Portrait Relief

[Steev]

Starting on a new project. So far I've milled the blank from a big round and set the background depth around the rough outline.

[joepaulbutler]

Hey Steve, is the arm a little shallow?

[Steev]

In this picture I've only roughly set out some of the shapes, the outline is roughed in. I'm barely started!

[joepaulbutler]

Wasn't being critical

[pallin]

An interesting start, Steev. Give us some general info like: dimensions, wood type, tools. It appears that you have been working with a fairly large gouge, perhaps with mallet (?)

[Steev]

Hi Phil,

The carving is approx. 11 inched tall, the biggest I could print on a single sheet with my printer. We were given the rounds as firewood and were told it's elm, but the look of the wood and the grain doesn't seem that way. In the initial stages of a carving like this, mallet and big gouges are my go to approach.

[pallin]

Yes, I've also run into the problem of pattern size. Some of my recent reliefs have been 12" x 15" or larger, so I have the enlarged prints done at a business center. I still have to tape pieces together. The wood appears to be clear, free of defects, knots, or strongly colored grain. That should be nice for the subject. Is it medium-hard?

[Steev]

Wasn't being critical

Why not? I don't know about anyone else, but I learn way more from well meaning criticism than a simple "atta boy". The insight from another set of eyes can be very valuable.

[Bob K.]

Very ambitious project, Steev. Portraits like that are hard to do. Very pretty subject matter, though. You will will enjoy looking at it while carving!

[DLarabee]

Steev, I am looking forward to following this project of yours. Very exciting.

I hope to do a relief portrait well at some point in the future. I've been madly seeking any input I can because I will eventually have a newborn baby portrait to do. So far, all I've managed to do is some sketching and a lot of staring.

Good luck with this!

[Nomad]

Looks like a good challenge--at least, It would be for me. LOL! Never done anything like it. Good luck!

[Steev]

I've made little visible progress so far, just defining some of the major areas a bit.

[joepaulbutler]

Aw, I can see what I couldn't see before

[Steev]

Well, its been at least a year since I started this one. I have made some progress. I'm pretty well done with her shoulders and arm. I decided I'm going to leave the background with obvious tooling as so much of her skin demands to be very smooth. Its quite the challenge to get the relative depth of various areas correct. I'd welcome your input, especially on depths.

[JJF]

looking forward to seeing more