Creative Woodworks & crafts 2000-10, страница 40

by Ivan Whillock

One of the most widely used aids for wood carvers is modeling clay. For centuries, carvers have worked their ideas out in clay before doing them in wood. The advantage, of course, is that clay is both an additive and a subtraetive medium, while wood is strictly subtraetive. With clay, one can keep making changes until the idea is firmly established. The obvious advantage of clay is that "you can always put it back." With wood, once you cut it away, it's gone!

When I do a large sculpture, I often make a clay model onc-lhird the size of the final work. As I prepare the j? block for carving, I can simply triple the measurements to determine the block size or where to add wood for projections—an extended arm, for example. Having a clay model saves on wood because I can measure closely where material must be added to the basic block.

However, you don't need to be a professional carver to use a clay model. You can even work out scroll or floral designs in clay. A good procedure is to first determine the dimensions of the area you want to decorate, then experiment with a variety of designs and motifs to fill that space.

Clay mode I for a bronze sculpture. The figure is modeled without clothes to get the anatomy For professionals, the clay model gives _correct. cloths

are added through drapery folds,

the client a look at the design before it is finalized in wood. The amateur can use clay to see for themselves what the finished carving may look like.

There arc two major types of clay: water based and oil based. Water based clay is generally used where the object is intended to be hardened in a kiln, such as fired pottery or terra cotta sculpture. It is very fragile when it is bone dry, but it can be fired in a kiln to a rock hardness. Before it is fired, water can be added to dry clay and it can be reused indefinitely. An important feature is that water based clay shrinks as it dries. Therefore, it will crack if it's molded over an inflexible armature and allowed to dry. Thus, the clay must be kept moist throughout the process or it will shrink and crack. When 1 do a large statue, I prefer water based clay. After each work session, I wrap the figure in wet towels and cover it with plastic. I can control the

plasticity of the clay by how wet 1 keep it.

For most small projects, however, oil based clay is the better choice. It never dries and therefore doesn't crack. It can be used again and again, fi cannot be fired, however.

That's no problem for the wood carver ^though, whose intention is to use clay _:jas a preliminary to carving anyway. | The plasticity of oil based clay is Controlled by warmth. Hard clay can |ibe softened by kneading, or by putting jit under a lamp. Usually, an ordinary steading lamp is warm enough. % Oil based clay is available in a variety of hardness, ranging from soft to jvery hard. Soft clav is easy to work jbtit doesn't hold detail as well as hard-par clay. Generally, the finer the detail, !the harder the clay should be.

While the fingers work best for clay Iwork, there are a variety of tools ^designed for clay modeling. Loop pools are especially handy. They are ^available in a wide variety of shapes. |A decorative carver, for example. |might prefer loop tools whose shapes fare similar to the sweeps of the gouges |to be used.

| Other types of clay tools include needle tools and both metal and wood tools of various shapes. The artist's imagination is the only limit on the other types of implements used in clay ing. Some sculptors use rasps ri filers for modeling and for tex-fishing line tied to two dowels for through the clay, knives, forks spoons, and even a whisk broom make a variety of textures. Most workers have a collection of that they have cut into a variety useful shapes.

To model in relief, simply use a of wood or particle board for a . Press small pieces of onto the background to build up forms. Floral patterns, acanthus gns, scenic carvings, as well as animals and people can be mod-led in this way. Not only can you work out the overall design, you use measurements off the to determine the depths at each If you are one of many carvers hose reliefs arc shallow because 're afraid to take away too much

40 Creative Woodworks & Crafts