Just a Quickie !

[Alice in Wonderland]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Oh Mark, how beautiful ,we are very lucky on this board to have such talent and also that you people share it with us.
I do wish I would be 3 month younger and have time left to study your work more.
Alice

[Fred Zavadil]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Mark,
The painting looks better than I expected, really well done. If the rest is painted the same way, it is better this way.
Lucky you - getting all the good Mahogany and other stuff; I am not getting the wood cheap - but I can get pretty much everything I ask for from a wood supplier here and if I do not like it, he sends it back and gets me better. Well, with the exception of that Swing Mahogany - the first started cracking as soon as I started carving it, so back it went, the new he got me instead was better, but still, probably the most difficult of everything I've ever carved. (this is the link http://www.fredzavadil.com/content/view/96/70/ )
Good to hear that you are busy, I am still working on my new shop, totally ignoring everything else. But I have to get some work done, I promised a small carving for a silent auction at OWCA show next week and Hana is really pushing me (Hi Mark). I am hoping to get back to "normal" in about 2 weeks (just hoping).
I am not familiar with the "Dog and Pony" show - but it is always good to get out and have some fun. Enjoy.
Fred

[mark yundt]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Oh you're right.But in my case none of this is for me.There are pros and cons to how things get finished and ultimately it's what the customer wants.They want paint,O.K.,as long as I get paid! This case though it will look good against the background ,and as a base panel for a 5 ft X 10 ft painting of the Vision of Guadalupe,,,which is filled with these same colored roses.So it probably was a good call. And they really pop against the reddish Mahogany panel. The area is fairly dark and these just might have been lost in the shadows. Thanks

[Joy]

Re: Just a Quickie !

It doesn't seem right to cover up beautiful wood with paint....but....flowers are all about color. I would have a hard time choosing which I liked better. Great job.

[mark yundt]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Hi Fred!
Actually these are only two of the current projects I'm showing. Besides spending today in Philadelphia with a few Architects and designers and next week in N.Y.city for more work,,getting home and having 3 quotes waiting,,,things are hopping!
I'm not familiar with Mahogany 'swing',,,I did some Phillipine that was like what you said,somewhat twisted,,and the grain could be a pain. It was also more like Spanish Cedar,,not very hard,,almost soft in texture. A friend started his own logging and sawmill operation in Africa and that's where this comes from.Been considering going over for a visit. It's really quite nice,,not very dark in color (stain will take care of that) and carves nicely.I saw pics of trees he's felled over 15 ft in diameter!!! He also is giving me samples of some really unique woods that aren"t available here yet. One looks like a golden yellow mahogany but carves like basswood without the splinters and fuzzies,,I think it'll be great. The other looks just like walnut in color, holds terrific details and carves like firm Cedar,,again ,,no splinters or fuzzies. And both are dirt cheap! And another that looks very much like bamboo that checking just with a pocket knife seemes very promising.If and when I get time I'll do something in them to really give them a test drive,,now It's only been a few passes to see how they respond. Seems too simple,,but after awhile you can tell what they'll do,,you know.
For now,,all the glue ups are done with the frame. Got the mouldings cut to profile and ready for some egg and dart. The brass rod is in place fitted to allow me to carve the wood to look like it's passing over and around the rod.But the rod is really in 3 separate pieces,,all an illusion,,pretty neat how I solved that riddle.

Between the carving I have to do,,the trips I'm taking,,and completly blowing apart my bathroom ( floor,ceilings,a wall,,windows,,electrical,and all plumbing including the main drain pipes,gutted to the framing and building it again) I haven't been around too much either. Ha!!! but I sure am having a ball! I really like doing my "Dog and Pony " show. Gives me a chance to wear a different hat,,get out of the shop and actually meet people face to face.Been cooped up in there for so long with carving those trees I was starting to feel like a hermit.

I included the final pics of the roses. Some might like them,others might not,,but the customer was all smiles.In these pics they look fairly solid in color,,but after the sealer ( they really looked neat then) and a few multiple shades of green,white and red they were still transparent and the glow of the wood still showed through.Different and fun for me to do. Plus,,he threw more money at me which I turned down,but I enjoyed it all the same.

