ledger-sized fan-fold computer paper. This paper can be taped together to make large sheets for patterns over 11'x15". The paper is also tough enough for many tracings. If a pattern wears out, I just trace another fresh copy using my light table. From: Bill Judt
DRAW DIRECTLY ON THE WOOD: On many of my larger relief's I draw a good deal of it right on the wood (but then I love to draw!) so don't usually have much for a pattern! Maybe just an outline of the main subject. From: Bonnie Grasser.
I just draw that sucker out free hand right on the wood or make a sketch of what I have in mind and tape in on the wall right behind my bench to use for reference while I am carving. The Low Tech Guy, Mike Wells.
On found wood or nuts, I will draw directly on the wood because you're not going to have 2 perfectly flat and squared edges to layout your patterns. From: Jean Lotz.
SPRAY ADHESIVE ON BACK OF PAPER: For bandsawn patterns you could glue the paper pattern onto the wood and cut through it. But this technique has it's drawbacks when it comes to chip carving. "I have had sticky residue on my (chip) carvings from this technique. From: Bonnie Grasser."
LOW TACK PLASTIC SHEETS: A laser is perfect, especially if you use an adhesive backed plasticized sheet (which must be thick enough so that it will not melt down and muck up your printer or copier - such a disaster yields permanent damage as I understand it)...
I also do not yet generate my patterns with a computer, but a scanned image can be sized to the required dimension & reproduced in this way, especially effective, say for relief carving a gun stock... Just make sure you get low tack film... with paper, you could always use glue, I suppose, but I prefer the clear film when I use this technique so that I can see through my pattern and take advantage of the wood's best features (grain & figure)...I use frisket paper for airbrush masking. The brand I use is: "Matte Applique Film - white, poly back," & this particular brand sports product number AF8000.
Some don't like idea of an adhesive backed film. The complaint likely originates from the use of high tack glue which I imagine could generate some problems, but I've yet to encounter this. I reduce the odds of such a problem by first applying the pattern sheet once or twice to my jeans. The tacky side picks up lint fibers & sawdust (if I've been working hard enough) and further reduces tack. You don't need too much tacky stuff to hold it down to the wood.
NOTE: If you try this, be advised that certain finishes, particularly some applied to cheap gunstocks, will lift when removing the excess peel and stick which surrounds the carved area. Know your finishes before you start. If unsure, test in an inconspicuous area (for instance, the area that will be carved out - not the area where you are seeking to preserve the original finish). Pick up more lint from your clothes to further reduce the tackiness, and test it out again.
From: Marcel A. Lamarche
The technique I use is to place my original in the copy machine and make a copy onto paper. I then tape the Draw and Saw over the image area and run it through the copier again. This cuts down on wasted material and helps keep it from curling. From: Richard Hoadley
BRANDS OF PLASTIC MENTIONED:
COMPUTER PRINTOUT & POUNCE WHEEL: I use my computer to scan original drawings, trace into a art program (ex: Corel has a trace function), size accordingly, then print out as full size line art. I then put it to the wood and use a pounce wheel to trace the lines into the wood surface, then I throw the paper away, and file an extra print. From: Steve Roberts.
LASER PRINTER AND IRON ON TRANSFER PAPER - The laser toner (from a laser printer or copier machine) melts off the standard paper (inkjet printers doesn't work!). There are special papers, and transfer inks available now to insure a good transfer, but most will find the plain paper and standard toner adequate.
Copy the pattern fairly dark (too dark will give a smeared line) and a DRY HOT IRON (too hot and you may scorch the wood). Experimentation will quickly show you the right settings. Make sure that your wood is SMOOTH ENOUGH at least planed smooth or the iron on method will not work!
Once you can get your pattern in the computer, invert your pattern (like a mirror) using a tool like Lview. If you print this on a laser printer, or if you copy it using a laser copier, you can iron the design right onto a planed board, or iron it into a T-shirt (Iron on transfer doesn't work perfect on cloth, but it is enough to enhance by painting).
Iron on transfer onto wood works fine. The toner does not ever smear. If the wood is planed smooth, the iron on transfer will sometimes look nice enough that with a coat of polyurethane (no carving nor burning), you could be done! From: Robin Edward Trudel
LAZER PRINTER IRON ON
FROM CORELDRAW3
Advise from a fellow member
of the Ontario Woodcarvers Association who is also a woodcarving teacher:
Coreldraw3 (the cheapest version) has a feature called "trace" which in
a nutshell, takes the image and just produces the basic outlines of the
object. Then print the pattern on to "overhead or clear transparency film"
using a laser printer as your "iron on" pattern. From: Gordon Paterson
CLEAN UP RESIDUAL TONER
In chip carving there is
usually a few lines left over after carving,
Robin Trudel suggested
using wide masking tape to remove any excess toner by putting it
on the carving and gently pulling the tape and toner off.
Jump back to top
Some people LIKE ME have a hard time working stylized. Like trying to keep email short and sweet when you like to YAK, YAK, YAK, YAK ...... get the idea?
