empty-bubble In reply to tecciztecatl [2008-11-20 21:53:18 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I just used a wood carving tool and some soapstone oil to finish it off. I think if I could replicated the shape on a much larger scale it might work nicely

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tecciztecatl In reply to empty-bubble [2008-11-21 19:12:13 +0000 UTC]

Definitely! Working big is always great fun too Have you used angle grinders before?

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empty-bubble In reply to tecciztecatl [2008-11-24 15:54:18 +0000 UTC]

I haven't, though have been learning the hand carving way and I think the appeals to me most. I guess ofr choppng huge bits though it would save masses of time

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tecciztecatl In reply to empty-bubble [2008-11-24 17:31:51 +0000 UTC]

It can save a lot of time, it just depends on your approach to carving. If you're looking at a roughly hewn block to see what shapes it suggests to you then the form probably won't lie too deep under the surface and you can rough it out by hand. It's definitely very satisfying to work that way. At my college the head of carving said that sculptors (we have a carving dept and a separate sculpture dept which focuses on contemporary work) would be asked to respond to the stone in that way, whereas we just hit it till it does what we tell it to!

To be honest I much prefer to work with what the stone suggests, but the course I'm on is more about teaching techniques for working in the stone carving 'industry'. Just that word makes it sound less appealing I hope I get time to work on something a bit arty rather than doing all commercial work.

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empty-bubble In reply to tecciztecatl [2008-11-26 09:04:39 +0000 UTC]

The mason side! I think there's something to be said for both approaches. Am deliberating about getting a Dremmel at the moment - more for fun than anything else - but that would definitely cast me the side of the anglegrinder set. We shall see

It sounds as though you are being taught really valuable tehnical skills on your course, so at least when you finish you can get a job in the right industry. I guess at that stage though you could just decide to go live in a rocky place and carve whatever you fancy for people who want to buy art! Great to be able to have that choice. Are you lining up a job for when you finish?

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tecciztecatl In reply to empty-bubble [2008-12-02 20:06:42 +0000 UTC]

I don't wanna work in any industry! From what I gather it's all about turning work out at high speed and not worrying about finesse or attention to detail. Sounds horrible.

I'd love to live near a quarry or whatever and just carve what I liked but I think I'll be an old man by the time I get there! I've got no idea what I'll do after college - at the mo I'm just focusing all my energy on this torso project and I'll deal with what comes next when it happens. I'm sort of hoping that someone'll seen my work at the end of year show and either offer me a commission or a job. We'll see though. Must be great to have your own space with total creative freedom

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empty-bubble In reply to tecciztecatl [2008-12-04 11:01:58 +0000 UTC]

It is nice, but then you have to be disciplined to make the most of it. Reckon you're probably right about industry - that it's really not all that - but if it expands the context of your work you can just use the best bits and abandon the rest. You must have to work like crazy to get those pieces right, so as long as that determination transfers reckon you'll have no problems!

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