Depth

[achaundy]

Never did a relief carving, as a matter of fact I never even seen one, other than pictures. My question for today is, what is the normal depth of the carving. I am planning on doing one in the near future.Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Skip

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."

[Eddy-Smiles]

Skip... do a search on this forum for Lora Irish and check out some of the prior threads. She's even posted a couple of tutorials on that very subject.

[achaundy]

Thanks Eddy

Skip

[squbrigg]

Hey Skip,

Depth in a relief carving can be done several ways. Some relief is done in a very shallow style , while others consist of several layers of various depths. Undercuts will help provide shadows and shadow can be enhansed in several ways. Shadow is what relief carving is about, so consider it when you are carving.

Do some reading on relief carving, study a few books and magazine articles and then practice, practice, practice! Good luck and have fun!

Bob

[Ashbys]

Hi Skip,

To see the differences in the carving I suggest you look at the threads here. Thor's oak tree , is in a style typically considered shallow relief, Jdukes is a shallow relief but a style that is carved as deep relief because of the shallows formed from the undercuts and Ron Davidson's country church is a deep relief, as it combines depth and undercuts to gain the effect.

All excellent examples of different styles.

Susan's , site describes the styles and also how to start. Then check out the gallery pics and you will see some really good work. Dylan's covered bridge there is a lot here to show you the differences in the carvings.

Also if you have rever seen a wooden sign , that is a tpye of relief. Relief is just releasing the wood away from what you wish to show. Let us know how you do with it.

Ash

[achaundy]

I did a little work on my new project so I could show what I'm planning. Your input or suggestions would be appreciated.
This will be for my twin grand children, boy and girl not identical. They both are into playing ball. Look see!!!

Skip

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

[Eddy-Smiles]

Very ambitious! Good luck. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[Ron Davidson]

Skip depth to me is determined by what I need to accomplish the desired effect in the way of shadows and undercuts. Some of my more complicated carvings can have up to 18 different depths. Lora Irish is the best person to answer this but take your time and try and plan your steps carefully you can't put it back if you take too much. I usually don't go the complete depth until I am near the end of the project. Hope this helps a little.
Ron

[achaundy]

Ron
I really appreciate your tips for this project, I will certainly keep them in mind when I attempt this. Still doing my research.

Skip
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

[Ron Davidson]

Can you describe what it is you are working on and maybe I can tell a little better what you are doing.