[Nancy_G]

A very slow start.....

First photos showing the chunk of checked wood I hacked out to show my secret measuring device and how I use it plot the center of a Santa robe.

Then how I use my fancy measuring devices to draw fancy decorative rows in the center of Santa's robe.

I understand not all of you can afford equipment like this.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Geez Nancy, I didn't know it was going to get all technical and expensive equipment!

[Nancy_G]

Another photo showing my fancy measuring devide composing a design in the middle section of a "Santa robe".
The the design is wood-burned in...fast and simple.

Major parts of the outer robe design are worked out on, of course, that magical graph paper.
Then the design is traced onto tracing paper with any soft pencil
and the back of the design is put into place on the carving. The soft pencil turns the tracing paper into carbon paper.
I'm putting this design on this part of the carving just to show this one way of doing it.

[Nancy_G]

Here's the center design all finished ... it will not be "fancy" painted... just covered with the robe paint but the antiquing qlaze will bring it out.

In the photos I have to use tape instead of my fingers because husband insists in going to work instead of staying home to help me. In real life I do not use tape --- my fingers work just fine - but here I tape things down so I can use the camera.
Now everything is all painted and I've marked a line about 1/2" from the bottom for my fancy tape - LONG ENOUGH TO GO ALL THE AROUND - to follow. The measuring tape goes into each dip and follows each curve.
The measuring tape is cut off EXACTLY at the correct length -- it's just as long as it takes to go around

[Nancy_G]

Now take the "tape" of correct length and fold it in half, in half again -- keep folding it until it reaches something close to a size that suits the design you're looking at.

Open the tape and mark each fold- then mark the middle of each fold.

Put the tape back on the carving and mark each increment. Your design can be placed on your carving in EXACT spacing.

This sounds/looks time consuming and complicated. That's me for explaining it badly. Really it's easy and fast.....If it weren't, do you think I could do it?

After all -- it's taken me 16 photos to get STARTED. Now we can move into painting.

[Kenny_S]

OUTSTANDING so far Nancy. I knew ya could do it.
Thank you so much

[squbrigg]

Great job Nancy. Love the "high tech" approach!!! That's the kind of tutorial that we need to see more of! Well done!

Bob

[jillsy]

OHHH!!!!! Brain-dead here FINALLY gets it!

I kept picturing you wrapping a big piece of graph paper around your Santa and trying to trace it. Hey, come on, I know some of you were just as confused as I was!

Thank you, Nancy! That sure is nice of you to spend so much time and energy teaching us your secrets, despite how much money it'll cost us for those fancy-shcmancy devices!

Jillsy

[slivers&dust]

this is fascinating stuff and great that you, Lynn & others openly share your techniques with everyone....THANK YOU!!

(edit)
okay I admit I was right there with ya jillsy

[Nancy_G]

I've made a tracing of the major design and that's now a "carbon" being transferred to each marked place. Every two or three tracings, flip the paper over and you'll have a brand new "carbon" to keep right on going.
On a "real" carving I never make make any lines or tracings this dark .... I make everyting as gently and as light as possible.
Having those marks will assure you of a design that is evenly spaced. Good old graph paper.

I use the tip of my left index finger as a pallet .. it's close and I can spin the tip of the paint brush to get a perfect tip. (You can see my grand, exclusive pallet on the table.) I'm painting that woodburned design gold and it's as easy as painting in a coloring book . Metallic paint is so transparent so I painted this with one coat of opaque yellow ocher and now one coat of gold gives great coverage.

Somehow ~sigh~ I left out taking a photo painting all the major designs gold (just needing the outlines in the end so I didn't use the yellow ocher here). I'm painting the inside of each section of the design green.