Making an icon case

05.02.2019, 09:14

Making a table of contents with wood carvings for an icon case

In a similar way, the table of contents (top) for the icon cases in the photo below were made.
To enlarge the image, click on it with the mouse.

First, on paper, in accordance with the size and proportions of the future icon case, a sketch of the table of contents is drawn in real size. It is determined where the wood carving will be located, and the sketch of the carving itself is first drawn.
Then the drawing is transferred to a sheet of fiberboard or plywood and carefully, as accurately as possible, cut out with a jigsaw at low speed, without turning on the pendulum stroke. Fine tooth file (I use BOCH T101 AO or Gepard T101 AO files)
Thus, we made a template according to which, using a router, we will make the very top (crown, table of contents) of the icon case.
In the photo below there are two ready-made templates: the first from fiberboard is the table of contents wall, the background on which the wood carving will be attached. The second plywood template is the cornice, the arched frieze of the icon case, it will be made of wood.
All bends, curves, and template lines are carefully sanded with sandpaper. It depends on how symmetrical, even and neat our template will be. appearance ready table of contents for the icon case in the future.

The following photos are a template for the lower and upper parts of the icon case

We place the fiberboard template on a sheet of plywood and trace it with a pencil.
After this, we cut out with a jigsaw close to the drawn line, but without touching the line itself.

We screw the template into the plywood blank.
Using a router and straight copy cutter With the bearing we go around the workpiece along the contour.
The bearing on the cutter moves along the edge of the template, and the cutter removes excess material from the workpiece.
In this case, the workpiece exactly copies the profile of the template.
We also outline the arched cornice with a pencil on a wooden board.

Cut with a jigsaw, roughly, without touching the line.
We attach the template to the workpiece and repeat the previous operations.
We attach the template using self-tapping screws to the back side of the part, not to the front side - so that no traces of the self-tapping screws are visible on the finished element.
Although if you make a mistake, putty will help.

We repeat the same thing when making an element for the lower part of the icon case.

Using an edge molding cutter, select the desired profile from the front side of the cornice.
Then select a shallow (5-8mm) groove inside the cornice.

We connect the cornice with the wall of the table of contents.
You can immediately glue two parts together and then paint them together, but I find it more convenient to varnish and tint these two elements separately.

View from the front and back.

Sketch, wood carving template

Overhead thread for icon case

25.01.2019, 06:50

Making carved decor for the table of contents of a floor icon case.

The top (or table of contents, crown) of the floor icon case is an arch with applied wood carvings.
Inside the arch there will be an Orthodox eight-pointed cross with carved decor.

First, we draw the arch itself on a scale of 1:1 and then the cross around which our wood carving will be placed.
Initially, the sketch is drawn “by hand”; the accuracy of the lines and the smoothness of the curves do not play a significant role at this stage. The main thing is to arrange the pattern evenly around the cross, observing the general proportions, to create a logical and complete design of the floral ornament.
After that, using patterns, we align the hand-drawn lines, achieving smooth transitions, roundness of curls, and adding small details to the sketch.
We draw, as usual, only one left part of the pattern - the right one will be strictly symmetrical to it.
In order to understand what the finished carving will look like, you can attach a mirror along the vertical line (running along the cross). The right side of the carving sketch will be reflected in the mirror, that is, the entire pattern as a whole will become visible to us.

With a pencil I shade out those parts of the sketch that will be cut with straight chisels. Unshaded areas - semicircular incisors.

Some craftsmen cut out the sketch and glue it onto a piece of wood. Then, along the lines of the sketch, using a jigsaw, unnecessary parts of the pattern are removed and cut with cutters directly on the paper and on the workpiece at the same time.
With this method, the sketch template is not saved, and if you later need to make exactly the same decor, you have to re-create the drawing.
I do it differently: I laminate the sketch drawing with simple transparent tape on both sides. I then carefully cut it out using the cutters to create a carving template that can be used over and over again. You can call it a stencil.
I attach the template to the workpiece and trace it with a sharpened pencil or pen. Using a jigsaw, I remove everything unnecessary and get a blank for carving. Externally, this is a house slotted carving, but we still have to work on itcutters and chisels. In order for me to understand where, what and with what to cut, I transfer the sketch drawing onto the wooden part. Also with the help of patterns.

