learn to carve wood

i really am going to stop doing only woodcarving updates and actually do something else soon.

except now i have a wooden clock face to carve up, too.

DONE.

actually done quite some time ago. but i lost my camera»computer wire and getting a new one was… let’s just say ‘harder than it should have been’ and leave it at that.

he looks creepy as all hell right now.

still have a few little bits to gouge out, and i want to round off the edges to make it look a bit nicer. but it’s mostly done. AND IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. not bad, for my first attempt.

…i get distracted easily.

also there is only so much ‘new learning’ going on when gouging out lots of little near-identical sections. so.
still working on the cross. just working on a wood elf now, too.

more random chunks taken out. still not totally destroyed.

bought:
- Sharpening stone. No honing oil though. Oops.
- More wood to hack up
- A wooden scrapbook-album cover

I was planning on carving something on the scrapbook cover for my scrap-loving grandma. It’s pretty thin but maybe a shallow carving.
aaaand after i actually got home with it i realised it’s like three layers of even thinner wood making up each cover *>< And the grain is going in completely opposite the direction i’d like for carving.

gonna try it anyway, though. maybe it will somehow work.

…i haven’t completely destroyed it yet.

couple of random chips around the edges and one massive gouge in the middle. for a first attempt i think it’s pretty good though.

This is the pattern i’m using for my first attempt at a relief carving.
Yes. It’s ludicrously complicated.
I may be subconsciously attempting to completely mangle the wood.

Honestly, though, it was the simplest pattern i could find which i’d actually want to keep when i’m done with it. And i know if i don’t like it i’m just going to procrastinate and never finish.
Besides, i’m going to be starting with the cross and the circle, and working down to the knotwork, so i can probably stop early and still have a decent carving. which i may do anyway, as i don’t particularly like the knotwork in the circle, it seems a bit out of proportion with the rest. (then again, if i’m doing really well up to that point, i may go through with it just for the challenge. kind of doubt that will be an issue, though.)

Pattern credits (because i’m saving any attempts at doing my own patterns until after i actually know what i’m doing with the sharp things):
Classic Carving Patterns – Assorted Religious Crosses Pattern Package

Right, i’m being very lazy about scanning.

And i only just finished carving my squirrel print this weekend and haven’t even had a chance to print it yet.

But look, still carving.

I think i’ve got a differently carved background for every print i’ve done so far. meh.

Anyway the squirrel is the last carved-out print for a while. and certainly the last one in anything even remotely resembling wood, as Michael’s was completely out of proper linoleum blocks so all i have now is Speedy-Carve. They did have plenty of balsa wood blanks, though, so now i’ve got stuff to try relief carving on. Yay.