Sculptural woodcarving: features and description

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:35

Woodcarving is a very ancient art. Even the approximate date of its occurrence is unknown. Our ancestors carved patterns, figures of animals and people, sculptures. Often this was for religious purposes, such as masks of pagan gods and spirits, totems.

Today, wood carving also has its fans. Someone does it just for fun, and someone to make money.

There are several basic thread types:

• cut and slotted;
• brownie;
• embossed carving;
• in-depth;
• geometric carving;
• sculptural carving.

The most difficult and interesting is sculptural wood carving. She will be discussed further.

Features of sculptural carving

This includes both small children's toys and huge statues. The main thing is that the sculpture is processed from all sides and can be viewed from different angles. Any relief is allowed - low or high.

Sculpture woodcarving forbeginners is very difficult. It is very different from other art forms. To do a good job, the carver must be proficient with all tools and other types of carving. It is also necessary to see the figure in volume.

What you need for sculptural woodcarving

In order to get started, it is not enough to have only knowledge and skills. You need to get special tools and, preferably, a workbench. Of course, there are special machines for sculptural carving, but that's a completely different topic.

Basic Wood Carving Tools:

1. Knife-jamb. It is used to create small indentations. Received such a name because of the blade beveled at 35 - 60 °.
2. Knife-cutter. They are comfortable handling rounded elements.
3. Chisels of various shapes. Semicircular ones are used as the main tool for all types of carving, straight lines - as an auxiliary one. Other forms are used less often.
4. Bogorodsky knife. Used specifically for sculptural woodcarving.
5. Axe. It is used to remove the bark and create a rough form of sculpture.

Shops sell special kits containing all these tools. They must be of high quality, otherwise they will break and crumble wood.

Selection and processing of wood

Before you start processing wood, you need to get it. Different breeds are used: linden, maple, alder, birch, etc. If there is little experience, then it is better to use linden. She has uniformcolor and it is easy to process.

The material must be of good quality. There should be no cracks, holes, knots. If you do not know what wood looks like and is suitable for sculptural carving, you can look at photos and specifications on the Internet.

When the material is selected, start processing it. First, the bark is removed. Remove carefully so as not to damage the inside. To do this, they usually use an ax, a scraper or an adze.

Then you need to dry the wood. To do this, it is completely covered with drying oil or paint and wrapped in paper. And then there is a long drying process, which can take up to 2 years. The workpiece is first stored outdoors, and then in a well-ventilated and bright room.

Drying is considered complete when the moisture content of the wood reaches 8 - 10%.

Creating a sculpture

When all the tools and a piece of wood are ready, you can get to work.

Before you start, you can make a model of the sculpture. It's not necessary, but it will make it easier. It is made from plaster or clay.

Now the carving process itself:

1. First, the workpiece is fixed so that it is convenient to approach it from any side. Well, if there is a special workbench for this.
2. The next step is drawing the main contours of the future sculpture. Then comes the rough processing with an ax.
3. Then rough shapes are removed with large chisels, and small details are revealed.
4. At the end withsmall cuts create the details and relief of the sculpture. Everything must be done carefully so as not to create cracks.

After the sculpture has been created, its surface is polished. However, some parts may not be processed if not needed.

The sculpture is sent to dry. At this time, cracks may appear that need to be removed. To do this, use the same type of wood from which the sculpture is made: first, a mold is made, a plug is cut out from it and inserted along the contour. If this is not an option, then the crack is simply filled with colorless varnish.