FULMINANT by HAIIAPHNK - French stern castle

[HAIIAPHNK]

Chapter 9
About the author telling a story and saying hello to Wilson.

 

Now I'm going to tell you a story. It's called Kolobok. I don't know how to translate this word correctly. It's an ancient word that doesn't apply to modern life. The only thing I can say is that the morphological composition of the word consists of a root that means something round. Dictionaries don't have the exact answer either and there are several different explanations about exactly what it could have previously meant. And each of the versions could be correct. Or it could be a mistake. One of the versions of philologists says that the word kolobok called a small round bread or bun. And such a small pastry was needed to check the quality of flour or the correctness of the prepared dough.
For me, on the other hand, from childhood, the word was taken as a name. The name of a character in this fairy tale. It is for the very young, its plot is short and without complex events.

 

The fairy tale begins with the fact that the old man asks his old woman to bake a kolobok from the remnants of the last flour. And she fulfills the request. When the Kolobok is ready the old woman put it on the window sill so that it cools down faster.

But Kolobok turned out to be not an ordinary bun or bread. It came to life. And decided to escape from the owners. So he jumped out of the window and rolled down the path into the forest. On the way he meets different animals in turn. First the Hare, then the Wolf and the Bear. And each animal, seeing the tasty Kolobok on the path, says that now he will eat him. But the young Kolobok easily escapes from the beasts. 

 He feels agile, fast and brave. And proud of himself. He even hums a song in which he tells that he has managed to escape from the old man and the old woman, and after he has escaped from each of the animals, his song becomes longer. He adds a new verse where he describes how he escaped from each of the animals. 

But then he met a cunning fox. She did not say, like the previous animals, that she wanted to eat Kolobok. She began to praise him and asked him to sing her a song about his adventures. Kolobok lost vigilance and began to roll closer and closer to the fox. In the end he became so proud that he sat on Fox's nose. For this he paid the price. He was eaten.

 

 

I do not know whether a similar tale exists in other countries. I have a suspicion that it does. For example, there is a Cookie Man in the Shrek cartoon. And I suspect that he is related to Kolobok. But I don't know that for sure.

So why did I decide to tell a fairy tale? And why this one? Wait, the meaning will "pop up" in a couple of minutes.

 

And now I will move on to the continuation of the story about making decor for the dome of the side gallery. Now I decided to make this figure.

 

 

There have been discussions here before about these hand grenades. I have been carefully considering this large bomb and the smaller grenades below.

 

 

It was important for me to understand exactly what is painted on these balls. Are they cracks that appear moments before the grenade explodes or is something else drawn. And no matter how many times I looked at these balls, I saw grenades. But now, when I started making them, I didn't see grenades. I saw a kolobok. And it made me laugh. 

 

I imagined that at the top of the dome Beren had placed a strange hero. And it's not just a Kolobok. It's a Kolobok with wings. Can you imagine how hard it was for me to work? My imagination kept coming back to this funny image. I was thinking about why a Kolobok with wings. Does it mean a dead Kolobok? Maybe this is where the whole story is encrypted? Does it show this character's "exploits" at the bottom? His successful escapes from his masters and the three beasts. It's all the same, isn't it? There are four little Koloboks on the sketch too, like his four victories. And if the winged Kolobok at the very top signifies some kind of resurrection, then the Fox must be hidden here somewhere. And the fact that she is hidden is also very allegorical and explainable. She is cunning and hard to see at once. Maybe the pearl shell is the Fox? This is her mouth, into which the naive and proud Kolobok fell. It is quite possible that there is another meaning here. In Kolobok's eyes, the fox was perceived not as a treacherous enemy, but on the contrary. She looked alluring and desirable, so much so that Kolobok himself wanted to approach her like a treasure ...

 

And every time I started laughing at myself. I wonder what Beren would say to that. He'd think I was crazy. That's how a completely unrelated image can be easily turned into a wild, strange and funny theory. And yet everything matches, every element can be explained and crazy explanations can be attached to those fragments.

 

So I was having a lot of fun. I started smiling very often, because every new look at the sketch brought me back to the story of Kolobok. And now I've infected you too.

 

But it's time to move on from fairy tales to a story about work.
Perhaps in response to my bizarre fantasies, the pomegranates decided to mess with my mood. I never thought they'd give me any trouble. 

I decided to make the balls as if on a lathe. To do this, I spent an entire day making a simple fixture that would hold my hand-held engraver in a rigid position. To make the engraver into the main part of the lathe - the motor and the chuck. The rest is self-explanatory. If one end of the workpiece is to be fixed in the engraver, then a bar with a nail clamps the workpiece from the back side. I even made a semi-circular scraper out of a metal saw that was supposed to become a cutter and make balls quickly.

