What is the easiest way?

[KeithC]

What is the easiest way to get the sizes equal and in line on caricature carvings? Example: Getting the arms the same size and equally placed on caricature carvings.
Keith

[Bartster]

keith,


i have had trouble with this also and i have found that using the pencil and my finger as a gauge from one side to the other helps, or you can get a 6" ruler and just measure them out, but when you get down to the detailing part you kinda just have to go by eye, a center line also helps.


bart

[gene-messer]

Keith.. I have only one word for you .. practice , practice , practice .. and use a pencil to draw them out .

It will come with time as you work with the figure .. also .. when you carve .. carve around the figure from all sides as you go along .. You will be surprised at how you can even things out as you go ..

Gene

[Claude]

There was a thread quite some time back about this. Make a paper manikin. Here's a link to the galleries:

http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.co.../513/limit/all

and

http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.co.../513/limit/all

This is the thread that discussed it:
The Knee Bones Connected To The Ankle Bone! Making Paper Manikins!

Claude

[BobD]

Claude is right...the paper manikin will help...but nothing is going to take the place of practice.

One thing about caricatures is that you do have a bit of leeway when it comes to dimensions...you can fudge a bit as long as you keep it visually appealing; to be honest, sometimes a carving can look a bit "off" if the dimension are correct, depending on the pose.

Mark Yundt (a professional carver who frequents the site) worked hard to sculpt a crucifix based on the dimensions taken from the Shroud of Turin. On the Shroud, there was a discripencie in the length of Christ's arms; by making a clay model, Mark realized that he would have to change the pose of Christ's arm to account for the dislocation of one shoulder (a common effect of crucifixion)....but he had to make a clay model to realize that.

I know some people really just want to get into carving, but when it comes to figures, and proportions...I really suggest that you make a clay model first! Especially if you are carving something from one block of wood, and don't have the luxuary of recarving an arm or a leg that doesn't look right. If you don't mind add-ons, than it may be a good idea to carve the arms or legs individually, and glue them on; that way, if your arm or leg doesn't turn out, you can recarve that one part rather than the whole thing.

Best regards,
Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[Mitchell]

You DO have some leeway in caricatures....but you need to be sure that both arms are fairly equal in length to each other (same with legs, hands, and feet). The manikin will work if you want to work on the same size figure.

It does take some practice and would be helpful if you would study a little bit about anatomy. You don't have to be an expert or even be able to draw a human figure.....just understand a little bit about proportions. Stick figures are a great way to study and they don't require much in the way of drawing skills.

When I do caricatures (designing), I use the head size as a common denominator for the rest of the figure. For small carvings, the overall height is = 3 "head" units. One circle for the head, and an equal sized one underneath that will be for the body; the third will be the length of the legs....I usually add the feet afterward and don't count it in the overall height of the figure. For larger ones, it goes up to 5 or 5 1/2. The "realistic" human figure is commonly drawn around 6-7 heads high.

Back to caricature - by designing with the head larger (in relation to overall figure height), the caricature artist can put more detail in the face and it's expression. Usually, the hands are drawn/carved larger also. MOST of the time, the belt line will be the center of the figure - regardless of size, and the crotch will be just below that (naturally). This can be exaggerated for effect....the legs shorter or longer depending on what you want to project as an example.

One thing that I do try to keep constant (besides the belt line as the center) is that the tips of the fingers will fall somewhere mid-thigh. Elbows will generally be in the center of the arm....it's easy to remember.

If you want a TOOL to use in evaluating carvings, use a compass...the kind for drawing circles. They are cheap and can purchased anywhere that sells school supplies. You can measure one side and match that to the other fairly easily.

[squbrigg]

Some great suggestions as usual, to help our fellow carver progress. Another tip I can offer on a similar line is to go to your local library and borrow a book on drawing human anatomy. Practice making sketches and cardboard templates from your sketches. Learn to exaggerate features. A study of some cartoons will offer you some ideas of types of exaggerations you can come up with.

I know I'm not being very helpful, but there is no easy way to learn to improve your carving (that I know of) other than to experiment and lots of practice.

Bob

[PeteM]

I haven't been doing this very long, but I find that taking small chips off each sides alternately helps keep the carving symmetrical.

I am also constantly turning it in my hands, and regularly eye it up from different angles. Gets the wood a bit dark in places though.

The other thing I do is to look at the carving upside-down, which makes shapes jump out more, and easier to see.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

You know, if you just carve "kasimoto" all the time, the different lengths don't matter!

[KeithC]

I want to thank you guys. I picked up some very useful tips. I've tried some and it has made my learning curve less steep. I know this is the CPA showing in me. I truly believe in practice and have been. But to me how and what you practice is very important. And if there are certain techniques once learned make you a better carver, I want to know about them. That is why discussions such as this are really appreciated by me. A couple of things I would really be interested in knowing; How many caricature carvers on this forum use clay models? How many have actually taken a class or researched human anatomy? And to really show my ignorance of the subject what is "kasimoto"? I am now trying to decided what is the appropriate hat to wear when carving and looking for a mouse pattern to set on it while carving.lol
Thanks again
Keith