Thread: Sir John Falstaff?

I'm impressed, Ian is just the best imo


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I think you have done very good job, anything small scale is always much harder I find, I use the flex shaft rotary carver a fair bit for detailing as well but when you watch Norbury he always just uses chisels or knives. I follow Ian Norbury's WIPs on facebook all the time and even with plans and step by step instruction he is still so hard to replicate, he's work is just mind blowing. Nice color and grain in the wood, what's silver wattle like to carve?

Nice work on such a small scale, the hands look great.They say hands and feet are the most difficult to carve.
i am carving a piece by Ian Norbury at the moment but had to scale it down a lot to get it to fit on a hiking pole.
just hope i can get the level of detail you have achieved

You're doing fine very well mate, the hand is especially good - as for capturing expression in faces - there's NOTHING harder & nothing so subtle in woodcarving . A lot of practice is the only solution, preferably not on a major project but on practice "masks" at a similar scale at which you normally work, this will speed your learning progress. However I can see from your work that you are on the cusp of major break throughs - just persist with faith as you are doing- there's much to admire about your work.
Remember there can hardly be one carving that any carver has ever done that he is 100% satisfied with, there is always room for improvement , otherwise why would we keep carving ! Woodcarving is the hardest of arts & crafts there is, bar none !

Originally Posted by Robthechisel

I think you have done very good job, anything small scale is always much harder I find, I use the flex shaft rotary carver a fair bit for detailing as well but when you watch Norbury he always just uses chisels or knives. I follow Ian Norbury's WIPs on facebook all the time and even with plans and step by step instruction he is still so hard to replicate, he's work is just mind blowing. Nice color and grain in the wood, what's silver wattle like to carve?

Hi Rob.

I find I am happier with the look of the timber straight of the chisel. But in those tricky corners where it feels more like you are chewing than cutting the timber the flex shaft is an improvement.

I quite like the timber for carving. Though I do not have a lot of experience with other timbers for comparison.
Mostly, it seems not too hard but with enough 'resistance' (if that's the right word) to work against the grain when required. Carving end grain is hard work. Tools don't go blunt too quickly, though more quickly than with the Celery Top Pine I am working on at the moment.
The stuff I have, which was rescued from a tree dropped by the council and left for firewood, has a fair bit of borer activity. That is the reason I stained this piece as there are a number of filled holes.
I'm guessing that the ability Ian Norbury, and others, have to capture subtle nuances of facial expression even at very small scale is what sets them apart. Here's hoping that it is a skill which can be learned through practice!

Philip.

Originally Posted by Mike the knife

You're doing fine very well mate, the hand is especially good - as for capturing expression in faces - there's NOTHING harder & nothing so subtle in woodcarving .

Thanks Mike.

Your comment re the hand is interesting. I am very pleased with how this turned out and yet when I study it closely it really only approximates a hand. This has had me thinking about how impressionist paintings work. I like the idea that you can portray something convincingly without necessarily nailing every detail. I now need to work on producing this effect by design, not accident.

Philip.

Often in art it is said " it is better to suggest than be explicit " that way the suggestion gives a springboard for the viewers imagination & it is definitely more satisfying BUT how to suggest that in super-defined 3D sculptural terms ? Difficult, I've found !
I totally avoid sanding, try to use facets to catch the light - It's very hard in sculpture although I have had some success at capturing the feeling in other media. Rodin & Degas might give us some clues ?