Thread: Artist/designers/craftsmen

That is an interesting question , I'll bet there are a hundred different answers .
It depends on the complexity of the pattern , obviously a stick handle is usually limited in that regard because of the size of a hand , so the thickness in that dimension will be fairy standardised & there maybe little need to have multiple views from all angles . ( I bet you will on your elephant though !) I might get a bit of modeling clay out when looking at the looking down on it vew.

If I'm doing a nude or horse I need multiple views, the main side view & a 90 degree or top view , before computers I used to draw the main side view in pencil & a rubber until it looked OK. & then square lines across to create an identically sized 90 degree view. Then maybe take a shot at an approximate top view. This is all very standard practice of course.

The only difference nowadays I that I will use a Vector computer program to do this instead of using hand methods & I have very much more reference taken from the internet. The advantage of doing it this way is that I can draw a line , grab it & mess around with it for ever & it will allow me to make a really tight pattern of, say a 3/4" mermaid light pull that I couldn't have got so accurate at this size. Then when working on it, I use dividers very carefully to work accurately . I can turn reference photos the opposite way to see the correct view & make then into line drawings, I can lay a "set square" or ruler across it ,zoom in or out at the lick of a button etc, etc BUT I had to learn this programme for business purposes , it is a frustrating & a steep & difficult learning curve ! I do not recommend anyone think it is the way to go to design carvings if you don't already use graphics programmes ,it's just that already having developed it's use elsewhere I use it .
I saves no time at all , indeed you tend to mess around with tiny details forever & it takes longer.
Cheers Mike

I tend to do a lot of looking on the internet, such as Google images, to find reference photos or drawings that have parts that I like. If a drawing/photo is fairly close, I'll download it, open in Photoshop Elements, then resize, stretch/compress, etc. to the size I need. I can also crop off arms/legs and reposition them, or even use one from a different photo to achieve the position I need. Print it out (usually just the front view is all I have), and trace onto a block of wood with graphite paper, leaving some extra wood all the way around to allow for changes once I start carving. The side view(s) I usually just sketch on the block, making sure I don't cut off a part on one side while band sawing the outline for the other side. On my latest Santa (a chef, in progress), I needed to have a larger bowl than the image I was using. I got a large bowl from the kitchen, a big wood spoon, and took a couple of photos of myself holding them, using the camera time-delay. Using these photos, I sketched in the front and side view cut lines...

Claude

I assumed we all take different approaches to design . But I also use images of the web for reference . but tend to draw them myself. something about drawing I love and find its quite a quick process . I will also draw textures to see if it works with tools for me . try not to do things to small and make problems for myself whilst carving . Generally I work from a slab of . 2.25 rough sawn wood which works well for a topper .occasionally use larger pieces .
Texturing can be tricky and time consuming if to much detail is put in so its a balance
But was hoping to pick up some ideas from you guys useful tips from other people are good ideas one of the reasons why I like the site

I get planks cut from the lime tree air dried 8ft long and whatever the tree width is. its cheap to buy but deliver can cost more than the wood so I fetch it myself and get the wood yard to slice it in half.
I usually get things like water fowl side top and if I can bottom views but usually only side views are available but its quite easy to work out top and front views if you grid the drawing out so I like to draw the outline object to the size I want then add texture .
But often get drawings of the view from books and the web , but most things like dragons, dodo, etc. its all down to myself
Painting is another area which can be problematic as its easer to paint anything on a two dimensional piece of paper to get good effects but a lot more difficult to paint a three dimensional . its to easy to get a flat boring paintwork which ruins the piece of work in three dimensions

Much the same as the above except that I use Microsoft Publisher which came with my MS Office package. Its relatively simple to use and you can import any image from the net into it for manipulation. For me the key is finding images that give you precise side and/or top/side views. Most photos are not precisely on these angles. The angle is usually slightly turned off the true plane which in turn effects the profile... which is what I'm after.

If its a small, common item (say.. a human fist for instance), I'll photo graph it myself in order to control the angles presented to the camera. Otherwise one has to choose from the plethora of images available on the net to find the closest to what you need. Once one view has been found one now has to find an opposing view which is usually harder. This is where the Publisher program really shines because you can do so much to manipulate the second view photo to match the dimensions of the first one. Some times this proves impossible and I end up having to sketch the opposing view. I'm not much of a drawer so I use graph paper to keep the proportions relative to my first image/view. Once I have the sketch, I scan it so I can add it to the electronic file as a backup.

Once I have at least two views of the subject to the same scale I can create a pattern from the silhouettes of both views. If its a subject I want to repeat, I'll mount the pattern on some thin ply or MDF for future tracing on suitable blocks of wood.

I usually keep quite an number of other photos of the subject that inevitably come with the research for reference as I do the actual carving. All of these photos get loaded into Publisher as well and together they become a file on that particular project... that is a pattern and reference perspectives. I usually print them all out and store in plastic 3-ring binder sleeves. Over the years I've built up quite a library.