After processing with cutters, the finished decor is manually sanded with fine sandpaper.
We use sandpaper to remove scorch marks from the jigsaw file, and smooth out uneven surfaces after work with chisels.

By turning the thread over, you can trim the reverse side of the pattern with cutters in some places. In this way, we will, as it were, lift and separate our carved decor from the background to which it will be attached.

In the following photos, the wood carving is coated with clear varnish.
The wooden board for the workpiece was glued from different plots - this can be seen from the different colors of the boards. In this case, this is not important - the finished carved decor will be painted with gold paint.
The varnish acts as a primer and several coats will give a smooth surface before coating with gold.

Wood carving on the icon case painted “gold”.

Floor-standing icon case with wood carvings

Wood carving, sketches, photos

14.09.2018, 04:29

Transferring a wood carving sketch onto a linden board using a template

If the overhead thread is symmetrical in the horizontal or vertical plane, then only half of the sketch (template) is drawn

"Spruce and Drill" - handmade wood carving workshop in Belarus

Decorative panel, for church furniture

12.09.2018, 06:50

We make panels only from wood: ash, oak, birch, alder. Most often, of course, from linden.
If necessary, we will do the finishing: tinting with stain or stain, varnishing.
All wood carvings are carved only by hand.
A drawing, sketch, sketch of a carved ornament is discussed in advance. As are the sizes.

Carved panels can be used as overlay wood carvings for church furniture, for example, for a floor icon case or a church iconostasis.

Carved panel for a wooden altar

08.09.2018, 07:57

Hand-carved decorative wood panel

At the first stage of work on the panel, a wooden panel made from identical linden slats (lamellas) is glued together.
A sketch for wood carving is marked on the shield and all unnecessary parts of the ornament are removed using an electric jigsaw. The result is a slotted or through saw thread.

A decorative panel can become an element of a furniture facade

In our case, wood carvings (carved panels) were made for the door of a wooden altar in an Orthodox church.

You can order production from us and buy an altar with a canopy, in the form of a floor-standing icon case.

06.09.2018, 07:36

Wood carving - from sketch to finished product

Creating a sketch or drawing is the first step in making carved decor.
The sketch is drawn on a scale of 1:1.
This takes into account not only the external, aesthetic appearance of the future product, but also the capabilities of the carver, his skill, the availability of the necessary cutters, the complexity and size of the carved decor.

To enlarge the picture, click on it with the mouse.

The next step, after creating a wood carving sketch, is to laminate it (for example, with ordinary transparent tape) and cut out a template along the contour of the drawing.

With this method, the thread template can be used repeatedly if several carved patterns are to be cut.

Just trace the template along the contours with a pencil.

The next step is cutting out the slotted pattern with a jigsaw.

We remove everything unnecessary, leaving what we will work with with cutters.

In principle, this is already the so-called house carving.
A simple incised overlay wood carving used for home decoration.

Using patterns or “by hand,” we apply cutting lines and designs to the workpiece.

After working with cutters, sanding, tinting and painting, you get this kind of wooden carved decor.

This applied cross with a carved pattern was cut out for a church lectern made in our workshop.

You can see his photo and description in the "Analoi" section.

When copying images and reprinting an article, a link to the site is required!

21.05.2016, 07:50

Wood carving for the front part of a church lectern.
Step-by-step production.

Transferring a drawing or sketch to the board.
You can transfer the pattern to the workpiece using a carbon copy or using a cut out template.
With the second method, a template once made and cut out, for example, from thick cardboard, can be used many times if you need to make many identical products.

