This was very, very helpful! There are so many "pieces" of this project that I can use in various projects. I looked for other lessons that had a high ridge in the center (like the leaf here does) but couldn't find any - until this. And, the scroll appears in so many things and is done so many different ways that I know I will be going back to this for guidance. Thank you.
I wondered why you chose to have the grain direction going from side to side - and how do you make that choice (when you actually have a choice) for other projects?
Hi Joyce,
Great question! The honest answer - I had a piece of basswood and the design fit best this way 🙂
So many things to consider when deciding direction - are there any extremely vulnerable parts of the design that can easily break across the grain? Will it be applied/glued to a wood surface? If so, the grain should be going in the same direction as the base piece of wood. With wood that has an obvious, visible grain, will the design look better with the grain showing vertical or horizontal (I believe this design would look better visually with the grain going vertical, but with basswood, not an issue)
enjoyed this lesson. Instead of carbon paper, you could use graffite paper. That way you could erase the lines. Pyrographers use it, no toxic fumes when they burn.
Hi Robert,
Thanks! I have used this before, but I often find the lines are not dark enough - especially on wood other than basswood. Maybe I need to get a different brand of graphite paper. They also say "transfer" paper is easier to erase, and that may be the same as graphite.
Beautiful Mary. Artistically, did your choice of which leaves would curl and which would hang down and the angle that the leaves hang relative to the vine contribute to the "life" of the carving? Was this a conscious choice or just someting you drew naturally? Thanks.
Hi Bill,
The answer is "Yes" 🙂
When I begin a design like this, I draw it with as much variety as possible - i.e. no repeating curls, no repetitive shapes, with each leaf being unique. Then when I put chisel to wood, I continue this process of making sure the leaves to not match. Each one aiming and twisting with it's own life. You can often see that my final carving does not always match my original intent. My goal is to improve on my drawing, as carving it into a 3-dimensional shape gives me many more options of creating movement. I carve each leaf as it's own element, but also need to consider how they all relate to each other and balance with each other. I'm not sure if that answered your questions, but hope it helps explain my "thinking" through this process.
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