[Fred Zavadil]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Hi Mark,
I am just catching up after some time - and WOW, two new projects!! The roses are great, I am sure the client is thrilled! I am glad that you are finishing them with a semi transparent paint showing the grain - I would hate to see them covered with layers of paint.
Also, your frame looks good - what kind of Mahogany are you using? The best I carved is Honduras Mahogany - unfortunately, it is not available here anymore, I hear that they stopped cutting the trees for now. The last I carved from Mahogany was the Swing (unknown origin) and it was a pain since the grain was so twisted; I had a very hard time with it. Hope you get some nice one and show us the results soon.
Fred

[mark yundt]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Thank you again!
The finish will be a semi transparent paint,,,color with the grain showing through. I hope! Either that or he's getting solid color,LOL

[Mottles]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Beautiful Mark, but a 'quickie' your too modest! Your such an excellent carver no wonder folks retain you to enhance their homes with your carvings.
Kathy

[hobo]

Re: Just a Quickie !

mark, looks good and clean nice job . whats the finsh going to be ? hobo

[Shannor]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Thanks very much Mark. I'll have to give it a go

[mark yundt]

Re: Just a Quickie !

I don't know what style you have designed but ones like these would be a fine project for a beginner to do. They tend to be fragile to work on but with proper clamping and since they are relatively small requiring little force on them to carve, it should go O.K.One thing with pieces like this is to do the major bulky sections first before you start thinning out the thin stems or vines.There will be a little more wood left in them to help prevent snapping them. Although I have on many occasions broken them purposely to gain easier access for the band saw or carving,,and then just splice them back together as you would a broken pencil. The lines just dissappear as opposed to cutting them apart and trying to glue that seam.

A job like this would give you a piece that looks delicate,,,and as if alot of carving was done,,but they really are fairly simple to do. In a way,,you'll get alot of bang for your buck!

[Shannor]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Wow, that's beautiful Funnily enough, I drew up some vines for a different project a while back. Is carving vines and leaves difficult, or something a beginner could jump into?

[doris]

Re: Just a Quickie !

lol :-) ...ah thats why your head was so foggy...;-) ...lol :-)

[mark yundt]

Re: Just a Quickie !

The client came last night around 8:00 stayed till after midnight,,after much Espresso,Limoncello and wine on the deck! He was thrilled with them,,,now he thinks he wants me to paint them as well using a wash so the grain shows through.He also brought me a personalized and autographed copy of Lidia Bastianich's latest cook book,( she's on Foodnetwork and HGTV with a cooking show and 4 restaurants in N.Y.) as I had done some repairs on a small frame for her through him. Any more nights like that and the only thing I'll be painting is the town,,and it'll be RED.And I call this a job,,,,Ha,LOL..LOL This is too much fun to call it work.

[mark yundt]

Re: Just a Quickie !

Hello and thank you everyone! I'm sorry I couldn't reply sooner,,I was away all day till 11:00 P.M. So,,lets see if I can answer the questions. My brain is a bit foggy right now.

As far as speed goes,,I did cheat a bit,,I used a router to establish all the levels of the petals then carved them to completion,,,that saves time.

Elwood,,the Spanish Cedar isn't anything like conventional cedars. This stuff is soft,,yet holds great details,,carves much easier than Basswood. It acts almost like it's some kind of foam or something,,it's sort of strange,,but I love to carve it. That too is partly why the carving went so fast. Also ,,I think the reason it appears deeper is playing with how the petals and background interact,letting the piece go right to the base,,tilting the roses a bit to add depth,and using the full depth of the 3/4 inch board. Same for the 1/4 inch sprays off each side,,they go from paper thin,,to full thickness. Also I believe that using all the wood and making them move in such a way to take advantage of whatever depth you have and play off the shadows helps create the illusion of depth.

Joy,,yes,,the pieces are joined at the center cluster. What I did was make two slots or grooves under the leaves to accept the stems. The very end of the stems are just half round and they tuck under the leaves and appear as though the leaves are laying over them.Since I'm not installing them,,it makes for a good index for the guy who is,,and I don't have to worry about simple butt joints to hide the seam and leaving gaps. It basically interlocks.

And Doris,,you are absolutely correct. Very little ,if any undercutting was done on these,and they seem to read well from the comments. As I have said before undercuts do nothing to add to the illusion of depth. And where these will be,,undercuts would only compromise the integrity of the piece. I could have undercut the whole leaf or petal and that in itself would accomplish nothing,,it would add nothing to the appearance of depth. That's not where or how it's done.The illusion of depth is only dependent on utilizing layers and the full depth of the piece of wood,,not undercuts.Think about it,,if you view a piece from the front,you can't tell if a piece has straight sides,,slightly undercut or severe undercuts,,simply because you can't see them,,you only see layers and that alone gives the perception of depth. Again with my coin example,,there aren't any undercuts at all,,yet look at the depth that appears in only fractions of an inch! the levels,,and layers were handled well. A thick board isn't necessary for reliefs,you can do them in fairly thin pieces of wood. Remember,,the stems,leaves and buds are in 1/4 inch or less of wood.Then too,,a drawing is only in 2 dimensions,,yet in using shadows and perspective you can give the impression of 3 dimensions.In many cases severe undercuts are a waste of time and accomplish very little of what they were intended to do.