Day 8
What!
We’ve
stoned out our figures, we’ve added some background detail and examined several
techniques and styles so it’s time get working on our figures. Working to the
principle that the deepest is the nearest our first guy is the perfect starting
point.
Our friend
here is now wearing a T-shirt, pants & soft shoes and has ear-phones around
his neck and been to the barbers, which will outrage purists but I did say it
would be modernised! Draw the clothes on the glass. You’ll notice that your
pen/pencil has to follow the contours of the depths; your wheels will have to
do the same. You can start anywhere but it’s advisable to go with the larger
wheels first and work down to the smaller ones - work the whole figure rather
than focus on one area.
Let’s iron this out….
Take a
crease in the t-shirt and examine it; folds and creases in clothes usually run
from an extremity (an elbow or knee for example) and fade out gently. You
should carve them the same way, starting with a strong definite line and then smoothen
out the end as the tension in the cloth eases. It’s important to draw and get
the line of them correct as they help re-enforce the figure’s posture.
The sleeves
present a new challenge – they are wider than the arm. Use your copper wheel to
cut the end of the sleeve and smoothen out the muscle it covers. Again the
depth will add to the image but the lines you cut for the end of the sleeve and
then the folds and creases in it will ‘dress’ the guy. Engraving the clothes
means that a lot of the muscle definition will be covered or softened but the depth
in the figure remains. In some cases it is necessary to remove a ridge
altogether; a good example being a skirt where the legs underneath will be
obscured but you have to stone out the depths of the anatomy first to make it
look right. Similarly, take care when doing things like the neckline on a
t-shirt as it may traverse several contours and depths so accuracy is vital.
I’ve
referenced accuracy in draughtsmanship a lot with clothes, this next part being
critical. If you have to engrave a sleeve that’s foreshortened and the internal
part is visible you need to use very small wheels to carve the arcs at the top
and bottom. They will underpin the illusion that it’s a hollow, tube like form
that surrounds the arm. Do the arm first, then cut the sleeve deeper with the
internal area last - it only needs subtle shading. Today’s tip - The abrasive will eat into the glass and your wheels – file them often to restore profile
Meet the engraver 6 Mr.Techno
Mr.
Techno is a master of the engraving craft and doesn’t really feel challenged by
this work anymore - he’s looking at the future for a faster way. He wonders how
he could marry his is love of computers and new technology to his engraving
knowledge. He’d do a circle using computer generated artwork, a mask and
sandblaster as it’s faster and can be replicated thousands of times – it makes
him popular with accountants and marketing guys.
Lesson – Technology is great but you
should respect the integrity of the craft.
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