Today I continued to work on the Coat of Arms. I hope to finish the carving tomorrow. Then I need to put a simple border around it and then seal the whole thing with shellac. I need to have a sealed surface so I can put release agent on it so the silicone rubber for the mold won’t stick to it.
With all these leaves flipping here and there, it really is a brain tease. It is important to make the leaves very defined and not just sort of blend them together into a twisted mess. Trust me, it’s easy to lose direction. I am carving this in 1 inch thick basswood, so I really can make it look quite deep. It’s also important to try to use as much of the thickness to really give it a 3-dimensional look. It is easy to let things appear flat.
Beautiful work! I am envious of your ability to show depth so well. Thanks for sharing!
Tom