Now I have Mastered Woodwork I am moving on losers.

[Bm101]

For a recent birthday the Mrs went.... Heeeehhh .........Not sure you're gonna like this..... My mind racing just went....ooooohhh Shiiii...*
*Oooo K *sighing inwardly but maintaining a bright and positive smile.
I got you a stone carving course! Your brother said no get him a wood course for dob tales or summat but I reckoned you have all that sorted so I went for stone carving instead cause you already know how to do woodwork.
*breathing in deeply*
Ooo k love.
On the one hand it's nice she has so much faith in me she thinks I've smashed woodworking per se. Chippendale ya mug.
On the other hand...
Anyway. It's done.
After work tomorrow I'm down to the sis in laws near Frome in Sommerset and 10 -4 for 3 days I'm gonna be carving stone.
So what I'm requesting is design ideas. I'm thinking relief designs rather than Michael Anglo.
Any carvers (any medium) got any advice for a complete novice?
My first premise is don't try anything mental. Better summat small achieved than falling on my face trying to do too much.
At the least should give some of you a giggle.
:|
*sighs...*

 

[pollys13]

Steve Bisco is a highly respected woodcarver. Shame your wife didn't give you a copy of his book, Stone Carving for the Home & Garden. Book serves as an excellent, comprehensive introduction
to stone carving. He has a Fleur De Lys panel among his starter projects. If you have Amazon Prime you might get book before you go, better if possible to reschedule the course, so you could be more prepared.He also does an incised house number. Amazon and reviewers tell you a lot about the book.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Go for a head-and-shoulders portrait of the mother-in-law, but don't tell anyone. Instead, tell 'em you're doing a gargoyle.

That should cover most eventualities. If your work turns out a little less than spectacular, no-one will ever know your real intent. If you find that you're not actually that bad at it, you could pass off any perceived resemblance as purely imaginary and coincidental.

The only danger in this plan is that you turn out to be a born natural sculptor and produce a spot-on portrait - in which case you may have to hot-foot it back to the Big Smoke until the fuss dies down a bit - but, let's face it, the chances of any of us getting it spot-on first time are not that high, so you should be OK!

 

[doctor Bob]

aim big.
Maybe Jacob, Mr Maskery, Noel

 

[Student]

I think that Dr. B’s idea may be worth considering. The Cheddar Gorge isn’t that far from Frome so you could pop up there on day 3.

 

[Noel]

You the the miserable one on the left? : ) Steve would look well with a moustache, you know, 1980s certain kind of performing "actor"?

Enjoy your adventure BM.

 

[Trevanion]

This video is a wonderful watch, might be no good for actual instruction but it's a good one:

[youtube]QwNENr8omM0[/youtube]

 

[sunnybob]

Day 1; learn how to make large ballast from stone slabs.
day 2; learn how to make smaller ballast from stone slabs.
Day 3, learn how to make very wonky straight lines in stone slabs, then sign up for the three year intensive apprenticship course. :roll:

Somerset (ONE M) was my home for 30 years, at least you get nice scenery to watch during the coffee breaks. =D> =D>
And you know thats pronounced "Froom" dontcha? :lol: 8)

 

[Doug B]

3days? Surely you won’t have finished how to sharpen the chisels in that short a time :-k :-" :lol: :lol:

 

[devonwoody]

Shepton Mallet prison is close to Frome, they might still do stone bashing, its still old fashioned down that way and they might have plenty of rocks to work on.

 

[novocaine]

I think it will need similar discipline to smithing.

4 weeks before you travel start hitting a bit of metal with a 1/2 hammer for 1 hour a day
3 weeks before move to a 1 pound hammer
2 weeks before move to a 5 pounder
1 week before swing the 5 pounder for 2 hours a day

Get to course and make trinkets with a toffee hammer for 3 days.

good luck, take some pain relieving gel, you'll need it for your shoulders. (hammer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL8chWFuM-s

 

[ScaredyCat]

So what I'm requesting is design ideas. I'm thinking relief designs rather than Michael Anglo.

Isn't the only answer to this "A giant *****"

.

 

[Chris152]

So what I'm requesting is design ideas. I'm thinking relief designs rather than Michael Anglo.

How about a celtic knot? They can be as simple or complex as you like, look great and work in relief. Whatever, I reckon it sounds like a great experience, and cutting mortices in future will seem like a piece of, um, cheese.

