Whimsical Wood Blog Pages

Home Page www.whimsicalwood.com

This blog features the current woodcraft, Art and Graphic work of David Stanley.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Queensland Lovespoon Finished


The 'Queensland Lovespoon' is now finished and it's time to try and complete the 'Birds Lovespoon' that I had begun earlier. This is the first project that I have completed for quite a while as the book illustration work and a number of other weekly commitments have the priority. I am also hoping to re-commence the botanical art course that I started with last year and I will also need to complete one pyrography work in May.

My plans are then to carve a number of simpler lovespoons, perhaps focusing more on the timber. However I think that for the most part I will still tend more toward the complex and intricate designs partly because I always begin with a drawing to which it is so easy to add.



I am still finding the ball in cage motif a bit difficult, more difficult than it should be at this stage. A re-thinking of the process that I use might be in order, something approaching a logical series of safe ordered steps, rather than the reliance upon intuitive solutions, grasped in an opportunistic rampage through the mass of the material.

I like to work this way however, at least in part, but it is a brittle and edgy way of working that needs to be tempered with some sound logical method and planning. This way of working also leads to additions and the covering of tracks along the way so simplicity is going to be a challenge that will rely on stricter planning.








Trying and seeing what happens is better than procrastination however. This investigative and experimental 'trying', when coupled with a stern and stubborn determination to clamber up a path paved with all your failed attempts, is probably what that thing is, that people call 'talent' in any particular field.

If that's what talent is, everyone has it and it's best not to try and quantify it. You can pass on by your own little successes in your field, along the way, all the time energised by better enjoying other people's successes, as observed from the vantage point of being on a similar but unique path.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Ready for Finishing







The carving and shaping with needle files has now been completed and the lovespoon is now ready for final sanding, finishing and polishing.





The finishing process will include three extra features to add contrast and interest to the general appearance of the spoon:

A slightly darker area behind the dragon will be added using the pyrography pen, I will be gilding the interior of the spoon's bowl with 24 carat gold leaf, as I did on an earlier lovespoon and an inlaid heart of a different timber is inserted at the back of the spoon.

The different timber was to be holly but I decided to use Queensland Silver Ash instead as it is also a very white timber like Holly but the Ash will keep the Queensland timber theme.




I had referred to the celtic knot section last time as the 'wiggly bits' mis-quoting my grand daughter as it happens, because apparently, the correct term is 'curly wurlies'. That's another key word I'll need to add I suppose.






The Queensland Silver Ash inlay, only showing the slightest contrast at present, should become just slightly more prominent when the finishing and polishing are complete as the different chatoyance of the timbers is brought to life by the finish.




Thursday, March 1, 2012

"What you doing Grandad?"'



My grand daughters survey work on the current lovespoon. They've identified some things on the spoon they recognise; first, the dragon – (they recognised it as a dragon as opposed to a dinosaur), then the stars, the butterfly and the 'wiggly bits' ( celtic knotwork ) at the bottom.




Chloe is curious about the swivel...




Keira thinks it's taking a long time.., after all she's already found time to walk away from three requested videos, coloured-in, done some 'Nanna-craft', i.e. colouring cutting and gluing crafts with Nanna, played with the dog and it's still not finished!




The carving of the Welsh Dragon in relief is now finished and I have begun work on the 'wiggly bit' of celtic knot work leading down to the stem of the spoon.




The celtic knot work portion is to be domed in section, both across the spoon and as it tapers toward the stem. the underside of this section will be hollowed out to to leave the curved stem of the spoon standing higher in the centre.




Before taking the stem of the spoon to its final shape I will commence work on the roughing out of the spoon's bowl because any heavy handling and carving needs to be done at the safest time of the carving process.