Day 9
Heading for home
Our guy is
taking shape so we’ll do a little work on his head. This isn’t a portrait so ‘a
face’ will suffice – big chin, small chin, frown or smile it’s up to you.
Initial depths are forehead, cheek bone and chin. The smaller features will
require some accuracy but try cut them in one go – a narrow wheel for the front
of the nose fading back into the cheek bone depth; a really small rounded wheel
to cut the lower lip, slightly wider flat to cut the upper one over it. Do the
same with the eye, soft line for lower lid, heavier for upper leaving a raised
‘V’ which will become an eyeball. Use a ball shaped wheel to do the nostril and
eye, job done.
Oops – what now?
That’s the
ideal but usually something goes a little awry, in this case I’m too deep on
the cheek and not enough on the upper lip; the eye isn’t great either and top
of his skull is too high. What happens next is hard to catch photographically
or put on paper – you just work at it until you get the depths correct and the
features both located and finished correctly. Luckily there are some easy fixes
here. Adding his hair resolves the skull issue; I considered a hat or a pair of
shades. I’ll re-do his upper lip and eye as there’s glass to work with. Worst
case scenario is having to deepen the pillar ‘behind’ him effectively erasing
the finer features of this face and start again.
Another
common error is that you’ve slipped and left a mark outside the outline. The
options are;
Polish out the slip using rough then fine polish depending on the
severity of the slip. If you use the largest wheel possible and polish a larger
area, if will not be noticeable. Small wheels will leave an ‘inclusion’ or
distortion on the surface. Always polish into your work.
Re-engrave it with a wider wheel. It depends on the job but
is it possible to ‘go big’ and incorporate the error into the image with either
a slightly bigger wheel or by going deeper? If you’re confident enough to try
again, go for it but ask yourself why you slipped in the first place?
Hide it - assess the damage and consider if adding to
the engraving is a viable option. If it’s a deep chip, you may have no choice
but to add something (appropriate) to the original image – be creative.
And Finally………
With his
head sorted out, take a long hard look at the overall figure – are you happy
with it? Are all the depths correct, the folds in the cloths, the feet &
hands? If so, good job, if not, now’s the time to rectify them.
Today’s tip; Keep your powder and
polish clean – contamination of either will lead to chips and/or scratches.
Meet the Engraver – the Apprentice
This guy has some skill and
technical ability and is eager to learn. He needs to develop the patients,
knowledge and vision to get to the next level. Right now he works to achieve a
basic standard; he makes lots of little errors but learns from them. He’s not
afraid to ask. His circle takes several cuts, doing a few degrees at a time; it
has some corners, is more oval than round and has visible joints…… but it’s
done and better than the last one.
Lesson – Stick
with it, you’ll get there - it just takes time and experience
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