Many years ago, I was busy trying to master the art of letter carving. Daily, I carved some lettering and experimented with various styles and variations. I did not want to do idle exercises. So I carved signs for kids’ rooms, mottos, and sayings. I was interested in what I put the lettering on, not just the lettering. Cartouches, ovals, squares, and lots and lots of linenfold banners were carved during this period.
At this time, President Clinton was ” reinventing ” my government job, and I was preparing to reemerge as a maritime wood carver and no longer be an anthropologist. It became my habit to take a small carving project with me to work each day that I could carve during lunch. I’d walk to a neighboring park, find a bench, and carve my lunch hour away.
The projects were not for sale; I pushed boundaries, got fast, and tried out ideas. Not all ideas worked out; sometimes, I pushed the boundaries too far. This little banner is an excellent example of some things to avoid doing.
First notice the italic lettering seems to fall off the curve – be cautious, or avoid italics on curves.
Next, notice how the short and unprotected grain of the curve resulted in weak spots where the wood eventually cracked. You can prevent this by reinforcing the back of the curve. Also, I was using the absolutely cheapest pine for these projects—some of the short grain issues are preventable in harder woods.
Experimentation is a part of gaining mastery, and mistakes are part of how we learn.
Discover more from Louis N. Carreras, Woodcarver
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Some of my favorite paintings were done with the same philosophy. Sometimes we surprise ourselves.
You have to get over your fear of failure, and then it becomes interesting.
Fear of failure is the enemy of joy and of progress.
I’ve just begun my woodwork journey, I’m carving little things out of bits of an old oak bureau, the carving itself takes me to another place, and the resulting pieces of wooden shapes fit nicely into a pocket or a closed hand to remind me how to smile when I return to this world.
I’m enjoying following your blog, thanks for sharing.
Oak can be a challenging wood to carve. Most current tools on sale these days are not (often) beveled for something like oak. The best strategy is very sharp tools and careful paring away.
Have fun on your journey!
Thanks for the tip.