Critiques, Suggestions & Help Wanted

[Irish]

So I started this deep carved relief in the springtime. I have picked it up a dozen times and then put it back down. I'm stuck and it's just gettin' dusty.

2" thick x 16" long x 12" high basswood - a really sweet piece of wood

I am using my basic tools - bench knive, v-gouge, round gouges and bull nose chisel.

I have the back three levels roughed out to their depth and have started rough shaping the elements in those levels. I have not done any work on the foreground level, which you can clearly see. There is a lot of shaping and detailing to do that will come after all the levels are finished their rough shape stage.

I do intend to use wood burning to add lots of extremely fine detailing when I am done the carving work. Doubt that I will add any coloring just a stain and oil finish

So, it's pretty early in the carving stage and I have no idea why I keep putting this one down??? Something is bothering my eye and I just can't discover what that something is.

All critiques - ideas - suggestions welcome!

Here's the link to the Levels thread that has the pattern. Levels in Relief

Susan Irish

[Irish]

Snicker ... I think I see it! Odd how when it is posted as a small picture you see everything so differently. But I am waiting to see what you think before I post what I think my mess up is .... Big Grin ... as I could be very very wrong.

Susan

[fpace]

Ummmm... well.. I'll take a stab (no pun intended) at it. I am no relief carver but my eyes are drawn to the pencil marks/outline in the untouched foreground... might not be what you are snickering about though Ms. Susan.

[AlArchie]

No offense intended, Susan, you are much more accomplished than I EVER hope to be, but this one seems like you are looking at the scene through a peep-hole. The forgroud is obscuring something that should be there or is not complete in what it is supposed to show.

A neat idea that might go along with this view is making that forground a frosted window and giving the back scene a wintery look. Of course you'd have to remove a whole bunch of leaves and add a few drifts, etc........maybe that an idea for different carving.

Al

[Robert Cahill]

I have not done relief work either and am probaly the last one to say anything but I was wondering if it may be the little valley between the trees in the background.kinda where the bank is.

[BobD]

The perspective is bothering me...I'm having a difficult time determining the vanishing point.

Let me explain (I'll use a theatre analogy).

If you look at a set on the stage, the set is designed to make the 20-foot deep stage look much larger. It plays with the perspective to make the parts of teh set closer to you bigger than the parts farther away. The deepest part of the set, which is furthest from the audience, is called the vanishing point.
Relief carvings also play with perspective to give you the feeling of great depth in 2 inches of wood.

For this carving, the large trees in the background just don't work for me...they interfere with the vanishing point for me.

Bob

[AlArchie]

One more observation, after looking at the original sketch.....it may be possible to work this out, but if you relive the edges of that carving to the level behind the foreground trees, bringing that scene back to the front edge may be problematic. Wouldn't that present a continuity disconnect?

I see that now, too, Bob...the big spruce in the sketch is in front of the smaller ones and in the carving it is behind them. It could just be a really big spruce behind the smaller ones, but that is not how it's portrayed in the original sketch. Have to have both up at the same time to discern this alteration.

Al

[Irish]

fpace! Boy, do you have a good eye! Yes, I think it has to do with some of the original drawing lines. I'm not telling yet what, which one or why ... but you sure grapped it as quick as I did!!!!!

Al, It is deep, deeper than I have carved before and I am hoping that when I get to the foreground there will be a more gradually appearence to the changing levels. I am keeping the leaves - maybe if I get through this one I will go for a complimentary winter scene.

Robert! I like that idea and as I am still WIP it will be an easy critique/suggestion for me to add to the work. Thank you!

Bob ... thinking ... thinking ... still thinking! I wonder if your perspective/vanishing point might not be taken care of with Robert's little hill ... thinking ...

Susan

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I would also say the trees are the problem but not just the background ones, the very front ones, the tops of them I would do some work there and see how it looks. I do like it so far you are a very talented carver, can't wait to see how it turns out.
Carl

[Irish]

Five minutes after posting five guys have chimed in and already started to save this carving from the fire place wood piles ... GRIN!

Susan