The Schooner

[squbrigg]

Completed this little relief of a schooner under sail. Just something light and fun. The wood is Basswood, and it is 9" high. A nice practice in texture and energy.

Bob

[Joggernot]

I'm curious how long it takes you, a good carver, to make something like this. It's still taking me forever to make even small things.

Joggernot

[MelNM]

Very nice Bob

[Iowa Carver]

Nice Bob, I really like that. The water really shows a lot of movement.

Corey

[Paul_Guraedy]

Bob, you did a good job with the texture on this relief. I like the straight lines of the sky blending into the waves of the sea and together they really set off those smooth sails. Combine this with the relief and smooth texture of the prow (I guess I do know a few nautical terms) and it appears as if the ship is charging through the seas.

[squbrigg]

Thank you for your kind remarks folks, glad you like it.

Joggernot ..... a small piece like this takes me about three days of on/off carving. An hour here, and hour there, it doesn't take long. The wood being Basswood is carves well and 90% of it was carved using a small set of Dockyard tools.

Bob

[lorax]

Bob, Im impressed as always.
the shadows/light working off the waves and within the vessel create a very dramatic effect. Is that mostly due to the lighting for the picture? Because I was wondering how differently the carving would look/feel if the bold shadows were softened. That really doesn't have to do with the actual carving, but more the power of a well presented and crafted photo of your work. That would be a big difference if you were selling online. Who knew?!

[squbrigg]

Lorax ..... you are right on concerning the lighting. Creating shadow is what relief carving is all about. You play around with depth, and surface textures to achieve illusions. The illusion of motion, or of calm or of violence and energy, etc. This piece has both good depth and extreme texture differences, and a little subtle undercutting to help define the vessel, and make it stand out from the background. It's fun seeing what you can create, to try to capture the mood of the sea.

Bob