One final thing... I've found that some patterns which I originally intended for small scale work actually scale up really well. I used to do this the old-fashioned way by re-printing the primary views and drawing grid lines over them, then gridding up another larger sheet and free sketching to the larger scale square by square. This is really low tech and takes time but it works ok. More recently, I've discovered that Office Works can scale up any image file by whatever percentage I need to achieve required dimensions, for just a few bucks. Saves me an awful lot of time and effort. Consequently, I now develop new patterns at what I would call a 'whittling' scale keeping the maximum dimensions within the limits of an A4 sheet of paper. I find this a lot easier to manage in the initial stages. Once I have what I want to relative scale, its easy to enlarge or shrink the overall scale to whatever is needed.

I was 12?, maybe 15? when my grandmother predicted that I would see things in wood to carve.
At that time, I tought it was a really crazy thing to say.
Fast forward a bunch of decades to when I was settling into wood carving and searching for good
western red cedar in logging debris piles.

I'd just split a piece and found myself holding a sockeye salmon by the tail. Really creepy feeling but there it was.
Easy carving, just get rid of all the wood that doesn't belong.
So I have piles of wood blocks and posts both indoors and out.
Sometimes I see in the wood as soon as I pick it up.
Sometimes, I walk past the block for a couple of years, then I see it.

I have always liked to draw so I'll make some sketches.
Questons/puzzles, usually Google Images can answer those.
Make the block smooth enough for the drawing.
Seeing the drawing on the wood convinces me to go on.

That's about it.

I'm probably the worst and laziest planner for carvings around, I usually look on google images to see if I can find an image of what I'm carving and print it and work form that, rarely do I draw, like the whale I just done, the girl gave me a picture and I thought ok I'll just double the size of the picture and go with that. I prefer to work it out as I go along with the rule being, do not take too much wood off, just little bits at a time.

If it works for you that's the way to go .Quite a few people work like this I like to develop the work and couldn't stop myself doing it even if I know the subject well and still do it even when I carve mallards which are popular here but still look for slightly different expressions for want of a better word

I think of beginners, visitors, reading this thread. This is wonderful.
It shows off that anything goes for ideas, concepts, drawings and wood bashing.
From chainsaws to Dremels, from palm tools to draw knives, we (?) do what we do to reveal the concept in the wood.
Plan ahead. Chainsaws are ultraloud indoors in winter. Stinky too. Remingtom electrics are OK.
My winters can be -20C so opening the doors is kind of a no-brainer.

Think that I will see 60 - 80lbs Brazilian soapstone for carving as a Christmas present to myself.
It's soft enough to cut with a handsaw and carve with a screwdriver.

RV, Soapstone, My son's girlfriend is Canadian and she is in Canada at the moment and will be bringing me some smaller pieces of soapstone to have a go at carving, maybe we can exchange ideas

Think that I will see 60 - 80lbs Brazilian soapstone for carving as a Christmas present to myself.
It's soft enough to cut with a handsaw and carve with a screwdriver.[/QUOTE]

hope to see both your ideas and the progression of the soapstone
idea development Is a great way to learn . even if your transfer the idea straight to the material your using

I phoned the soapstone people today. They can ship exactly as I had hoped and C.O.D. for the shipping as well.
I have family to help pick out the stone colors, hoping for 3 different ones, about 10kg each.

Get out a map of Canada, Alberta is just east of the Rockies, find Edmonton.
Straight west on highway 16, into the Rockies, past Jasper to the village of McBride BC = my piece of heaven.

First carving or 2 or 3 will be Inuit-style soapstone lamps.
They laid the wick sideways in a melting lake of animal fat.
With 2-4" of wick afire, the light is impressive.

I confess that I started some stone carvings a couple of winters ago, forgot what I did with them.

I get the wood carving magazine regular and always look at the work in there and often use/ modify there designs with useful tips. Mostly for hiking pole toppers I assume you will get the same issue modified for your market .They get the same articles in America this is one I will modify just the size to suit my needs.Will post the designers name when I find the mag as the credit should go to the carver (the wife likes to tidy up umm say no more)
the other drawing is something I will carve when I get it well what I consider okay

DSCN3964.jpgDSCN3965.jpgdragon30.JPGdragon32.JPG

My sense of balance has been damaged. I need to walk with a cane to keep from tipping over!
I bought one from a rustic furniture shop. I selected it because the topper is very large and smooth,
spreads the load when I need to lean on it. I'd like to have a much more decorative topper but
for the present, this one keeps me upright.

that's not good at least you have found something to help yourself with. maybe you could carve a decorative topper from something interests you and suits your needs.
this is something I came across today by a guy that goes under the name of kevs carvings a outstanding pair of sticks with a stand
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