Ellly first carving attempts

Excellent Ellly, and I'm sure you will look back on these one day with pride but wonder how you could finish things so rouhgly. With your limited experience and your few tools you are doing Amazing stuff. I would like to see a photo of your stuff with a size comparison like holding them in your hands ?

great stuff ellly. seeing the work you guys do in stones and pebbles is just amazing.

bd

Ciao to everybody!
I'm so happy you liked it! Now I can say I'm proud of it :)
and I wear my first Hei Tiki proudly!
ok I'll make some photos with my little stones in my hands and the burrs and the working station as it is while I'm working
Kisses for all and always thank you for your enthusiasm that is the best fuel for my burning ' carving passion' :D

Nice to find you here Elly!Really great detail skills!

I have a question concerning your mini sized surfboards as i also have carved some but not painted yet.How do you manage getting them that shiny?
Just acrylics and wood stain..?
Really loved to know!

Keep up with the excellent work!

Iassou kai kalos orises, s'eucharisto polì, mou aresei na glipho toso mikres petres...Tora sta anglika, etsi oloi mas mporoune na katalavoune.

Ciao! Why don't you post some photos? could be nice! I use just what you say, acrilics and stain for the wood surfboards, every board has it's own difficulty, sometimes the wood shows more grain, also with a base coat of acrilic white. Anyway is like cooking : you can cook the same dish, but everytime it has a different taste, it's a process that involves creativity and passion, what in greek sound like ghefsi..

I apologize for having written some words in modern greek.. but it's my istinct to answer in this language I love so much when I meet people from Ellada!
Ciao

modern, Old, it's All Greek to me :). Where you been Ellly, haven't seen much from you lately? Hope everything is OK

Maybe he sailed between Sicily and the Cyclades...The weather is good for that!

Hey, maybe she IS out sailing, Hopefully Elly you are not suffering from that ground breaking earthquake from a few days ago, I know it had to be too close for comfort so Heres wishing you and yours well.

Very cool Ellly! I'll bet it's tough to carve a rock like that! I'll bet it looks great hanging around your neck!

Hello to everybody...
here I am and everything is ok... so we say
I'm so sad for what is happening in Abruzzo with the big eartquake.. so sad..
I live in a sismic zone too, and so we in Sicily look at them in a particular way.
I can say every italian is feeling sorry. Thank you for your words...
Easter is usually an happy moment, but not in this situation.
Benzart, I've been working too, the weather is bad, so we are at home for holidays, I was looking forward a surfing day...but water is still too cold for my tropical soul... And I'll wait more.
I'll post new photos soon

Happy Easter to everybody
Ellly

Ciao everybody!
I post my first Manaia.. a kind of...
I had to fight with this stone that the seller told me was jade
but was hard like an hard marble..I really don't know..
my burrs are really upset, and me too..Also sanding was a big work and this is after many efforts the situation right now. So waiting for your comments...
In the eye I made a deep hole to put a pearl, I don't have any possibility to cut a slice of it :)
Ciao

[ Edited by: Ellly 2009-04-11 14:34 ]

Very cool little Manaia. Looks like jade to me and it sounds as hard as jade too. Is it translucent if you hold it up to the light? Great idea with the pearl, Perfect solution, good thinking. Part of the fun of sculpture is solving all these little problems the piece presents you such as the eye, sanding and smoothing and stuff like that. Great!

Thnak you Benzart ! So it's Jade, it has all the characters you told... translucent too.
As it is a relief, I had some problems in the deep zones, I don't understand yet wich burr I have to use to make that perfectly plane.So I have to continue sanding?
Ok.. I'll post soon other carvings made in this period ! Ciao to everybody, now some chocolate eggs with the surprise inside are waiting for me and my daughter... milk chocolate for her
bitter for me!
Happy Easter!

Very nice small stone! You progress quickly, it is also very small?

And don't abuse of chocolate eggs :roll: !!!

ciao! Thank you:-) yes there are some eggs here around...I'll try to eat just a little....
the stone is bigger this time
about 3,5- 4 cm and I have the sensation to have a lot of space to fill..
strange feeling..
ciao :D

Ellly, on those Bottom planes where there is no carving, maybe you could intro some type of texture as long as it is fairly consistent but unexpected, like using a small ball bur or anything to create a slight pattern. With that hard jade though it IS difficult.

Ciao! Oh so it was difficult... good, I'll try to do this pattern but it's a mess looking into water flowing... all right, next manaia I'd like to cut from part to part
let me answer the question: first I make a hole with a cilindrical burr, then I enlarge it with the same until I reach the narrower zones and I use a conical.. isnt it?
Ciao I go to sketch some new stones, I'm hungry of jade's slices :D (but mine look more like bread for hamburgers.. :(

Helllo to everybody...
Very busy with school, but still working every moment is possible. so I post some shots, of the little things I've been carving :)
Always thank you for your words : D

an egyptian cat

and some other very old stuffs from prehistory since byzantine period..

hope you like
Have a nice day.. I go to sleep it's 10.30 p.m. here
Ciao

Nice! Love the cat! And also the black one with the fish!

Wow you are coming along fast!

