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This video is taken from the Merlin project.
In this lesson I take top and side projections with just odd tools to hand: pencil and square. The time it takes to make a working drawing like this (and a model for that matter) is more than compensated by the speed at which you can get into your carving, and even its very success. There are other, more techie, ways of getting a profile (or silhouette) drawing: digital camera and enlarging printer for example, but the really beneficial thing about working this way is how up close and personal you get.
From our model we can get a drawing with which we can remove a lot of wood mechanially, so saving us a lot of time. Additionally, and this is an extremely important idea: you can establish a reference line in the wood that make the next carving stage much easier.
| 09 June 2021 19:53
Thanks for the reply Chris. That makes sense to me, I was just curious. I come from a bit of a stone carving background, where cut to the line was how I was taught. I am really enjoying the material and your style thus far! I put gouges to wood for the very first time just today. Very satisfying, Cheers!
| 09 June 2021 15:25
Richard - It's the fact that once you take wood off, it's very tricky to put it back on!
Also a 2-dimensional line on the surface is not the same as a horizon on a curved surface. If you, say, cut a hole directly to the line on your board, then round over, it will always end up bigger than you think. Space is quite corrosive to carvers and need to be handled carefully. (You heard it here!)
Thus, I always give myself a bit of 'slack' with cutting out or making holes. So, yes, more about the cutting and carving than the wood itself.
| 08 June 2021 19:12
Question about the 1/4 inch safety margin. It it intended to allow for aberrations in the wood, or is it a safeguard against a poor cut?