As an creative exercise: I will force myself to work stylized sometimes. You learn what you can leave out yet still keep the essence of the object. You can actually see the essential shapes and details better. When you return to a more detailed style, this experiment has made you more aware of the form, angles, shapes, and details - - you can see to carve better.
from: Jean Lotz
Jump back to top
It's kind of hard to carve a blurred wing. Just imagine a fast-film photo of a hummingbird - action is stopped and crisp, but there's no doubt to the observer that the bird is in flight. I like to carve the wings in the down and forward stroke - a graceful pose that shows the bird's head well, and the wings with all feathers fully spread and extended. By putting the wing at the "end" of a wing stroke, the eye accepts the absence of actual movement.
Jo Craemer, Wildlife Carvings, Delaware
As a relief carver I am always trying to improve my ability to 'fool' the eye. Relief involves three dimensions. Height and width are usually scaled 100% while the third dimension, DEPTH, is compressed to between 5% and 25%. The trick is to fool the eye of the viewer so that the compression of depth is not noticed and looks natural.
From time to time I place one of my finished carvings in front of my carving classes and allow them to critique my work. After they are done, I take the carving and turn it sideways so they can seen how little relief it takes to make a subject look realistic. Sometimes I take a straight edge and lay it carefully across the surface of the carving so they are better able to see where the highs and lows are.
Recently I carved a frontal portrait of a sled dog which (not including borders) was about10" across and 12" high (about 75% of full size) using 2" wood, and carving at the deepest point to 1.25".
From the tip of the nose to the forehead I managed to use only 1/4" of depth. Yet to look at the carving, the face appeared normal and natural. The trick was to carve the fur on the face so that it would lead the eye and suggest depth and shape where there was in fact very little of both. In this instance the sled dog's face was 75% of full size in the height and width, but only about 7% of full size in the DEPTH dimension.
You can see the design and the finished carving on Bill's web site - (go to the contributor list)
This is why I love relief. There is almost nothing that cannot be carved if one takes time to figure out how to compress that third dimension.
from:
Bill Judt - relief carving
(tips)
Jump back to top
Carving Soap Bears in St. Louis
In our St. Louis carving club we will have several sessions each year with children as young as in first grade using soap carving as a media. We use plastic knives which are frequently begged from a fast food place and Ivory (R) soap. Ivory is the only one which I know of which will work well. Also the soap should be fairly fresh as it will dry and become brittle.
By using the plastic knives we virtually do away with any cuts - - in fact having had several hundred students, I can't remember any blood. It is amazing that these youngsters can produce a recognizable figure.
Another thing I have several patterns, animals, but we usually do a little polar bear which fits the personal size bar. Using a knife with serrated edge when the carving is finished the edge can be used to gently scrape "hair" on the finished bear.
I have one grade school that has called me each year for about the past 5 or 6 years to do soap whittling with their fourth grade students. They have a bunch of pioneer type activities during the day and the "Whittling" is one of the more popular.
We figure this is a good way to expose the kids in a bloodless manner.
from:
John "Owliver" White
Merit Badge for Boy Scouts
One of the things I did recently to help encourage kids to carve is sign up as a Woodcarving Merit Badge counselor for our local BSA council. I expect to work primarily with Scouts in our troop, but may well end up working with a lot of other Scouts.
You do NOT need to belong to a Troop to be a merit badge counselor - just be an experience carver with a willingness to teach. The merit badge book specifically outlines what they are to be taught, so teaching experience is not really a requirement. (Basically - safety first, sharpening, types of carving, and two projects - one flat/low relief and one in the round. You can help select the projects.)
If you are interested, contact your local Boy Scouts of America council office (or it's equal in Canada or Australia). They should be listed in the local phone book.
from:
Matt Kelley
Carver, Asst. Scoutmaster
(BSA Troop 31 Flint, MI), and assorted other hats. ;-)
Sandpaper Carving
One thing we do through the local carving club is "sandpaper carving". Small silhouettes of animals, dinosaurs, people, etc. are cut out of 1/4" to 1/2" basswood. "Carving" tools are made from small dowels and flat sticks with sandpaper glued on half their length. The children use the sandpaper tools to round-off the sharp edges and the pieces are then painted. Everyone seems to have a lot of fun and parents often ask to buy several kits to have later for the kids. It's a very small leap from sandpaper carving to working with a knife!
from:
Mike Dunk - wildlife (tips)
Working with Dad
I have a daughter 8, a daughter 3, and a son 1.5. The two little ladies are always wanting to help Papa carve. Instead of chasing them off, I sat them down with some white pine scraps and gave them a flat head screwdriver(making lines) a big spike(for making diamonds) and a Phillips style screwdriver (oooh Papa, Stars!). They get a great kick out of it and my oldest has made quite a few nice pieces. Pretty safe too, just the occasional bashed thumb.
from:
Robin E. Trudel - President:
New England Woodcarvers (tips)
Jump back to top
It is illegal in the US to keep any part of a non-game bird without a proper permit. This includes roadkill, found dead birds, skulls, feathers, and bird nests.
The restrictions also have something to do with protecting our health (from mites, Lyme disease ticks, and etc. that birds harbor) as well as protecting their nesting activities (some birds reuse nests), and protect birds from people killing them, calling them road kill, and selling their bodies.
Similar restrictions apply to animals.
From this to a 3-d character figure, I would try different possible side views: straight, stooped, pot-bellied, muscular, etc. Then I could think of the different characters that I could make. From: Jean Lotz
Jump back to top
A perfect example of this is Harley Refsal's farmer figure, the one in WOOD magazine a long time ago: I've made several carvings all from the same pattern...from: Robin Edward Trudel
Jump back to top