The finished slotted pattern is processed with cutters and chisels of various shapes.
At the final stage, the wood carving is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper before painting or coating with oil, wax, or stain.

Wood carving for mirror

26.03.2016, 09:19

Sketching a carved pattern

Transferring the design to a linden board and cutting out the outline with a jigsaw

Finished work... Then sanding, tinting, painting...

A short video of a master class on making a carved frame for a mirror or picture

There is a legend among local residents that tells why the village has such a name: they say that once upon a time a small unknown village burned down near Slonim. Two residents of this village - two brothers who bore the surname Krakot - descended along the Jordanka River to these places. The first brother settled in the upper reaches of the Jordan River, and the other went down the river. The place where the elder brother settled was called Great Krakotka, and where is the youngest - Malaya Krakotka. Today, these two Krakotkas are still located next to each other....

Here's another story from that time

One day they decided to involve the boyars living in Velikaya Krakotka in the ordinary daily work that the peasants did. The boyars then began to resist, saying that digging the earth and hauling hay were duties and activities for peasants. And theirs, the boyars' business, is military service. We got offended and went to the capital - Warsaw, to the king himself ZhigimontVase.
He listened to the boyars and said that no one would do this to them again and gave them a paper in which it was written that the boyars should not be involved in any other work other than military service. The kings did not offend their subjects and tried to adhere to ancient laws.

After three sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Krakotka found itself in Russian Empire in Slonim district. There is evidence that in 1798 there were 31 men living in the village. The fact is that before this there was a liberation uprising under the command Tadeusha Kosciuszko.

In the 18th century, our country was almost entirely Uniate. Uniates lived then and in Great Krakotka, and Little Krakotka, behind which there has long been a Uniate cemetery.

At the Krakotki cemetery

Attractions

The village is famous for its natural monuments.

On the very outskirts of the village is the Republican Geological Geomorphological Natural Monument "Krakotskaya ridge". Scientists say that it appeared 220 thousand years ago in Ice age! Such ridges, they say, appeared from sand, stones, in the openings of water streams in ice cracks.

The famous Krakota boulder

When the ice melted, a man came here.

On the outskirts of Krakotka, in the forest, there is a very beautiful juniper grove. If someone has been to Crimea, then he has seen such juniper groves. Such groves are rare in Belarus.

On the outskirts of the juniper grove, an ancient cemetery has been preserved, along which stones are scattered. The fact is that according to local ritual, when they buried someone who took his own life, a stone was placed above the head and at the feet, where a wooden cross was also placed. It is believed that when the day of judgment comes and everyone goes to God’s judgment, it will be easier for him to get up holding the cross. Now these stones have been destroyed because the cemetery was plowed up and planted there.

About the holy healing spring

In the village there is a holy spring with healing water, which has been known since ancient times.

There is a local legend about the krinichka.

They say that this land once belonged to Mr. Skurat, who had a daughter, she had very poor eyesight. One day an old man came to the village and stopped near a mountain from which water flowed.

The elder drank this water, rinsed his face, and immediately his eyes began to see better. He came to the village, told the people about it, who told everything to Pan Skurat. Pan began to take this water and treat his daughter, rubbing her eyes - the girl was cured. Then Pan Skurat dug a well on the mountain and from that time on this little spring began to be called Pan Skurat's spring.

Now the krinichka is consecrated in honor Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. They say that on holidays the water here is drawn to the bottom, but it quickly fills up. Water helps against eye and stomach diseases. There are examples of people being cured with this water. But it is known that water helps those who believe.

The Holy Krinichka is located near a river with the interesting name Jordanka. It was deeper and wider until land reclamation was carried out. And when the reclamation was carried out, it became a small stream. The name of the river is mysterious. Legend says that once in these places they killed a man who called himself Jordanas. Or maybe there is a connection between the Jordan River and the famous Jordan River, in which John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ?

