I painted the background on my last carving...I'd love some feedback!

steve kelly

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I decided to paint the background...I'm not really sure if it made the carving stand out any better or not...Any feedback would be welcomed!....Toni gave me some good advice for my next carving.P1130263.jpgP1130265.jpgP1130266.jpg
 
I like it better I think. Definitely enhances the break between the parts and makes the figure pop out a bit more. Interesting to see the difference anyway, thanks for being brave and taking the plunge :) :thumb:
 
Ryan...Yeah...I took a chance knowing that I could mess it up...I like to keep from covering up the wood as much as possible...But, I didn't like the way the line between the background and the hair seem to blend together...Now, It does give that definitely break line...I guess it's just a matter of taste....I got some mix reviews within my family...but over all most liked it.
 
Thanks Jonathan....I appreciate your comment...I'm fairly new to relief carving, so right now, it is a learning experience for me.
 
Agree with Leo. The idea of putting paint on a carving of a face is scary. I would have discourage you from doing it. But, what you ended up with is beautiful. The piece really comes to life with those colors. It went from being a carving to a portrait. Really great. A family heirloom for sure.:thumb:
 
Looks much better, relief carving is basically playing with light and shadow, exactly the same as drawing. In a drawing you really get the 3 dimensional perception when you draw/paint shadows on it. On a carving that is achieved by raising and lowering the shapes and undercutting. By painting that groove black you have enhanced the "shadow" and that's why it looks better. However, as I told you I'd rather carve away the whole background. I'm not saying you should do it on this one, but try it on the next one. It will ease your carving as you will be able to put your gouges in a more shallow angle against the wood and you won't struggle in cleaning and undercutting the edges.
 
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