I am happy to report that I recently finished editing the final 3 chapters of the Dragon and Acanthus Leaf lesson. They are now available on my online school – all 15 episodes! Nearly every episode (or chapter) is 30 to 40 minutes long. This lesson is by far the longest video I have on my school.
Completed dragon carving after client did a beautiful job finishing it. The frame is made of walnut with bloodwood inlay. The backing for the carving is also bloodwood.
Chapter 13 starts to carve the dragon, Chapter 14 finishes the dragon, Chapter 15 shows the technique of making a silicone rubber mold of the carving and also undercutting the carving to show more 3 dimension. I will also be putting the rubber mold chapter as a separate lesson focusing on mold making.
For those of you who have ventured through this lesson, congratulations are in order! You must have gone to sleep at night with visions of acanthus leaves scrolling in your head. Those of you who have made it through all the lessons have proven that you are truly dedicated carvers. Most master carvers have a sort of test to see if their students or apprentices really have what it takes to make it through – to see if they can endure through some gruelling tasks. This is one of those tests…
So, pat yourself on your back and be proud! You passed the test! I feel like there should be some sort of award certificate for those who have reached the finish line! Hmmm… I’m sure there is a way to add it to the site…
I am also offering a resin casting of this project for sale on my online store (along with the shell and acanthus lesson).
Resin casting available for sale in my online store at this page.
This resin casting is also now available for sale on my online store. See this page.
Viewing a resin casting while working on this project works really well with this carving, simply because of all the variations of twists and turns of the leaves. Being able to view a physical, 3-dimensional piece really helps in sorting out those areas that are difficult to view by photograph alone.
Please share your experiences through this journey. And if you’re still going through this project, stay strong! Keep your chin up! Keep those tools sharp, and you too will reach the final goal…. Oh, and don’t forget to have fun!
This is a very good piece I like it a lot. The red makes it stand out well. is that a solid piece and did you dye it after ?
I should really read the image description (bloodwood) that is amazing colour wow!