Water blessing prayers are held here, with special solemnity - on the day of the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7). Water from this source is taken not only by local residents, but also by pilgrims and travelers from near and far abroad.

Famous personalities of Great Krakotka

In the part of the village that was formerly called Malaya Krakotka, Ivan Solomevich, a Belarusian literary critic, folklorist, bibliographer, translator, and encyclopedist, was born.

He signed his works with the pseudonym Krakotsky or Yan Solomevich.

The writer was born in Malaya Krakotka, and went to school in Velikaya.

By the way, the famous Belarusian Grigory Okulevich was born in Great Krakotka. During the occupation in Polotsk, he was an active figure in the Belarusian national liberation movement. He was also one of the organizers of the BKRG and TBS. When the Poles began to hunt Okulevich, he was forced to emigrate to Canada to avoid arrest. But he did not abandon his Belarusian activities there, and together with his friends he created the first Russian newspaper in Canada, which had its own Belarusian page in the Belarusian language. And when World War II began, Grigory Okulevich volunteered for the war. After the war, he became the chief secretary of the Russians in Canada Federation in Canada, and later became the editor-in-chief of an emigrant newspaper. In Canada, Okulevich wrote and published two books: “50 years of the Belarusian Republic” and “Russians in Canada.”

In Great Krakotka, Grigory Okulevich and his friends created a Belarusian library on the basis of the TBS and named it in honor of Yanka Kupala. But the Poles didn’t like everything that was Belarusian, they didn’t like the local Belarusian movement, so the Poles closed the library. All Belarusian books were taken out of the library. Only in 1939 was the Belarusian library of Yanka Kupala renewed in the village.

The Second has begun world war, and the library was destroyed, but in 1946, the Yanka Kupala library in Velikaya Krakotka was born for the third time. Yanka Kupala’s wife, Vlada Frantsevna Lutsevich, corresponded with this library.

Yakub Kolas, Arkady Kuleshov, Kondrat Krapiva, Ivan Shamyakin, Mikhail Lynkov sent books with their autographs to the library. In 1970, a new library named after Yanka Kupala, but today it no longer exists. Pavel Tavlay, the father of the famous Belarusian poet Valentin Tavlay, took an active part in the construction of Yanka Kupala.

Tavlay began writing poetry at an early age. When he studied at the Slonim Teachers' Seminary, during the census he registered as a Belarusian, but wrote Belarusian as his native language, for which he was expelled from the seminary. 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the poet Valentin Tavlay. He suffered for 7 years in Polish prisons for his Belarusian activities, but, fortunately, he did not fall under Soviet repression and did not rot in Stalin’s camps; he died of natural causes in 1947. His fellow countryman, the Belarusian poet Mikola Arochka, wrote a lot about Valentin Tavlaya, researched his work, and dedicated many poems to him.

Mikhail was born in a neighboring village, but he loved to come to Velikaya Krakotka, he loved these places. The village is proud of its fellow countryman-poet.

Great Patriotic War

In 1941, a strong battle took place near Velikaya Krakotka. On the German side, Gulden's regiment fought here against the Red Army. 160 German soldiers died here and were buried on a mountain near the church. And in 1944, when the Germans were retreating, they dug up the remains of each of their dead soldiers, put them in new coffins and took them to Germany.

Today no one can say how many Red Army soldiers died. Only 1,600 soldiers were captured; they were marched through the streets of the village. In the middle of the village of Velikaya Krakotka, 17 known and 338 unknown Red Army soldiers were buried in a mass grave in the middle of the village. And how many of them still lie buried in craters and trenches?

A house was recently built in the village and the remains of 4 more Red Army soldiers were found. They were taken to a mass grave and buried there.

On the outskirts of the village and in the forests there are still amateurs studying the history of the Great Patriotic War, the history of Great Krakotka is found in objects from those times, testifying to strong, bloody battles.

