The Wood Carving Site
dedicated to the designs, themes, and ideas for |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplifying
a Pattern into Basic Areas
Northwest Adventure Pattern
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the Macaw Carving Project we worked with the idea of grouping items through contour shading. In that pattern all the elements were related to each other, all the items in one grouping were feathers or all the items were leaves on a branch. The Macaw design is a single focus pattern where you are carving one main item. However, in many of the designs you will use in relief wood carving the elements within the pattern are unrelated. The black bear canoeing scene, below-right, provides an excellent example of a pattern with multiple elements. Many carvers will begin work on a pattern as this by simplifying the design into levels. Begin this wood article by printing a copy of our Northwest Adventure patterns below. As you read through the steps here you will be able to refer to that pattern as your reference point. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Quick Glossary Contour Pattern Planning: A way to simplify a design that is made up of repeative elements, as the Macaw is made up of basically feathers. Please see The Macaw Practice Pattern. Level Pattern Planning: A way to simplify a design that is created from dissimilar elements, as the Northwest Adventure containing trees, water, the bear, fish, and a canoe. Levels: A group of elements in the design that are placed together because of their related depth to the finished carving, as all items that are in the far background or all items that seem to be in the middle of the pattern. Layers: Different carving depths within a level of work, the deepest part of one level, the middle part of that same level, and the highest part on the same level. Focus Point: The element that is the main reason for the carving, the most important element within that carving. Secondary Focus Point: Small elements within the design that need extra emphasis to accent the main focus point.
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First, any relief design will have at least four layers to it. The background behind your main object, then three layers (at least) for the main focus of the scene. If there is any item lying in front of the main focus of the design, you have added a fifth layer. If there is a secondary area of focus a sixth layer will be used. In any well balance design you will have at least four layers, probably five, and maybe six levels to the design. I do not work beyond six levels in a design. If I find that I am trying to include more than this I feel trying to bring emphasis to too many elements in the pattern. In our Northwest Adventure scene the main focus of the pattern is the black bear in the canoe and that he is about to go over the waterfalls. There is a secondary focus area of the salmon jumping the same waterfalls. They add a little fun and contrast to the design idea ... the bear is head down the falls but the salmon are working to go up the falls. Click here for a full sized colored level guide. I will be numbering the levels from one through six going from the back or deepest level of the carving as number 1 and the shallowest or closest level as number six. Personally, I work to keep the main focus area centered to the depth of the carving, or at level three. So for our bear this places two levels behind him and three in front. Placing your most important element at level three creates contrast and visual comparison. There will now be items carved behind the bear as well as items lying in front.
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Level One - Deepest Carved Area This level contains all elements in the background. For our bear scene this includes the sky and pine trees. Even if there are no elements in the background area to carving I count the area surrounding the scene as level 1. This level is the deepest area that you will carve into the wood and determines the final depth of the entire work. I need to identify this level since everything else lies above it. An example of a scene that has no elements in level 1 is the Whitetail Deer carving on our Whitetail Deer Pattern Package page. This design contains a fairly 3-dimensional deer carving yet there are no trees, mountains or sky area behind that deer. So only the surrounding "sky" area would lie in level 1. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Level Two Looking at your color level guide you will see that level 2 contains the grass line and river bank behind the bear. This grass bank follows the bottom of the pine trees then drops along the edge of the waterfalls. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Level Three - Focus Point Level three contains the main focus point of the carving. In this design that includes the black bear, his canoe, and the water in the river that is pushing him over the falls.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Level Four Level four, the next closest to you, would then cover the water in front of the canoe, the waterfalls, and the water flowing down stream. In the example to the right this area is notes in the pale blue tone.
