Post #275212 by Tamapoutini on Wed, Dec 27, 2006 11:49 PM

On 2006-12-23 16:47, Queen Kamehameha wrote:

I seem to be having difficulty with the detail, it seems jagged, not smooth, maybe I am using the wrong tool.

Hi QueenK

Great start - Dont panic just yet; It looks to me that you could go a bit more depth & I would suggest that you just keep going... Your outer profile looks great/sharp (what tool/s did you use to achieve this?) but to get some real 'shape' going on you're going to have to dive into that 3rd dimension.
Try to visualise where you want the deepest lines/cuts/areas to be (as you have started already) & reinstate them; Im not sure how you are achieving those; with a small round/ball burr? or a needle-type? I would suggest the latter; leaning it over & using in a smooth 'dragging' manner...
Once you have those defining cuts/depths made you can usually use a larger bullet-type burr or similar to make a heavy bevel/chamfer each side of these to remove a lot of waste and create the beginnings of a Carving. Get those 'depths' first & then things will become clearer. It helps to draw lines on the carving where high points are going to be; usually in the centre of each element; ie, running down the centre of each leg/arm etc. If everything 'falls away' from this high-spot, you should see a nice shape tkaing place. It also helps to draw an line around the entire edge (side view/thickness) at the halfway point (if it is to be carved both sides); this is the depth you have to work to; ie, from those highponts/ridgelines to the halfway point. Hard to explian, hope this is making some sence...

Try to make your carving movements as smooth as you can rather than in a 'scrubbing' motion which will make those divots all the worse (it can all be remedied however - as you close in on the shaping you will naturally focus deeper and identify/remedy the lumps & bumps...) A stone will often have a speckling of 'inclusions'; often a softer material which pits away faster than the surrounding jade & hence makes it very hard to ever achieve a nice surface. There isnt really any way to avoind this; stone quality is everything in this game. That said, I know the stone you are using very well & it's nice stuff; wont give you that paticular problem.

Once youve done your best with wet carving (quite hard to see with all the water & spray, eh?) try the slow/dry technique mentioned earlier(?) and in Paipos early pages. This will help iron out smaller bumps as will the final clean-up with sandpaper and/or diamond cloth (recommended).

Be sure to post again before sanding & Ill guide you through that one as best I can.

Nice design by the way; do I detect a bit of Gman influence? If it was made from bone Id swear it was from his workshop.

Keep it up!! :) Tama

[ Edited by: Tamapoutini 2006-12-28 01:30 ]