I recently added another video to my online woodcarving school. It is that fabulous, but oh-so-frustrating project of carving a bunch of grapes – and try not to make it look like independent spheres, but a group of shapes all working together. Not easy! It took a lot of practice to get the technique down (I carved a lot for Greek Orthodox churches, and they have many grapes in their designs).
The grape video was filmed during the last Marc Adams “Fundamentals of Woodcarving” class, so there are some places where I had to replace talking with music where the class was having way too much fun – but it’s nice music. Just don’t let it put you to sleep.
Here is the process:
1. With a v-chisel, carve between the grapes (right on the line) about 1/8″ deep
2. You will want to focus on carving the areas between the grapes BEFORE shaping the grapes themselves. You do this by focusing on where 3 grapes come together and with a #3, 6mm carve a little inverted pyramid shape – with a definite pointed corner. Make this cut at an angle (to create a sharp point) so you do not create a little flat triangle that is very difficult to clean out.
3. With a #3, 6mm round over and define the grapes. I specifically wanted to only use one gouge and a v-chisel to show that this can be done. You can also try using a more curved gouge that fits the curve of the grapes more accurately. Just be careful not to get it too wide so that it does not cut into the grapes surrounding the one you are working on.
I have also been working on adjusting the lighting on several of the current videos that are already on the site. I have lightened up several, so they are easier to see. I still have quite a few to go, but I am going through each one methodically to clarify things. I hope this helps in the online classes! Please be patient over the next few days while I am completing this process.
