Stain advice for finishing first relief carving

Hi, i have just finished my first-ever carving and I decided to do a relief carving of Hogwarts from Harry Potter.
I have yet to sand or do any kind of finish and was hoping for any tips or suggestions to finishing it off.

It is carved into Jelutong and the windows are drilled all the way through as there will be a light in the back that will look like candles in the windows


Hoping for advice on how to sand the detailed areas and what grit to use also what type of stain you think would look best for this piece.
Also if there is anything in the piece you think could be better please let me know as it is my first ever I'm sure there are some mistakes all over it.

I have attached the carving and the picture I used for reference although not exactly the same.

Thanks in advance,

Ryleigh



Attachment 418685Attachment 418684Attachment 418686

Nice job Bobsten for a first carving, luckily Jelutong is quite easy to sand, I usually start at 120 grit for that then 240 then 400 and finally a soft fine sponge back sander. If you want to put a finish on it, it will change colour a fair bit, it also soaks up any finish pretty easily so it's best to use a sanding sealer after you finish sanding, then I use Danish oil. In saying all that Jelutong actually looks good without any oil or varnish if you sand it to a real fine finish.:rolleyes: Hope this helps.

It is indeed a really good first carving.
First carve it as cleanly as you are able , that way you won't even have to sand it ! & the surface will have lots of tiny burnished facets which will catch the light & make the surface look lively.
If you struggle to get a clean enough finish straight off the edge tool & will have to sand , but if you've got it as clean as you can you can start at a lower grit & blur it less.
Note.- taking edge tools back to sanded wood blunts them almost immediately ! don't do it if it is at all avoidable.
Always try to go with the grain as much as is possible , if you go against the grain direction (sometimes unavoidable) , raise the grain & go over it again in the direction of the grain ,then raise the grain again.
Raising the grain =Thoroughly wet the carving with a paint brush & let it dry out (totally) after each grade to raise the grain that gets crushed or scratched in the sanding .
If you are sanding really sharp detail it helps to use a suitably shaped sanding block the negative shape of carving you'll have to carve that if necessary of course but often for example a ice lolly stick can be used etc.
When you come to put the sand paper over it , put a fold it where there is a sharp edge.
Use high quality sand paper - it really makes a difference.
Sand paper cuts NO faster if you use pressure it ruins & slows the job - especially on soft woods like Jelutong, just tickle it.

Sanding any woodcarving except the plainest looking. eg. Jelutong etc. has the effect of emphasising the figure patterns in the wood & taking the attention away from the actual shape of the carving. It is good to bear this in mind when considering which wood to use for different subjects. A miniature may be overwhelmed by the patterns in the wood if you sand it but a larger or simpler piece may be immeasurably enhanced by sanding .
Mike