Day 5
‘Next……..’
With our
first figure ‘stoned out’, we can look at the next candidate. She is stretched
out on a stone plinth in an awkward pose – head facing one way, body the other.
In order to get the correct depth in her body, you need to remove some glass
for the plinth she sits on, otherwise she’ll be ‘floating’ in the air. Use a
flat profiled wheel to model the stonework , carving a depth for each stone
(and consequently leaving a ridge between them). Well do the ground later.
Working to
the same format, you need an initial depth in the torso and legs adding weight
to the more prominent parts. Take some time to study her pose - her right knee
is covered by clothes that suggest it should have significant depth. But her
foot is visible. The creases and folds are misleading; yes, but while the knee
is the deepest part of her leg, it should only be a little deeper as her lower
leg must be connected to the foot. Draw her legs first to get the anatomy
right, carve out the depths, worry about the clothes later.
I’m omitting the snake
and Cupid for now as they’re ‘different’ in my (modern) version.
The next guy
is standing with one leg raised on a pedestal. Just like the lady needed a
solid bed to lie on, he too needs some groundwork done. Since we have switched
to doing background items, we can work on the architecture, trees and ground.
The trees are straightforward - use a round profile wheel of the appropriate
width first, reducing the size/width as you progress along the trunk/branches.
Switching to a flat profiled wheel you can put some depth into the
architectural stonework.
Finally,
the ground should be deeper than anything that rests upon it. You need to angle
the glass away from one side of your flat wheel, thereby cutting an edge
(that’s the horizon) and a grey/shaded/matt area representing the (fore)ground.
I am not saying it should be the deepest depth of all, just that you should cut
it so it’s slightly deeper than the stonework, the tree trunk or feet. The tiny
ridge you create will catch the light, appear as the ground/horizon and connect
the 3 figures we’ve done.
For photographic reasons we’ll focus on and
finish these guys.
Today’s tip; Work with the rotation
of the wheel like feeding cloth into a sewing machine, turning left/right a
required as you go.
Meet
the Engraver 4. Mr. Fix-it
This
guy has mastered copper wheel engraving but likes to experiment when the boss
isn’t looking. He always seems to have a ‘project’ on the side and they show
really imaginative work. He has, but hates to use his polishing wheels to
repair chips and slips, preferring instead to add a flourish that disguises the
error. It’s creative. He does a circle in 4 or 5 sweeps, no perceptible joins
or ‘corners’ in it. If he does go wide or slips he’ll repeat the cut with a
wider wheel making sure to disguise the error.
Lesson – don’t panic if you make an
error – perhaps it’s an opportunity!
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