So now at last, I have returned to the original to finish it off. The first photo shows my early experiments with different woods. I decided to use what I had in the workshop for carving and not try to buy woods like lime etc. On the left is elm and on the right is mahogany, whilst in the centre is a small piece of mahogany moulding off an old clock case. The mahogany was the easiest to work but because of the grain was going to be hard to get a smooth finish.
After all the carving came the finishing.....the longest part. I sealed and sanded, and sanded and sealed; I primed and sanded and undercoated and sanded and still the grain showed up.
I finished off using Artists Acrylic Gesso primer, and many coats of this did the trick. It is now as smooth as the proverbial "babies bottom".
The next photos show the glueing of the scrolls to the front. I masked off the positions so that the scroll would attach to bare wood.
You will notice that one side is a "mirror image" of the other. The carving therefore had to be 'identical' but reversed on the opposite side. A bit "diff" doing two of each and in reverse. Never mind I like a challenge!
At last, (well almost at last... for I have yet to paint a picture for the centre section), the front is on the organ and looking OK. Someone remarked that it looked a bit like "white icing" on a "pink cake" !!!It's not pink actually, it's a 'National Trust' used colour called 'Calamine'. As in the old days of calamine lotion.
Just two things more to do...no, sorry three....
Firstly I need to paint a picture for the centre. Secondly, I need to paint decoration on the scrolls and lastly... which may take me another two years...I need two carved lady bell-ringers, to stand on either side of the 'shelf'.
To show you idea I have put up a couple of porcelain figures where the carved figures would be.
Mmm....I don't know.....I don't think they look too bad....perhaps I'll leave them there?
9 comments:
They look lovely.
What kind of picture are you going to do?
I think the whole thing looks lovely and yes, it does look like icing on a pink cake! And very beautiful too.
Thanks Annette,
I am pleased with it. The organ plays well, but as I don't have a movie camera I can't play it on the blog.
The picture will have to be an English garden or at least the English countryside. Flowers are very popular but unless you have the knack, are quite difficult to paint.
The white on the scrolls is undercoat and I have still not yet decided on the final colour scheme.
Cheers............Bernard
Oh, you must just get started on carving those women!
It's looking beautiful.
Thank you Deb, glad you like it.
I have carved a few figures in the passed but they have been left in the bare wood. How to get a smooth finish, all over, to take paint I have no idea. Perhaps they are coated with a wash of plaster or something? I don't know.
I shall have to do more research.
It depends what wood you using to make the figures from the best wood is lime or you could use Jeluton if you can get it over there, this wood is very soft and carves easy and smooths easy with sandpaper
Hi Derek,
To me the problem is that the figures are relatively small compared to the 24" high one's on the larger organs. I know you have a set of Bandsmen....how high were they? It is getting the head and face right that worries me.
Glad to see you commenting here...
one step nearer to having your own blog ?
It looks wicked. I like the ladies as there are. Well done on all the carving. I like the cart too.
I'd cheat with the figures and sculpt them in clay then mould them and cast them in fibre glass... but then its not the same as doing it tradionaly.
Thanks Roseanne,
You have a good point there about sculpt in clay first.
I wonder if you could 'carve' them out of plaster of Paris on a wire frame or something like that?
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