Post #267106 by Benzart on Thu, Nov 16, 2006 7:42 AM

Yo Tama (the tryer of new things), What a great feeling you must have had doing that in a totally different way. You are getting into something that is fairly important to me and the way I carve. My problem is that I cannot Draw well at all. If someone wants a drawing of a proposal, I would have to pass on the job. So, when I start out with the piece, wood, stone or whatever, I usually start with a centerline and lines for where I want features. I will roughly sketch in those features here and there, but as I start the removal process, I usually let the piece show me where to go and one feature leads into another and I just try to keep it balanced. IF I could draw better, I may do it differently but I don't think so. Years ago, I had a friend who was an acomplished carver. His Horses heads were very realistic looking but NONE of his art had a soul, or a personality. He Always carved from patterns and would draw his lines all over his work. When the carving process took away a line, he drew it right back.
IF he happened to go outside the lines and take off too much wood, he would just throw the piece away. He never believed he could finish a carving that was altered from the original pattern. To me, thats when you start being an artist, when you have to figure out how to fit the pieces together even though the basic shape or concept has changed. Some of my best pieces were ones that I messed up and had to work harder to Save.
I'm not saying to throw away your pencils,just don't rely on them for everything.
Tama thanks for sharing that experience.