Relief Carving

steve kelly

Member
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265
This turned out to be a lot harder then I thought it would be....It took seven different levels on an inch thick board to get the look that I was trying to achieveP1120901.jpgP1120902.jpgP1120903.jpgP1120904.jpg....I made each level I/8 of an inch.

Made of poplar wood.
 
Hi Leo....I used the three that you mentioned above plus I've got about ten different files that are about ten inches long with different curvatures on each end that I can get under and around....Plus I've made a lot of pin knives out of old files that I use....All the gouges I made myself...they're all of a small variety made from those same ten inch long rounded over files....I use a metal cutting chop saw to hollow them out...I also made some knives out of old screwdrivers that I have rounded at the end and then sharpened up...You would be surprised at what you can do with that one tool....I don't like the Dremel that well because it gets dust in my eyes... I only use that when I have to.
 
Man Steve you keep knocking them out of the park!

When you do your levels do you predraw them all out?
If so are you cutting to each level and then blending afterwards?

I'm wondering because you are doing a really nice job of seeing the depth and blending between the levels.

Also you'll have to give us another sneak peak at your gouges and knives you've made sometime :)
 
Hi Ryan....Making dolls has helped me somewhat in knowing the depth.....I draw the picture out on the wood....I study it for about 30 minutes....the deepest level will, of course, be the background so I find the next deepest level to the next deepest level all the way back to where the highest level is...NOTE: [In this carving the Braids would be the highest level because the head is leaning forward.] Then I number them according to how many levels I have and on an inch thick board seven prime levels would be the limit.....I made a rule on a inch thick board: each level will be 1/8" in depth and between the clothes and skin is 1/16" thick which doesn't really add any anymore thickness because you can blend it back in...I can adjust that say with the nose, eyes, hair, etc., etc....You ask: "If so are you cutting to each level and then blending afterwards?"....Ryan you are pretty observant...you have a hawk-eye....That is exactly what I do!...I work backwards in that I cut the deepest points first.....There may be a better way to do it?....I really don't know and I'm certainly not an expert....Toni could probably answer that better then me....The relief carvings on this form are the first ones I've done so I'm learning as I go.....side note:[This may not work on a landscape carving, I have not done one of those as of yet....That's a whole different ballgame for me.]
 
Leo....I'm kind of a newbie with the Dremel....I'm just now learning how to use it....I've learned that it's a great tool to have...especially with these relief carvings I been doing...That's why I bought it....I just don't like the dust in my eyes.
 
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