Does "hand carved" imply hand tools?

Just Carving · #**111** 05-09-2008, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Well, hmmm, I guess using my toes is out then, eh?

Not as long as you are holding your toes with your hands.

Bob L

chuckbolton · #**112** 05-09-2008, 04:23 PM

last time i used my foredom-- i used my hands- and ofcourse that includes chainsaws. how about all the various tools we use-- most are machine made-- i guess the purist would make his own tools, by hand, and use those and ony those to "hand carve."

makinchips · #**113** 06-17-2008, 01:38 PM

Well that's a load off.....
I used to get frustrated by the ads from a regional furniture "Giant" that sells really cheap furniture that is "Hand Carved".
According to this pole, I guess the stuff IS really "hand carved". Darn, and I thought there might be a lawsuit in there somewhere.

Still makin chips one at a time here.

Joe,

Make Chips! (one at a time) lol

mikeGinSC · #**114** 06-24-2008, 05:54 PM

Interesting question...let me weigh in. My Uncle who is a retired professor of Fine Art has one of my first carvings which I did entirely with an Exacto carving knife handle and curved blade. My subsequent carvings have been done with a combination of hand tools and a Dremel. He asked me if using power tools was considered cheating and I told him no. He then told me about about how in watercolor painting, when the artist needed white areas in the painting, they would paint around them with the colors, ect. Then he told me about how some water colorists would use a blocking agent such as rubber cement to block out the white areas and paint right over them, then peel off the blocking agent. My Uncle is old school when it comes to painting. He can tell by looking at a painting whether someone used a blocking agent or not. I believe he thinks using power tools would be akin to using a blocking agent.

Mike G. in SC

Ron T · #**115** 06-27-2008, 08:16 PM

What I don't understand is can anyone tell after a carving is sanded and finished whether power was used or just manual tools? Does using a power sander mean it's not hand carved also?

JimSawyer · #**116** 07-01-2008, 10:23 PM

I use a power saw to cut the rough out for my carvings. Then it's all hand tolls, (no power). No one questions how I did it because they can see the tool marks. I did do a polar bear and found that I could get nice smooth shapes using my dremel tool, and then details with hand tools. I wanted him more smooth to give him the stylized look I wanted. I think that if a computer does most of the work, that that is cheating and I really have no taste for this kind of work. I also don't like it when someone does a carving and then has it molded and cast, giving it the look of hand carving. I've seen stuff like this in stores like the Silver Dragon, an fancy artsy place and they charge really high prices for this kind of stuff. Discusting!

falconer · #**117** 07-03-2008, 12:49 PM

I agree with Lynn!! This topic has been beat to death so let it die in peace already!! And as for the person who is disgusted by those who reproduce there carvings, I for one do it in the form of bronzes and resin for painting instruction and detail reference to go along with my seminars. Let's talk about something alittle more constructive shall we?

Welcome to Sierra Creek Studios

Shimmy · #**118** 07-03-2008, 01:00 PM

Basswood or Linden tree. I say it makes no difference power or not.

willhayden33 · #**119** 07-07-2008, 10:06 PM

THANKS LYNN...
God gives us the power....(SO I GUESS WE ARE ALL POWER CARVERS..some run on 220 and others on 110) and Lynn about 240...
I listened to Fred Clark and Spike Boyd..go at each other for years on this matter..
"ENJOY LIFE...WHITTLE away a little of your time."
I always told my students..."You carved it... it's an orginal(for you)"
Have a nice day....
Will
in Vancouver

JimSawyer · #**120** 07-07-2008, 10:18 PM

Falconer, I may not have been clear with my opinion. I have great respect for people who do brass castings. And I can respect your use of resin casting for teaching purposes. What I can't seem to respect is when Big companies sell painted resin castings that look like real wood carvings. It takes away from the people who try to sell their carvings that are worked from skill and patience. I'll beit that there's a certain skill in painting these things. But there is such a high price for these pieces that I shudder. No disrespect to your applications though.