One of the old finds, a cross was found on the road leading to the temple in Malaya Krakotka

Search at the monastery lake (formerly Lake Shkolnoye)

Solidus 1663. A lot was found along the road near the temple in Malaya Krakotka

ring

10 pfenings

Program "Amateur's Journey" and "Hope for the Village"

Interesting and educational program BT has finally visited our village!

Velikaya Krakotka is rich in interesting sights and people.
The story about them and much more is in the video report offered to you.

Of all types of carving, relief technique is one of the most expressive. Realistic wooden bas-reliefs, with neat detailing, effective play of shadows and properly constructed composition, can truly bewitch. The relief technique can be considered as a transitional step to sculptural carving, which is rightfully considered the crown of carved art.

In this material we will talk about the basic principles of relief wood carving. Our tips will be useful not only for beginning carvers, but also for craftsmen who have already tried their hand at this technique. Using the example of the proposed project, you will become familiar with the basic principles of clean and accurate cutting, learn how to correctly model volume, and master professional secrets that will help emphasize the three-dimensional qualities of a carved composition.

What is the difference between relief carving and other techniques?

The relief technique is distinguished from flat-relief, contour, geometric and other types of non-volumetric carving, first of all, by its emphasized three-dimensional nature. The main composition here comes to the fore due to the cropped background, making the image more expressive, with a characteristic abundance of light and shade.

If the main design of the composition rises only slightly, no more than half the thickness of the entire product, then such carving is called bas-relief (and the product itself is bas-relief). With a higher and more protruding relief, the carving is called high relief.

Newbie Tool Set

To learn wood carving, it is not at all necessary to acquire an arsenal of chisels, knives and other cutters, as many people tend to think. To master the basic skills of relief technique, a few corner chisels (games) will be enough, for example, 10 mm And 6 mm, straight chisel 12 mm, radius (semicircular) 10 mm, scoring knife and small gravel. It is appropriate to purchase other types of chisels for wood carving as your carving skill grows.

Always keep the tool sharp. If the chisel leaves a rough mark and chips the wood in small splinters instead of easily removing neat layers, this is a sure sign that the chisel needs sharpening. A dull tool spoils the quality of work, requires a lot of effort when carving and does not allow a novice carver to “feel” the chisel correctly.

Which wood to choose for relief carving?

The right choice of wood is the key to success for a master mastering the intricacies of this technique. Almost all soft hardwoods are optimally suited for the needs of carvers: aspen, alder, birch, walnut, etc. But the main wood for most craftsmen who engage in not only volumetric, but also flat, flat-notched, geometric and other types of wood carving is linden.

Linden is a soft and light wood with a uniform density, which makes it particularly easy to process: it is easy to cut, sharpen and plan in all directions. Linden almost does not warp or dry out, does not emit tannins, therefore it is considered an ideal raw material, including for the manufacture of tableware. The disadvantage of linden is its poor colorability in other colors.

Practicing relief carving skills using the example of the “Fox” project

We will tell you step by step how to make bas-relief carvings on wood using the simple “Fox” project as an example. As a blank, we recommend using a cut of linden or a regular board made of any other soft hardwood.

To transfer a drawing onto a wooden base, carbon paper is used as the simplest and most effective solution. If necessary, the carbon paper lines can be easily erased by making the necessary changes as you go. To prevent the design from shifting during the transfer process, secure the piece of wood or place a rubber backing underneath it. Think about where best to place the image to make the composition look more lively and interesting. In our case, we will move it from the center to the bottom (photo 1).

Use an angle chisel to cut out the outer contour #12 (blade width 10 mm/corner 60°). It will not only allow you to make a neat outline of the main figure, but will also immediately remove a significant part of the background (photo 2).