 

[Droogs]

I think you should have a look at Gobekli Tepe for inspiration. After all if megalithic hunter gatherers can make that (including full 3d relief carving) with what they had as tools, supposedly bone and stone (yeah right), then the sky should be the limit for you with a bit of hardened steel

 

[Bm101]

You've made me have a few proper chuckles with this one! Glad I posted so thanks all. Internet is a little patchy here to say the least so keeping it short.
Still not sure what to expect tbh. Was looking at various different stuff on the way down. Have a chat with the lady tomorrow. I did find a tattooist called Mo Ganji who does single line tattoos that might look alright. We'll see. Keep you guessing because I don't know myself.
Cheers fellas.
Kept me well amused! =D>
Will keep you updated with my tragic attempts as we go.
(homer)
Cheers
Chris

 

[Bm101]

So what I'm requesting is design ideas. I'm thinking relief designs rather than Michael Anglo.

Isn't the only answer to this "A giant *****"

.

Or a tiny hand.

 

[TFrench]

Couple of years ago we got my old man a stonecarving course. He absolutely loved it. It was an architectural one so they covered squaring stock, cutting coves and beads and doing corners. He was well happy with it. Then we got him a carving course with the same instructor, they did basic lettering then a few projects of their choice - he did my mum's name and they let the block into a new wall they had built in the garden later on.

 

[6pac]

As doctor Bob said, you gotta go large. (hammer)

 

[Bm101]

Well I am back and yet... I am fundamentally altered on a primal level. I actually got back Monday night. I would have posted sooner but now I am an Artist time has become a mere conceptualised and passe platitude as I begin delving into the deeper rhythms of lighhhhht and moooooovement *waves arms about head while flute music plays in the background*
Right enough of all that pony and trap. It's wearing me out even trying to pretend to talk like that.

Update time!
Appreciate all the replies.

Funny enough, Stonehenge was in the news this morning as an American fella returned a core drilling that he'd culturally appropriated in the 70's when they were supergluing the Sarcens and Blues back together.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-w ... e-48190588
The BBC:
'No-one knew where it was until Robert Phillips, 89, who was involved in those works, decided to return part of it'
Literally everyone reading:
'No-one knew where it was until Robert Phillips, 89, who bloo*y stole it in the First Place, the thieving git, decided to return part of it.
Thank goodness we here in the UK can never be accused of any form of cultural appropriation eh? That's lucky. :-"

Anyway. I don't want to be accused of digressing on my own thread. :roll:
I really enjoyed the course. Sea change to my normal routine.
It was run by a lovely lady called Kate Semple. Brilliant teacher, proper sculptor and all round Proper Person generally.
http://www.katesemplesculpture.co.uk/index.htm
There were 4 others on the course. All retired and beginners from very different backgrounds. Nice welcoming ethic and the enthusiasm was a little infectious.
It was hard work in parts but despite all the guff above it opened my eyes a bit and was even a bit revelatory in parts. I'm not used to talking in artistic terms (funny enough) but as I progressed I really did begin to open my eyes to shape and form and shade and space. You start to think differently.
The only complaint was that removing all the waste is done by hand. Sawing stone by hand is tedious. 4" grinder in the right hands is a scalpel. If I did it it down the shed that's what I'd use. Spent a day cutting out by hand what I could have done in 1 hour with 24v. Understandable of course. Can't be handing out grinders willy nilly.

Right. Once you get your design sorted Kate finds you a bit of oolitic limestone to suit. Mine was squared to start, nigh on 4" thick. Big bit of stone. Lot of waste. Most of it gone already in this pic. Cut by hand. Did I mention that? This is nearing lunch, day 2. Really.

By the end of day 2 I had my outline.
All the rest of the pics are from day 3.

Starting to find out about shape and levels. Keeping a celtic line and maintaining the shape of a real animal was a bit mad. Loved it. This is where I'm starting to realise the design is not 2D any more. I'm trying to take the neck in to mirror a real movement. This is where it got fascinating really. Small scale then try not to forget to stand back to look at the bigger picture.

Finished the course. It seemed done at the time. But it definitely needs more work to clean it up. I will update when it's done.
What's mad is how different it looks when lit from different angles.
Proper learning curve.
Here it is under a spotlight in my kitchen with my work hoodie as a dark background. Shadows and that. :roll:

I will make the effort to finish it. Stuff needs smoothing but trying to keep the feel. It's a very comforting thing carving. Very balancing thing for the mind.
Cheers now.
Regards as always.
Chris

* Fair play and all credit to the (proper) artist I borrowed/stole the design from: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ninthwavedesign/
(Frantically while driving to the course. )

 

[MikeG.]

Good to have you back, Chris da Vinci. Somehow you've made your hare look somewhat dis-chuffed. Murderous even. Don't leave anything sharp anywhere near it over night in case it emerges Narnia-like from its stone casing and visits its wrath upon you. Or something.