Level Five Many scenes only contain the five levels as noted above, but with our Northwest Adventurer I am adding a level at this point to place a little extra emphasis on the salmon. They are my secondary focus points. This is a level that will contain just a few small areas of carving. A secondary focus point level does not have to be in level five, it can lie anywhere with in the design. An example would be a carving of a hunting dog in front of a thicket along the dirt road bed. Perhaps hiding in the thicket is a rabbit. This rabbit would lie behind the dog and therefore be located in level one or two. However, since this rabbit also needs added emphasis, he is the reason that the dog is hunting, he needs the extra level. The sky would be level one, the thicket is level two, the rabbit becomes level three, making the dog fall into level four. The salmon in our working example now become level five and are noted in the dark blue tones. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Level Six - Shallowest Carved Area The last level and the one closest in carving to you is level six. For our pattern this becomes the foreground grassy bank and stones. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Subdividing Each Level When the levels have been planned in the pattern stage I begin breaking each one down into layers within the levels. Each level can now have at least three layers, one behind, one in the center, and one in the foreground. For our black bear example in level three I would make the back side of the canoe my first layer, the bear becomes the center point or second layer and, of course, that leaves the front side of the canoe as the third layer. With a six level design, as Northwest Adventure, that is subdivided into three layers each you will end up with a carving that contains 18 different depth points spread throughout the work .... Instant Depth and Dimension!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
We received a very nice question from Vic concerning levels and a carving he is currently creating. Vic wrote: "I still have trouble figuring out a "layering" method. I have read and re-read your macaw pattern simplification and when I start carving one I'll probably see more what mean about grouping of layers. I am, however, in a quandary about how to go about figuring out how many layers a relief would have and how thick each one should be. I have been working on a relief 8" x 8" of Da Vinci's St. Anne, basically a bust, and have tried to figure out a way to determine how many layers say how deep each should be." Let me assume that Vic's St. Anne is sitting on a bench holding either a cross or the Christ child in her lap. I would plan for anything that is not St. Anne and seems to be behind her as the church window, drapers, and the bench as my first level. The second level would include all of her body from her farthest shoulder back. This would be the small part of her back or side, the hair or head piece she is wearing, the clothes she wears surrounding her waist and hips. Level three would included her face, her forward shoulder, and breast area, the hair that surrounds her face. If she is holding something I would make the forearms, hands, and the object level four, so this would include the Christ child/cross. This places her knees and legs as the next level, number five. Finally I would plan her toes and any draping that falls forward from her feet as level six. You now have St. Anne in the central layers with an added level to include the baby .... a total of six levels. Note that it is St. Anne's face that I have placed as the third level, for most portraits it is the face and especially the eyes that become the main focus point. The Christ child is a secondary or special focus point and the number of levels used increases to accomidate this element. By working with layers and levels a carver can avoid two big problems. One big mistake we make is getting so far into the carving that you are past the point of no return then realizing that you have some how carved the belly of your macaw deeper than the back wing. Ooops .... and of course, you will never have enough wood left behind that back wing to drop the wing down lower. Using the idea of levels on your pattern before you pick up the tools will eliminate this common mistake. Second, using layers and level avoids the problem of not carving deep enough to create any dimensional look to the pattern. If you start your detail carving for every area on the same depth of wood you end up with a simple but flat rounded over carvings. Levels add that three-D look. As for how deep ... hate to sound like a broken record but ... it depends of the depth of the wood blank. On a 5/4 board (1 1/4" thick), I never carve an area that I have not left at least 1/2" of wood behind it. So this allows me 3/4" of carving area. Beyond 1/2" I have found problems with warping over the years. In this example I would use about 1/8" for the first (first layer - background) carving details and 1/8" for the foremost (fifth level) carving details. That leaves me 1/2" to spread the three central focus levels - more wood for the most important part of the carving. With thicker boards you have a lot more lea way. On a 8/8" board I would only leave maybe 3/4" at my deepest point, so now I have 1 1/4" inches to play with ... The wider the board, the more I tend to break the levels down into multiple layers. So, in my humble experience, five layer works great every time with a sixth for special emphasis. The patterns on our site are basically five layer patterns (because that's the way I ,as the artist, thinks when designing). Each layer will now be broken into three levels or more. By the time you are done you will have a nicely dimensioned carving.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Article
Courtesy of Classic Carving Patterns |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