Gee Ellly, I Hope you aren't still Sleeping, Wake up and get back to work, we're missing your posts and I just KNOW You have more stuff to show us? :D :o

Ciao to everybody! I'm back, ciao Benzart ! I have been too busy with the school year. Now I have some days free and then back with tests for the degree..
But in the meantime Ancients come back Ben... and I post what I tryed. I'm working now on simmetry that is a problem for me , I prefer free forms, and I's really a match.
So ready to have your suggestions...

these are marine motives from the hellenic history and a lotus flower, very used in egyptian life...

my first tiki on urchine ... thank you Ben you opened my mind...

and that's all right now, but, other stones are on the bench...
Kisses from a very warm Sicily Island
Ellly

Two month without posting but full of good working!!!

Your tikis in sea urchin spine was very beautifull! You find the way!!

And your collection of small carved stone... Very fine work! Especially the second green stone, same ground what one of your first carving with better better result!

What is your method of polishing?

Take care of you under the warm sun of sicilia!

J.

Ciao Laojia! Thank you for your words! I use paper 600, 800, 1000 1200 and a lot of work... that's all! Happy that you like my little stones!
I like a lot your working station and your instruments, and the beautiful wood creations you carve!
Yes I have to be very careful with sun ...two years ago sea water was warm sun was hot, I was surfing and I didn't realize it ...and I was sick with fever for a week.I was so bad...
I take care now more than before
Ciao!

Excellent works Ellly, I see Way more crisp detail in this new batch of Stuff. and the Urchin spine pieces are Excellent, i Love the depth you are going to.

There are so many posts here if i don't look down the page I can miss SO Much great stuff. I'm Happy you are able to get back to carving again.

oh Benz, now I feel better.. You know, your words are for me the compass that brings sailors safe in unknown seas.. I can go ahead on this route..
Thanks so much!
Tomorrow I'm back working at school, I will have short times on the bench, but I have a great energy and I'll try to work.. I'll keep in touch. Kisses from sunny Sicily Island
Eleonora

Ciao to everybody! And a special ciao for Benz! Hope your hand is fixing quickly and you feel better, and ready to work again! Here I post some little works done in these busy days. Hope you like
Kisses

the pomegranate with three seeds is in the myth of Demetra and Kore, a beautiful myth 'happened' a long time ago in greek Sicily...

Ciao

Ellley, these pieces have some seriously fine detail. Looks like you are beyond the beginner ranks and have been for awhile.. Very nice work.

Happy to see your new stone work! I see also the long time of sanding!!! :o
I do not know this myth, but I am inquiring on ...

J.

Thank you for the kind words! I'm trying with patience to improve, to go ahead finding a personal way to feel stones. I also worked on black onyx, I like it very much because is like a sketch, and allows some possibilities to graduate black and white. But I have a question: using on onyx the burr like a pencil, very soft on surface, do I need water flow or I can work also dry?

I post now a sea urchine tiki new...

Cool urchin! A fat one at that! Get that camera closer!

YES, Excellent Tiki Urchin, COOL!
You can use the diamond as you speak dry at low speeds but remember the water is to cool the tool. If it begins to get hot you need a wet sponge near by. The worse that will happen is you will need to buy another bur sooner than later.
Nice to see you back carving!

Oh, Ben ! First of all, what about your hand? Are you better?
I do hope so :)
Happy you like my urchine, I'm trying to go deeper, and the smooth material helps me. I like and I prefer soft materials.
Ben yes, it's clear, to tell the truth I'm trying to use burrs that are 'tired', with low speed. The problem with onyx and water is that I don't see what I carve. Everything is black and also using a soft pencil like 8B at a certain moment I don't see anything..
speed is about 14-15
one thing is sure, better water than dust, but I protect with a mask :)
Ciao !

Nice! He is coming out!

ellly,

beautiful work. the blue stones are astounding and your little sea urchin carve is very nice indeed.

bd

Oh boys! Many thanks :)
I post some other photos.. the urchin and my actual 'small collection' of black stones..
Ciao from hot Sicily Island...

Great stuff Ellly, 'm Really loving the urchin tikis and would Love to see close-ups of the black pebbles!

Nice! Would love to see some close ups of the black stones. :)

Elly, I love your stone work, very detailed, very clean lines, nice!

Amy

Hello to everybody here!
I post some photos of details and new works! Hope you'll like
Kisses from far Sicily Isl.

and a closer detail with a lotus leaf...

and a new urchine

Ellly, this last guy is Really excellent. It takes a Lot of control to carve this soft material and you are becoming a PRO at it. Well Done.

After many days I'm back, I'm working hard with wood making a rudder of a 2nd WW italian airplane, but this is another History...
NOw some pics of what I've been doing in the meantime

this is a byzantine Saint called Eystathios

and these are 2 greek geometric shields and a corinthian helmet...
Hope you like
Many kisses from Sicily
:)

Ellly, YES, I Like!! Very nice, what is the stone he saint is worked on, it is beautiful. Nice to see you carving more too.

The guy who sold me said it was a kind of carnelian, I don't know but it has a so nice color and seems turtle. And for the shape too it was good for that kind of representation..
I made today some 'new but very ancient' creatures of sea. I'll try to post some shots soon
For the moment many kisses to everybody...

Ciao to every body
just a little adding to my little stones
...
Hope you like
Ellly

Elly -

Pardon the pun - ROCK ON

Lapidary is a great medium to be artistic and expressive.

Love your posts, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your art.

Thanks for sharing.

Cool stuff Ellly, Nice to see you here again, What are the eye stones? Perfect choice.

Ciao! So happy you like my tiny stones.. stones wisper what they want to become... and I'm loking forward to hear what they say :)
Benz, the eyes are two carnelian beads :)
Soon more photos.
Kisses from Sicily