Transition

[Pudding Boy]

I am a beginning carver. I have four or five projects under my belt. One of the difficulties I am having may sound a little strange. I can rough out with the saw. My detailing is coming along very nicely. But getting from a rough cut out to the detailing stage seems to be difficult. Even with penciling in lines. Mainly I fret over depth and balance. I know that little boogher is in there I can see him in my mind, I just don't have a lot of confidence where his arm goes is where I believe it should be. Am I too shallow did I go to deep, etc. This last figure I am carving to an anchor point (upper arm) and 'working across'. It is difficult and inefficient I am certain. Any suggestions or is it just a matter of experience?

[Dan S]

I still have fits with that as well. I get worried about leaving enough wood in the right places. Most of the time I do, but that is still the hardest part for me. I hope it gets better with practice.
In the meantime I'm told that if you carve the carving as a whole and sort of creap up on the final shape it goes better. By this I mean don't do the entire arm or leg then move on to another section of the carving. Work on all parts equally. I hope that made sense...

Good luck,
Dan

[gtech]

It takes me more time that way, but I also leave more wood than needed and make a first pass fatter. Then I take more wood out as I see the subject taking form.

In other words, I do a rough out by hand and keep carving it all around.

Gilles

[Donsexton]

I think the essence of your question is speed. How can I go faster and get good results. For Ole Don here just experience and experience to me is hours spent carving. I was thinking about how long it used to take me to carve a Lincoln bust. I carved one in 1978 it took over a hundred hours. I can crank one out in less than 5 now. That is on a subject I have carved many times over the years. I can say it transfers to other busts for roughing and proportioning makes me faster. I may be just a little over zealous about speed.

[jmischel]

I've been carving for almost a year, and I still have the same problem: fear of taking away too much, or making a wrong cut and spoiling the carving. I have an especially difficult time with arms for some reason. But I keep plugging away. I think Don's right: experience. You just have to make the mistakes and apply what you learn to the next carving. The way I'm going, I'll have lots of mistakes to laugh at in the future.

[Pudding Boy]

Originally Posted by jmischel

I've been carving for almost a year, and I still have the same problem: fear of taking away too much, or making a wrong cut and spoiling the carving. I have an especially difficult time with arms for some reason. But I keep plugging away. I think Don's right: experience. You just have to make the mistakes and apply what you learn to the next carving. The way I'm going, I'll have lots of mistakes to laugh at in the future.

I really appreciate everyones comments. I was beginning to think my brain was not working. I can really relate to everyones comments about leaving too much wood and worrying about spoiling the work by taking off too much. I really do enjoy carving so gathering more exerience will be a pleasure.

[TerrrapinQ]

It sounds to me that you are having difficulty envisioning your carving, and then executing it. Possibly, some homework on the human form, both in stylized and natural executions, could be beneficial! Go check out any museums and/or art galleries in your area, particularly if they have a specialty in sculpture. Seeing up close how other artists, in different and the same mediums, approach the intricacies of the form, can be hugely beneficial! Ultimately, what I do in this case, is not only look at the finished product, but imagine what the material looked like before the artist began working on it, and try to imagine what motions and tools they used to create their finished effects. Also, if your really feeling crazy, go take a few life drawing classes, or possibly some clay sculpting classes (or wood carving!!). All of this exposure can really help you understand and see how the human form is created! Just remember, it doesn't matter if you can't draw, or sculpt, or whatever, at all, the important thing is that you fulfill your passion for pursuing your life's interests. If you aren't in competition with anybody but yourself, then your work will ALWAYS be outstanding!!