Technique for cutting with an angle chisel:

• Fix the instrument tightly with your left hand, and push it forward with your right; The correct grip of the chisel will allow you to accurately guide the cutter, maintain a neat cutting line and prevent the blade from slipping off the contour.
• Mark the main contour of the lines with a cutter, then cut them to the desired depth (in our case 4-5 mm). By cutting the wood a little at a time, you will have more control over the carving process and reduce the risk of chipping.
• Overcoming the resistance of the wood, evenly distribute the pressure on the chisel, achieving a smooth and uniform surface.
• When working with a chisel, take into account the direction of the wood grain, because the cutter always tends to move along the solid annual rings.
• Under no circumstances should you point the chisel towards yourself: cut away from you or hold the tool parallel to your chest.
• Work the cutter directly behind the pencil lines, leaving them visible.

Correct and accurate removal of the background is largely the essence of relief wood carving. Mastering this skill is a responsible task for a beginning carver. Radius chisels (semicircular or sloping) help to remove a lot of background with minimal effort. In our case, we will leave the background of the composition in the form of wide decorative grooves (photo 3). If necessary, it can be made even using a flat chisel.

Having formed the background, we will return to the corner chisel and once again “finish” we will walk along the contour of the main composition (photo 4). Then we’ll straighten the background (photo 5).

Angled chisels are optimal as a tool for fine contour work. #15 (blade width 6 mm/corner 45°) or #16 (blade width 6 mm/corner 35°).

Outline the fox's eye, keeping the pencil outline (photo 6). Go down and start working on the mouth: carefully select the background around the teeth and inside the mouth (photo 7). Focus on volume and the laws of perspective in the composition: since the front teeth are in the foreground, they should be slightly exaggerated. Work on the nose area.

To work out the shape of the head, use a radius (sloping) chisel with a width 10 mm. Start with the ears: make the left ear in the foreground taller (photo 8).

Round the shape of the head (photo 9), making a smooth transition to the muzzle, which should remain flatter and without pronounced volume (photo 10).

When working on specific areas, do not forget to periodically evaluate the overall composition: how correctly the volume flows, how the perspective is worked out, etc. Here, every detail is interconnected with each other. Relief carving should be perceived as a complete composition, and not a collage of a set of carved elements.

To work on this element, use a cerasic - a deep semicircular chisel with a width 5 mm(photo 11). This narrow tool is well suited for working out small elements and creating leaf relief.

Make a neat trim along the entire perimeter of the sheet so that it stands out well from the overall composition and seems to be torn away from the background (photo 12). Having outlined the main outline and selected the background around the leaf, proceed to cutting out the veins (photo 13). Having finished forming the relief, cut off all the remaining flat areas with a stencil (photo 14).

Using a trimming knife, create a deep shadow above the eye, line the lower eyelid with the incisor and give the eye a roundness (photo 15).

Finish working out the small elements of the mouth with a chisel (photo 16).

Imitating the texture of wool is an important skill that every carver needs to practice, because in the future you will repeatedly encounter carvings of various animals. In the presented project, fox fur is created using the simplest scheme: cerasic 5 mm short and shallow strokes are made (arrows indicate the direction of natural growth of the animal’s fur) (photo 17).

For greater naturalism, you can work out the texture of the wool with a thin steel cutter - a serger. Work on the texture until there are no flat spots left.

How to clean wood carvings?

When working carefully, the sharpest cutters almost always leave rough spots and minor defects that require elimination. Use a fine gravel to clean out recessed areas and trim small chips. Volumetric surfaces are cleaned sandpaper P150. To finally make sure there are no undetected minor defects, wipe the painting with a rag soaked in white spirit and carefully examine it again from different angles. When all the imperfections have been cleaned out, you can begin finishing.

How to coat wood carvings?

For single-color finishing, the following compositions are used:

stain . In flat-relief carving they are used not only to give the wood a more noble appearance. With the help of stain, they enhance the contrast of certain areas; they, in turn, emphasize the relief and volume of the composition. To achieve this effect, it is enough to apply stain to deep areas of the carving that should appear shaded.

