[DFogg]

Doug mentioned that he was getting interested in relief carving and I was wondering if you folks have examples of this form to look at. Thanks,

Don

[Doug Sanders]

Here's a not-so-good couple of photos of a piece I did recently. I was lighting it from above to accentuate the topography and my f-stop wasn't set quite right.

The overall format is one of a tanzaku, or as is my understanding, originally intended as a pillar decoration. Others may correct me here ...
At any rate, the long narrow form is nice to work with as it makes you think hard about composition, and wood choice since so much is left untouched.
The wood is cherry. Subject: more nuts. (I went a bit overboard with them this past autumn.). The design was influenced by an inro decoration in a book I've got.

[Janel]

This is very nice! What might be different with the tool sets or techniques with this sort of carving that you have done?

The carving I did before 3D was relief carving in porcelain, with celadon or pale blue glazes creating soft shades in the carved areas. You have sparked a wonderment in what I might be able to do with the saved drawings from the porcelain carvings!

Here are some examples of pieces reminiscent of the porcelain carving, but in boxwood:






Janel

[Doug Sanders]

Well, I should first stress that that carving is 'sunken relief'. How's that for an oxymoron? You could do a shallow relief on a plank, but of course you'd have to plane down all the backgound...

I pretty much used a double bevel skew chisel, such as a woodblock carver would use for prints, esp. hanga or Japanese prints. It can either be held fist-like pointed down, or like a pencil.
Areas were then cleared out and textured with gouges- shallow ones that I had left over from art school wood cut printing days. 3/8"-1/2" wide. In other words, much too big for any of the miniature 3D carving I do. Veining V-gouges came in handy too. The Japanese developed a bull-nose chisel which is like a single bevel chisel, but with a rounded edge rather than a squared one. It's very usefel for clearing away wood as it doesn't leave indentations at both sides of the chisel, the way a squared one does.

And gosh, sharpness counted! It's interesting how softer woods sometimes call for sharper tools.

Any of the 5 and 10 piece chisel sets various companies sell for woodblock printing should work.

Give it a go- I know you've got much more experience and skill with visual layering from your porcelain days. It would be nice to have a design with raised elements, ones flush with the plank surface, and then sunken ones.

Ford posted a very nice tanzaku awhile back in the Photo section titled "A Most Excellent Goat". -didn't know how to copy the image over here.

[tsterling]

Nice panel, Doug. And Janel, I really like the way you did the dragonfly's shadow/reflection in the water.

Here are a few knife handles I did in relief. The tuna are fairly high relief, in antler, the others in low relief on pyrographed and polychromed (Procion dye) boxwood.

Attached image(s)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

[Doug Sanders]

Some of those handles seem very personalized- did you do them with a client in mind, or on spec? I especially like the tuna.

[Jim Kelso]

Don't think I've put this up yet from 2004. Cast and relief carved shibuichi(85%copper/25%silver).

Attached image(s)

• 

[tsterling]

Hi Doug,

No, not any particular client in mind. Just things I like. I always seem to like small, wiggly things that many "normal" folks think of as icky.

[Dick Bonham]

Hi,
Here is a relief piece done in cast paper. It is 24" in diameter.
Dick

Attached image(s)

• 

[Vjacheslav]

Tom, your tunas on the handle of a knife superb look! Tell than you have bleached a horn?

[tsterling]

Hello Vjacheslav,

Thanks for the kind words! The tuna knife handle was carved from sambar stag antler, not bleached - just the natural color with a linseed oil finish. It is very dense and very white inside, with a darker brown outside layer. Even the normally porous center in this antler was quite dense. You could see the porous pattern in the center, but it seemed like it was "filled" in with denser material. The nicest antler I've ever carved. I have only a small piece left.

[Dick Bonham]

Hi Don,
Here is a nice example of wood, leather and metal relief carving. The pipe case also has some wonderful calligraphy on the reverse. The clasp is only 23mm high.
Dick

Attached image(s)

• 
• 

[Steve Ellsworth]

It's a different art form but it doesn't get much better than this
talk about a master

http://www.olszewska...yal_series.html

If i could hit this level I could live in Costa Rica on the beach instead of freezing my duff in Colorado....

i have been following this type of work all week in an effort to refine my coin work since thats what i do

Other killersites
http://www.finemedals.com/
http://www.artmedal.net/
http://www.artmedal.com/
http://www.medals4trade.com/

If you can't pick up knowledge here about bas relief and carving in any genra it ain't gonna happen anywhere else because these are the top world contenders in the art form.

Steve

[Jim Kelso]

Great links Steve. Thanks. I love the detail, but also the use of empty space and incredible control of texture.

[Dick Bonham]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the great medal sites. The art medals are beautiful. There is a very fine medal association AMSA www.amsamedals.org in the US and also an international medal association FIDEM www.fidem-medals.org. I have been a member of both organizations for thirty years. We have many excellent exhibitions in the US and around the world The next international show will next year be at Colorado Springs. We are always looking for new members.
Dick

[Janel]

Hmmm, looking at the relief carving brings me back to when I did relief carving on porcelain. I find myself wondering how those drawings I did for the clay/celadon glaze would work when translated by use with metal? Arrgh!

http://janeljacobson...in/pp_28_f.html
http://janeljacobson...n/pp_237_f.html
http://janeljacobson...n/pp_252_f.html
http://janeljacobson...n/pp_256_f.html

I've got a few images on line, but not linked to from my web site. I posted this mini site in the past few years for a few clients... These are of available, or mostly available pieces, but the stash of drawings of numerous earlier pieces is still intact.

[Steve Ellsworth]

How cool is this,

What a well kept secret this is!

I had no idea Colorado Springs was in the thick of it. I live in Highlands Ranch Colorado about a 3 hr drive.

This is something I would love to get involved in because quite frankly nickels are a royal pain in the rear and working on pieces that size would be a blast. (wow, no more microscope scope)


Get back to me and tell me more.
Checkingthe link now....

[Doug Sanders]

It's amazing how much pictorial space can be created with such slim relief. Thanks for the lesson in ways to convey depth through surface treatment, delicacy of line and the play of light and shadows.

[magnus homestead]

Beautiful porcelains Janel.
Magnus

[Dick Bonham]

Janel,
Your relief pieces are very, very beautiful! You should be a medalist and cast then in bronze.
Dick