Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs
Adding carvings
lostarrow:
I've had some requests for a build along detailing carvings on my bows . I'm not sure what info they were looking for but feel free to ask any questions you may have .
The first step is to plan out what you will be carving and where. Without a clear plan , adornments can become unbalanced or disproportionate , and ruin the bow you just spent hours building. This is taken into consideration when starting to build the bow, as you may want to leave a bit of extra wood in areas to receive the carvings. In this case the hickory back was applied about 3/16" thick and worked down for the bow to a crown of less than 1/8" tapering to a near feather edge on the sides.Left full at the handle and nocks. It is a child's bow ,so there isn't a lot of thickness in the body and I didn't want the back to overpower the belly .I carve in areas of non working wood as any carving on the working portion has the potential to damage the bow or simply break off .
Generally I will come up with a theme , based on the personality of my client . In this case a 7 year old boy who is fascinated by Mermaids .I make arrows to match ,but if desired you could Carry the theme into bow sleeves ,quivers ,armguards,etc.
I trace out a few outlines on a piece of paper of where the carvings will go and try out a few different drawings until I come up with something I like. It usually comes together pretty quick as one idea on paper usually sparks three more .
From there, I transfer the ideas to the bow. Because I've used the bow as a template , the drawings are basically a direct copy of the original. On open grained woods like Oak and Hickory you may find it usefull to fill the pores with wood filler and sand it smooth when dry, if you are doing very detailed work. This gives you a smooth drawing surface and allows you to see the lines more clearly. On darker woods like Walnut , a silver gel pen will show up better than pencil. It's important that you can see the lines clearly, and judge them for size and proportion on the bow before you start cutting.What looked good on paper ,might not "fit" the bow in overall appearance.
lostarrow:
With the layout lines in place, I begin to incise the cuts. (trace over the lines with a knife or chisel to define the outline). This creates a stop cut to release the chips when you relieve the carving. This is a low relief carving , meaning it is not in full 3 dimension. It is carved just deep enough to create a 3D effect .
Notice how the different shaped gouges match the curves on the carving. If it doesn't you can use your knife but you will find it a lot quicker and a smoother end result to use the gouges. Although I have many shapes and sizes of gouge there are really only a few that I use on a regular basis. I sometimes use a "V" tool or veining tool to rough out the straight lines after incising them with a knife and straightedge. Take your time here too. A crooked or wavy line that should be straight can really ruin the look and will be picked up by the eye very quickly.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of sharp tools (razor sharp!) and complete tool control. You will notice the bow is in a vice, not being held in a hand. this allows me to use both hands on the chisels. If both hands are being used to guide the chisel you are less likely to slip and screw up the caving or put that nice sharp chisel through your hand. Take small cuts. It's not a race, and it's harder to put the wood back on that you shouldn't have taken off. Take note as well of how I use my hand's against the work piece to guide the cut. It's used like a compas to guide the knife smoothly around the curves. This is also done with the gouges and chisels . The second hand will also limit the power behind the chisel to bring you slowly and carefully to the stop cuts so when you suddenly hit a soft spot or the chip releases ,you don't plow into the next piece.
lostarrow:
Relieving the carving.With the lines incised , I begin to relieve the carving , creating a level field as a background. Dont get lazy with the field, if it's not all one level with a smooth transition , it will make your carving look distorted . It really shows when you finish it. Take it slow with small controlled cuts, to avoid tearout and chipping off a piece of the carving. Start close to the lines and work the field back .
lostarrow:
As you move through your carving , you will be re drawing sveral times ,the elements that have been removed or that may have worn off. It's important to keep a clear picture of what you are doing.Here I've roughed in the scales using the "V" tool
lostarrow:
Be sure to allow enough depth to handle all of the elements of your carving. Here we have her hands in the fore front with her trident beneath that and her body and head on the next plane down. if you don't it will look like it got melted and collapsed on it's self. Because I'll be painting this ,I can add some depth with colour, so I don't have to go too deep with the details.
I've roughed in the face with a small knife and will finish the fine details with a tiny,tiny dremel tool. I started with the bigger one shown and quickly switched to on half the size. It's so small that I'm not even sure of the shape. :o I think it's a cylinder but might be a ball.Not that critical on wood when you get to the size of a sharp pencil. It would make a difference on shell or ivory ,if you were working with magnification.( which we might be doing a little for the arrow pass)
The hair was done with the same techniques as the tail. I will go into more detail on that when we carve the seaweed leaves on the grip. You can see that when sanded , the field needs more work to get it level behind the whole carving. Try to keep sanding to a minimum while you are carving, and grit that is left behind will dull the tools pretty quick.
That's all for today.
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