Tag: Finishing carving

Carving Ocean Wave

My last few posts have been about carving a wave form from the start of an idea, making it in plastercine, carving it in lime and applying oil and wax to finish. I have called the piece Ocean Wave. I guess it will evoke different memories for different people. For me the Mobius strip at the centre reminds me of the welling strength of the sea when we went surfing as children, and sitting listening to the rhythmic sound of the waves on the shore.

Make a maquette
and refine it
Prepare a template
Draw it on and start to block out the shape
and continue roughly forming the shape
Develop the wave
Refine the spiral
Improve the shape and finish
Apply oil and wax

Finishing the Wave Form

Once the carving is fully formed the process of smoothing starts. This often takes me nearly as long as the actual carving. It starts by using a variety of chisels to gently take off the uneven surface from the whole carving. Whist I do this I check for bumps to remove and sharpen and smooth the edges. This is followed by using a variety of scrapers with different curves to create a really smooth surface. As this happens my eye is drawn to any irregularities that still need correcting. I do this over a few days as each time I look I see a new slight imperfection that needs correcting. I look at pieces from all angles and often use touch to check the smoothness and regularity of the carving.

Seeing the smooth shape is very satisfying the the actual process is really time consuming, but necessary if a smooth shape is desired rather than a chisel finish.

All that is left is the application of Danish oil and bees wax.