Tips for carving spirals?

[plmeek]

Question for you guys that stab in - do you use that method for incised carving also?

Yes.

The Jack Brooks video explains how to do incised carving using the stabbing in method very well.

 

[sleepingbulldog]

Thanks, I ordered the video.

 

[Pete G]

Learn to draw your volutes first; there are no parallel lines.

 

[user 34300]

I got Jim Kibler's carving practice set. It comes with an example and a booklet. It helps to touch a good example. I made copies of Jim's work and transferred it to the stock with carbon paper. After doing several practice carvings I did a couple of stocks.

Draw your pattern on paper until it is right then transfer it to the stock. I am not a great freehand artist. I can use French curves and ellipse templates to get smooth curves. So, I don't try to free hand anything but the rough layout. Also there is a lot of importance to how it is laid out. Pictures as well as carvings tend to follow the rule of thirds. Composition is key to good aesthetics. Drawing scrolls freehand is difficult to do well. Learn how to draw scrolls from the formula. In carving, more is not better. It can look too busy and ends up having poor composition. I'd rather look at less but nicely done than too much and flawed.

Practice is super important. Being able to predict how the grain will react to the blade is very important. Tear outs look bad. This only comes with experience.

I recall a Kibler Utube carving video. Watch it.