Stormcarver
 
 
A friend of my sister’s inquired about my carving Gladiolas. Because of the way they grow, it would be a major undertaking. We aren’t sure if I will be doing the project for her yet or not, but I was intrigued by the flowers. There are countless types of Gladiolas, found around the world. The type I chose to play with is the one discussed for the project. I am working from pictures that were sent to me as examples. I have never done a flower in anything close to this format, so it’s been an adventure of, “odamn, I need to do this differently!” :) I took the second oddly shaped scrap left from the translucent alabaster rose and worked out a basic design. Then, with a larger flat blade, I took out the excess stone.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
The Gladiola Experiment All images are the physical and intellectual property of Barbara Minnick, aka Stormcarver. Unauthorized use prohibited. With a small, skewed Exacto blade, I carved down into the body to make the initial shape of the top petals. The next step was to define them and the areas where the top petals overlap. With a gouge, I carved out the initial area for the center hole where the petals descend to the stalk. There are narrow ridges down the center of each petal, which I decided to put in next. I drew them in with pencil to ensure they were straight and took out the area around the lines with the skewed Exacto. With the same blade, I rounded the ridges. I figured out that I needed to curve the petals, for which I chose the 6mm skew, the rounded Microtool and the skewed Exacto. Of course, I had to put the ridges back in afterward. I rounded the ridges again and re-worked the curves and some of the shaping of the top petals. I found that the center needed to be larger and started working on that. At this point, I think I am ready to start thinning the petals. Will have to leave them somewhat thicker at first, as the petals have small folds and bevels at the edges. The thinning is going to be a test of the stone and my abilities, especially where it concerns the top center petal. Am going to have to be *very* careful about how I hole this piece to carve it after that one is thinned. So, petal shape is what I am going to work on today. Wish me luck and a very light touch!