If you decide to completely tint your work, you need to use stain carefully, taking into account the type of wood and the characteristics of the workpiece on which the composition is carved. Under the influence of moisture, small-relief carvings can swell, warp, raised pile and other defects can form on it, which will irreparably spoil the appearance of the work. A common flaw when staining carvings is unevenness of tone, especially often manifested in places where the bars are glued.

Wood carving for beginners is an interesting and exciting activity that is not particularly difficult. It is not necessary to have artistic skills to create ornaments and patterns. Now ready-made sketches and video tutorials come to the aid of a beginner.

Most even accomplished masters are inspired by the work of other people, so be sure to carefully look at the stencils, diagrams and drawings of other amateurs.

Types of techniques

Sculptural carving is the most complex, requiring certain skills. There are many books on this technique.

The incised carving features a fully processed background and beautiful ornamentation. It is performed with a jigsaw, knife, and finishing can be done with a chainsaw.

Geometric carving will help you learn the technique.

In order to complete artistic carving, easier to copy finished sketch, rather than creating your own.

But most of the ready-made patterns are distinguished by a certain intricacy, so a novice master can try his hand at creating his own simple sketch.

Creating a Sketch

When designing a sketch you need to perform the following sequence of steps:

1. The workpiece for work is selected;
2. The sketch indicates the main elements and places where the thread will be applied;

1. Using drawing supplies, the picture is redrawn onto graph paper or tracing paper with scale markings;
2. If any elements are repeated, then creating a single stencil is sufficient.

If you have the skills to work in simple graphic editors (for example, Paint), you can create a sketch there, and then simply print it on paper to the required scale.

Stencils are usually used repeatedly, so it is advisable to make them from a relatively dense material (cardboard, plywood).

Here are some details of transferring the design from the template to the tree:

1. The sample is fixed directly to the base with a milling cutter, cutting is carried out directly along its contour;
2. The contours of the stencils are transferred to the wood with a simple pencil;
3. You can transfer a sketch from paper to a board by placing tracing paper underneath it. After drawing the outline of the sketch, a trace from the carbon paper will remain on the wood;

1. The simplest patterns can be transferred using pricking (with a needle, knife or awl).

Stages of work

When the sketch is transferred to the base, the most interesting process begins - the actual processing of the wood.

If you are working using the through-thread technique, the first step is to make starting holes in each element. This is usually done using an electric drill. A saw is then inserted into the holes and part of the wood is sawed out. Next, the edges are aligned and the decoration begins.

Flat-relief and volumetric carvings are performed a little differently.

First, the contours of future patterns are made with a knife. Next, the cutter cuts through the deepest central part. All other recesses are formed from it.

Small details are made using a chisel.

Sometimes additional tools may be required (such as a mallet for harder woods).

Deep relief is made with a chisel with a curved blade. Upon completion of the work, all edges are processed to eliminate roughness and chips.

All photos from the article

The simplest type of wood carving is geometric, which is where learning this craft technique begins. The ornament is formed from various figures - squares, rectangles, polygons, ovals, stripes, circles, segments - parts of a circle, triangles. Today our task is to ensure that you learn as much as possible about what geometric wood carving is, where it is used, how to select and prepare material for it, about tools and techniques.

Features and scope of application

The original and unusual ornamental pattern of a geometric notch is obtained by creating dihedral, trihedral and tetrahedral notches in wood, which are folded into geometric elements.

Despite the fact that this type of carving is considered the simplest, for many years the price of products decorated with its help has been quite high, and it has received a special place among other types of crafts.

Tip: when making furniture, make carved parts from the same type of wood as the main item.

The only limitation in the areas of application of geometric carving can be the author’s imagination, his sense of proportion and taste.

