Some say, Sculpting is the addition of material to a designed frame or armature while carving is the removal of material to expose the figurine of one’s imagination.
After receiving a shipment of stone from her supplier, the stone is sorted into size and colour, and Barb checks the lot to see if there are any obvious bears, owls, turtles, inukshuks or trees lurking in the pile – just waiting to be discovered and exposed.
When a stone selection is made, and the subject, along with the pose is evident, the real work begins. Usually starting with various saws the stone is reduced to blocks the size of the impending creature. Additional tools, pencils, rulers, dremels, files – rifflers and rasps, scrapers, knives, drills, sanders and plenty of wet/dry sand paper is used to bring the carving to life.
A rough-out is the first step – the general shape is determined and then the refining and final stages follow, adding details of wings, feathers, feet, hair, eyes. Finally the piece is heated to 250 degrees in an oven, wax is added, its then popped into the refrigerator to chill, then polished by hand to create a beautiful gloss. Oil is also sometimes used instead of the wax.
The following photos will give you an inside look at rough stone to the finished product.
Enjoy the process and the end product.
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