Art & Woodworking: How I relief carved a Gangster Owl. Complete process with pictures.

The Gangster Owl.

Relief carving is a type of woodcarving in which figures are carved in a flat panel of wood. The figures project only slightly from the background rather than standing freely.

Another carving done by me: Wolf Face

Last week I started on this relief carving of an owl. It’s my grandmother’s birthday in like a month and instead of buying her a present, I wanted to just make one. Even though life might slow down the older you get, that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Getting older is gangster.

(1) The owl hanging on the wall like a painting.

(2) The owl against a black background.

The pictures above are the results of at least fifty hours of work. Even though I think this piece turned out pretty good, I’m by no means a professional woodworker. I’m still learning and that is the sole reason why I would like to share my woodworking process and progress with you Steemers.

Process.

The first thing that I do before I start a new relief carving, is asking myself what I would like to learn. You should know that I’ve been trying out these new tools for a while and it was time for me to put them to the test. Instead of focusing on the layering, I focused on the detail.

(3) After drawing the design on the wood, I made a small v-cut along the outer line.

(4) The v-cut makes it easier to remove more wood projecting the owl from the background.

(5) Since the owl is one layer, I had to create depth by lifting certain objects out.

(6) After the pipe, I tried to lift up the chain and diamond as well.

(7) I started working on the feathers after re-drawing them back on the wood.

(8) At this point I actually had the feeling I messed up the feathers.

(9) That feeling disappeared after I started working on the tail and his claws.

(10) The result after some sandpapering. I tried to smooth things out without getting rid of detail. It’s MDF after all. Next up was finishing the piece with the protective coating.

Next.

My next project is going to be the face of an elf. I would really like to get more organic shapes in my carvings. The next challenge will be hair and facial structures. I might post some process pictures on this blog. However, I don’t want to create a clutter of low quality posts.

End.

For those that are unaware, I do also stream all my woodworking endeavours live on Twitch.tv. As of right now I’ll also try to post on this blog at least once every two weeks. Interested in supporting and following my efforts of becoming a better woodworker? A follow on Steemit would mean the world to me.

Social & Media.

• Website: www.tomtinderbox.com
• Twitch: www.twitch.tv/TomTinderbox
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/TomTinderbox
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• Steemit: www.steemit.com/@TomTinderbox
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• Shop: www.tomtinderbox.com/woodworking

I’m happy to answer all the questions that come my way.

Much Love,

TomTinderbox