---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- July 2003 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks! This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/index.html or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfiles for 2001 and 2002 newsletters ============================================================ Hello Everyone! A shorter and belated newsletter this month. I have just returned from an absorbing and challenging 3 weeks teaching at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, USA. In past years I have been able to assemble the newsletter in advance reading for sending at the beginning of the month, but not this time I'm afraid: too much carving work! When I teach, I always learn: perhaps seeing some things more clearly, refreshing my understanding or discovering an aspect of carving that is entirely new. Of the 3 courses I taught, the 'Tutorial' - a sort of 'Come Ye' where students work on their own projects - has always proved rich pickings and I'd like to share a few insights with you now. ----------------------------------------------------- 1. STARTING HERE It's an old joke. Man asks: 'How to I get to Somewhere?' Other man replies: 'If I were, you, I wouldn't start from here...' So. Where does a woodcarving start? Not when you put chisel to wood. It starts with your idea. And between your idea - or vision - and when you put chisel to wood is a vital 'preparation' stage: the process of gathering information, sifting, selecting; designing with the wood, the viewer and 'what you want to say' in mind. Far more carvings fail because of the design or lack of preparation that in the sheer technical carving ability. (Think of crudely carved ethnic sculpture that is simply fabulous to look at.) This design and preparation stage can take longer than the carving itself and is for me the most interesting part of a woodcarving. It is what separates MY carving from SOMEONE ELSE'S, far more than technical skill. After that it becomes even more interesting... 2. FEELING THE FORM To the extent that you can 'see', feel, what is below the surface of your wood, to that extent will you easily and successfully carve your subject. To the extent that you can't see it, that you don't know what you are carving - what it should look like - to this extent you are likely to carve away wood you need, or fail to get the subject to look as you want it to. This is part of the preparation stage I have just mentioned above, but also a matter of 'looking into' the wood. A good trick is to wave your hands over the surface of the block and pretend to feel your finished carving with your fingers. Talk to yourself, about what you are feeling. It looks like some Black Art, fluttering your fingers and mumbling quietly over the wood, and makes for an interesting spectator sport, but it really helps fix your vision into the wood. 3. SOFT TO HARD It is easy to chop hard lines into your block with your sharp gouge or chisel, or the much overused V tool. It looks great and you feel you are definitely getting somewhere! But you are limiting your options. It is much more difficult to undo a hard, angled trench - to turn it into a soft valley - than to sharpen the bottom of a smooth hollow. To begin with, keep loose. Make your lines and forms soft - out of focus. Then slowly focus your carving. 4. THE TOOL, THE TOOL Saying: 'work with your carving tools', is a bit woolly, as is: 'the tools ARE the carving', and I find it hard to express the fundamental relationship between the gouge, the carver, and the act of carving, without resorting to words like 'interface' - so help me - but it's there, as many experienced carvers will know. Cutting WITH the carving tools is essential for carving well. It feels something like going around a bend on your bicycle. You have to go WITH the bike. You, the bend and the bike, create the act of 'going round the bend'. I'm not sure this helps... But think about it. ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Just time to thank Steve McDonald for this contibution: ANATOMY. "I would like to recommend 2 books, and they are fantastic entertaining and simply written, both books go from beginner to advanced and are available online to read and download: "FUN WITH A PENCIL and FIGURE DRAWING FOR ALL ITS WORTH are both written by Andrew Loomis and no longer in print as far as I know. "You can see read them here: http://www.saveloomis.org/" **** ANYONE INTERESTED IN FIGURE CARVING WHO WOULD CARE TO SEND ME A LIST OF THEIR FAVOURITE ANATOMY BOOKS FOR INCLUSION IN THIS NEWSLETTER? Please give enough details for others to find them. Brief comments would be nice too. ============================================= That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: Another one to ponder at the bench: 'Man cannot discover new oceans unless he is prepared to lose sight of the shore.' - Gide ____________________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ ----------------- WOODCARVING TOOLS * UK TOOLSHOP: Auriou woodcarving tools and other equipment http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/ts_uktoolshop.html * UKTOOLSHOP Direct Link (missing out introductory page): http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/uktoolshop/index.html ----------------- WOODCARVING MANUALS * The Accomplished V Tool 1 - Free evaluation copy http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/learncarving/learn_ebook.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/safecarving/safecarving_index.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/mistakes/mistakes_ebook.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/fundamentals/fundamentals_ebook.html ----------------- TEACHING DATES * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html * CANADA (ROSEWOOD STUDIO, ALMONTE, ONTARIO) http://http://www.rosewoodstudio.com Sep 15 - Sep 19 The Outcome of the Tool: Sep 22 - Sep 26 Relief Carving Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_classesCAN.html Here's a link to view Rosewood's latest newsletter: http://www.rosewoodstudio.com/woodworking_newsl/woodworking_newsl.htm Inquiries, please call toll free 1-866-704-7778. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2003 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com