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nightserpent — carved dragon brackets
#bracket #butternut #sink #carving #dragon #tail #wood #woodcarving
Published: 2018-07-09 20:05:51 +0000 UTC; Views: 1040; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 0
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Description
Two sink brackets carved out of butternut, roughly 16". Since the bathtub has claw feet it only made sense for the sink to have a tail.. or two. I though I had already learned a sense of how to carve with the grain, but this project brought me a lot more understanding. Perhaps it is the pronounced grain pattern of the butternut which helped me read the wood better. However, on the left piece I was working around the pith (center) of the tree, and it was rather disorienting. Finished with Danish oil and butcher's wax.Related content
Comments: 25
Beautiful work! These would make great bookends also..
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Hmmm... not a bad idea at all! Bookshelves are on my future project list, so I better be sure to make bookends to go with them!
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You certainly seem to be enjoying this new artform. The dragontails are lovely and your description of the work always adds dimension to the viewing.
Nice to wander back here after so long and see you prospering.
Cheers!
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Glad to hear the extra info is appreciated, I try not to be overly-verbose because I know people have diminishing attention spans but I often wish people would write a little bit more about their work. Often they don't even say what the medium or size is.
Might we see more of your pointillism in the not-too-distant future?
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Absolutely true. I kinda thought the purpose of DA was to learn from others who do well what you like to see done. Makes it worth browsing around the place.
Me, I'm still half moved and don't have a workspace set up but I swear I will get back to it and the problem of "shades of black" again soon(ish). Some of us don't have a lovely cabin in the woods to art in. (Yes, I am extremely jealous)
Cheers!
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Lovely cabins can actually be quite hard to work in unless it is raining outside. As much as I love painting and carving, the call of the wild is strong and I feel guilt for staying inside. Not knowing how large you like to draw, is it something you could do on the kitchen table or even at a TV chair?
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Gotta agree, I would probably spend more time in the woods than I would at the workbench!
I don't really need much space to work on my scribbles but I built a light table for the purpose and that is packed away. I packed up everything, expecting to sell the house and move quickly, and that failed to happen. The current housing bubble is finally making me consider unpacking... just can't see things getting better for anyone soon.
But I really feel the need to get out of this state into one less populous and more green. And soon, for my sanity's sake.
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I don't have enough space to conveniently use my light table, more often than not I just tape the paper to a window- maybe that could work?
I can certainly relate to your desire to get more rural, it always helps me put things back into perspective.
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Great work! And the veins are beautiful. I like danish oil, do you like the result of the finish on this one? I'm always undecided to finish a carving work with oil or just wax (or both). Certainly, oil enhance the grain and the look is great on this work.
In the dragon project I'm making, I'm using limewood (it should be the clearer, european version of basswood), and I will definitely darken it with bitumen (I've tried it on a scrap piece and it looks very interesting, with an "ancient" effect).
I'm also curious if you smooth the finish just with well sharped gouges and knives, or if you use some files too sometimes.
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Thanks!
I don't believe I have ever just used wax, I suppose I ought to experiment to see what the results are like. I can say that, aside from one experience with cedar, I have never regretted oiling a wood carving before. I always look forward to that stage because the grain suddenly becomes so much more vivid- like magic! I waxed these brackets because they will likely be exposed to some water, as even oiled wood can get stained by water. I suppose I could have used urethane on them but I feel that too glossy a finish can make it hard to read the carving's form.
I look forward to seeing what you've made with limewood, and I am intrigued about the bitumen!
One of my goals with this particular carving was not not use any files or sandpaper, I wanted to see if I could create the piece purely with cuts going with the grain. To my understanding, sanding and filing actually clogs the wood pores with dust and obscures some of the grain's beauty, whereas clean cuts with the grain produce more vivid results. Butternut has such a vivid grain that I did not want to lessen it's beauty. This is not to say I haven't used sandpaper on other pieces, sometimes having more than one kind of surface adds to the interest of a carving.
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Nice design with the tail tip supporting the bracket. the grain of the wood isn't bothering me at all! Another great carving project!
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Thanks, Arrik! I didn't know how much support the sink needed, so curling the tail around seemed like it would give it a little more strength. I quite like the grain as well, though I was having troubles knowing which way to cut when I was working around the pith.
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Always stop and sharpen up in those cases!
Another 'illustration' brought to life!
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I never stop being impressed Paul. Fantastic stuff... I wanna visit your house!
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Thanks, Scott! 
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If I ever get invited to an event over there I'll be sure to do that, cheers matey
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I think the scale texture you've achieved here is great.
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Thank you! I noticed that the busier a wood species' grain is the less readable certain types of detail can be, so there is a bit of a balancing act. I think the chunky scales worked well with this grain.
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Outstanding work, my Friend; impressive and very well done....clean and quite creative. I've never heard of Butternut. Is this a hard wood? It is beautiful.
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Many thanks!!
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Thank you!
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