Mary,
this is such s beautiful carving and I am wondering if any sanding is done to remove any tool marks and flat spots or do you leave subtle tool marks? Thanks for all your teaching, eagerly await every new video.
Steve,
This one is sort of borderline whether I will sand or not. I am tempted to leave it as is, but ultimately it will depend on how the client wants it. I may lightly go over the curved surfaces of the petals with fine sandpaper, but try to stay away from any sharp edges or sharp details. These rosettes are also about 8 feet in the air, so nobody will be staring at them 5 inches away studying the details (as HD cameras tend to do) :))
OK... now i feel like a beginner. I was able to turn this project on the lathe... took some pics. But in carving it, Its like it is evil wood that can change its grain pattern just when I think I have it figured out... Had to stop for the day.. hours evaporated..... Thats gotta mean I love it! THANK YOU MARY MAY!!!!
Congrats on the turning! You're one step ahead of me on that one! This is a tough carving project with all the grain direction issues. I would definitely consider this a more advanced lesson. Don't jump too far ahead and get frustrated! Then again, sand paper always works...
Thank you for the guidance. Good news is, I have watched almost all of the 14, just missed 2 and watched half of those tonight. Now I will get back on track and complete the rest of the 14... then I will move at my own pace...
Finished the third one today... These were such good reinforcements for me a a newbie. I took a piece of plywood and drove a screw up from the bottom that sticks up 1/2 inch. Then just pushed my carving block down on it at a point where I know I won't get down to the screw and spin it on. Saves the tape and solvent.. Starting to feel when the gouge has reached the point to stop and come in from the other direction. I struggle a little with that nether area, where the chisel no longer cuts cleanly from either direction. Mostly at this point I try and come in from the top or bottom, and I find slicing motion seems to help too. Not ignoring that if your chisel or gouge is wicked sharp, it will cut better in this area.
The lesson that is now near the bottom of the list of all lessons... Carving a Simple Leaf. I did this carving yesterday and today. If you read this, I am not so sure anymore if there is a preferred order to watch the lessons in. The website seems to be growing while I am learning. Originally I watched Chisels and Gouges and got your list of recommended starting tools.. and then I watched ones on sharpening. Then I did the scrolls, when I finished the first one then you added a third one... I have done all three. Then the Simple Leaf. If you get the chance to read my last email, I sent you a link to Photobucket with those completed projects.. The Carving a Peach seems a little too basic for me as I am carving stuff like that for my business already.. So I was going to do the Rosette next. Would you recommend a different order? If so would love something like a syllabus that shows what order to watch and carve in... I want to do them all but want my skills to develop along the way so that I don't get into too much trouble.
Hi David,
I have the beginning videos numbered 1-14 because it does get difficult to know where to start. However, as your experience grows, it is difficult to suggest what order to work on after you get the basics down, because it really depends at that point where your interests lie. The reason the "simple leaf" exercise ended up way down the list is that it was added to the "beginner" videos and is available to free members. It is also labeled with a #14 (for the 14th beginning lesson), and I wanted to keep those numbers in order.
It might be an idea to watch the videos through one time first so you can assess the difficulty and determine your carving level. Each person is different - that is why I hesitate to even rate them on difficulty level.
From Rod Egnash on Carving a Concave Newport Shell - Episode 3
Go to comment2014/10/12 at 9:52 pm
From Steve Harris on Carving a Philadelphia Acanthus
Go to comment2014/10/11 at 11:52 am
From Mary May on Carving a Philadelphia Acanthus
Go to comment2014/10/11 at 7:40 pm
From David Piazzo on Carving a Philadelphia Rosette - Episode 1
Go to comment2014/10/07 at 5:31 pm
From Mary May on Carving a Philadelphia Rosette - Episode 1
Go to comment2014/10/07 at 7:07 pm
From David Piazzo on Carving Scrolls - Episode 3
Go to comment2014/10/06 at 9:36 pm
From David Piazzo on Carving Scrolls - Episode 3
Go to comment2014/10/05 at 7:49 pm
From Mary May on Carving Scrolls - Episode 3
Go to comment2014/10/06 at 12:58 pm
From David Piazzo on Carving Scrolls - Episode 3
Go to comment2014/10/06 at 5:42 pm
From Mary May on Carving Scrolls - Episode 3
Go to comment2014/10/06 at 5:54 pm