Today there is large number furniture decorated in this way, here are just a few:

• buffets;
• cabinets;
• cradle;
• shelves;
• coffee tables;
• bureau;
• chests of drawers

Geometric wood carving patterns created by professionals can be found not only in the private homes of collectors and craft connoisseurs, but also in various museums - for example, in the Catherine Palace in Pushkin or the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

How to choose wood

To train your skill and learn to work with wood, you should start with small parts and elements, this will give you the opportunity to get the basis of the craft. To get a better feel for the wood, it is better to perform the very first drawing on soft wood:

After gaining experience, you can start making patterns on more expensive materials without fear of ruining them. Hardwoods are considered the most valuable. For example, to produce expensive and unique furniture, tree species native to Russia such as beech, oak and pear are often used.

The first has a fairly soft structure, but the wood has attractive aesthetic characteristics; the last two representatives are more hard. By the way, from many points of view, the characteristics of hazel are the most sought after, so in furniture stores that sell antiques you can find products made from it.

Artistic wood carving always looks very impressive. Most people have no idea how such products can be made. It seems that this requires enormous physical strength, and in addition, artistic taste and education. However, cutting out a beautiful ornament is not as difficult as it seems, you just need to learn a little technique and, as they say, get better at it. We will show popular drawings for learning wood carving techniques that will be useful for beginners and masters!

It's no secret that for manual creative work it is necessary not only to master the skills of this art, but also to have inspiration, desire and, of course, time. In order for all these parameters to come together, the master can use drawings to study simple wood carving. Not only drawings help to generate an idea, but also photographs of the work of other craftsmen.

There are sketches for various types wood carvings, and here you can find a suitable sketch for yourself completely free of charge.

We analyze drawings for wood carving: sketches for geometry

Drawings for geometric carving are well suited for beginning craftsmen. This is an easy and effective type of wood carving. To do this, you just need to determine for yourself which areas are convex and which are concave, in which case the correct picture on the tree will come out.

Boards in geometric and flat-relief techniques.

Stencil.

Stencils can be changed - for example, reducing the number of elements, or, conversely, adding details for a more interesting result.

Stencils for slotted carving.

There are other types of artistic carving. One of the simple cutting techniques if available suitable tool, for example, a router, is a slotted thread. It is also called openwork because finished product, made accurately and accurately, looks like lace. It has no background - it is cut out of the pattern. Hence the name. To practice this type of wood carving, you need to have a steady hand and cut clearly along the contour of the stencil. A contrasting color of fabric or foil is placed under a product made using this technique with a router or jigsaw. Examples are visible in the photo finished works, as well as sketches suitable for this technique.

Contour wood carving technique: examples, sketches for work.

Contour carving is different in that a contour pattern is cut out on the wood. You can make a lot of different paintings using this technique; it is not necessary to take a ready-made stencil for carving. To decorate a nursery, you can circle the coloring book and use it as a sketch. Also, if you don’t know how to draw, you can take any sketch made in pencil and transfer it to wood. This technique produces good images of animals, birds, as well as landscapes and still lifes. The images clearly show examples of what can be carved on wood using this technique.

Black varnish carving is a type of contour carving, where a light outline is cut out on painted wood.

Examples and stencils for flat-relief wood carving.

This type is different in that the drawing is above the background. In this case, the pattern has the same height. The background can be textured or smooth. The edges of the cut out pattern are usually rolled over, that is, it is carefully sanded so that they are smooth, as if oval. This technique requires a little more skill than others, but the products made this way look amazing. The photo shows examples and sketches for carving in this style.

Decoration of boxes using various carving techniques.

Drawings for boxes can be distinguished as a special type. They can be made using various techniques: slotted carving, placing a base of fabric, foil or noble types of wood of a suitable color under the design; flat carving, which includes geometric and contour, or another subspecies. It differs in that indentations of the same depth are made in a flat background. In the case of geometric techniques, the recesses are usually in the shape of triangles or quadrangles. In addition, there is also a staple carving, which is also a type of flat carving and is well suited for decorating boxes. In the images you can see boxes made in various styles.