 

However, things did not go as I expected. The tagua nut did not want to be processed. It began to burn from the touch of my semicircular cutter. It would break off easily where it was attached to the engraver. I made several different attempts, tried to change the methods of fastening, sharpened a shaped scraper. But it was just as bad. This material was in no way suited for this type of work. So I spent a lot of time before I decided it was best to abandon the idea. 

 

I spent the rest of the evening wondering how else I could use a shaped blade. I guess you could call it stubbornness. Sometimes you want to get results no matter what the cost. How could I do that? I was rotating the workpiece and the cutter was clamped. And it didn't fit. What if I switched places? What if the workpiece was clamped and the cutter was spinning? Theoretically, it could work. After all, both methods are equally applicable in industries that make balls. Except that in my case I need to make such a cutter first. It has to be well centered. So it must be a drill bit. Or made from a drill bit. For example, you could resharpen a feather drill But I don't have one, I have to buy one. It would take too long to drive to the next town. I decided to look for such a drill bit on amazon. Maybe it would be easier. And since I found this site, I decided to see if there are already ready drills that are already made for making balls? I mean, it's even easier than remaking them. And I found.

 

 

This was not a bad option. This is the kind of drill bit set used to make beads. In my case, I don't even really care that this drill bit leaves a hole for the thread. It doesn't bother me. On the contrary. My Koloboks have flames on top. I can put a nail in the hole, which will be one end put on the "fire hat" and with the help of this pole it will be firmly held on the Kolobok. And from below the nail can go into the socket prepared for it on the ship and it will also improve the fastening. So it is even good that there will be holes.

 

But I still didn't have peace in my heart. First of all, it's not a free drill set. And I'd only need it for a few balls. And then it would just sit in a drawer somewhere. And secondly, I had more serious concerns. On my little lathe, the tagua nut reacted very badly to the blade. It would quickly begin to smoke. And there wouldn't be much difference in what was spinning: the blank or the blade. There's a good chance I'll get an unacceptable version again. And that's bad.

 

What do I do? There are only two options: 1- to make a ball by hand, gradually giving chisels rounded shape to the blank, 2- to take a risk, buy and hope for success.

 

And that's where the third option came into my head. If I came to the conclusion that the balls can be with a hole, I can conduct one experiment. I'll put the blank on a shaft that will be loaded into the engraver. And I'll try putting a bar of abrasive against the workpiece. I will be able to do this with short pressures to minimize heating of the walnut. This experience will tell me if the shape can be shaped with rotation. If even then, the walnut will darken, that will give a clear answer that there is no point in buying drills. To be honest, at this point I was confident that this method could help. After all, when I process the walnut with burs, it is the same process. And I can control the situation without getting it toasted. So it should work now, too.
That's what I did. 

 

And indeed, the result began to show that this method, unlike the figure scraper, does not lead to rejects.
I even got bolder and decided to speed up the process even more. I turned on my grinding machine and started shaping at a much higher speed. This, too, showed that everything was working as it should.

 So I abandoned the idea of buying any drills at all or making them myself. 

Yes, the drills could give clear dimensions. That was the thought I didn't want to let go for so long, trying over and over again to get around the problems. The method with grinding didn't give the same precision. I tried to make the correct shape, but you can still see that they have inaccuracies. I made the balls with a small amount of stock and selected the best fitting ones.

 

In such a method, one can even find and excuse. For example, I could say that they were handmade, just like the craftsmen in the age of the Ludovics did. Since I found a logical justification for the theory that Beren encrypted in this ship the fairy tale of Kolobok, this version that handmade balls are better is quite a simple task. 

 

Well, now we can show off this very Winged Kobobok, too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All that's left is to make the shell. If in the last chapter I talked about how much I liked the acanthus branches, now I will just as frankly say that the shell turned out to be the least favorite. 

 

 

From the very beginning, I had a strange emotion. I could not feel its beauty. And made it with a dissatisfied look. Maybe, of course, it was revenge from Beren after I turned his shell into the mouth of the Fox in my imagination. I'll add another point to the piggy bank of Conspiracy Theories and Phantasmagoria. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lilia showed in practice that the sketch was different from the three-dimensional design. Therefore, we had to adjust her design a bit. That's how the work on this piece went.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear with me, I've already told you almost everything. It remains to show the last photos.
In the last chapter I told you that the white color of tagua nut is not easy to look at, but even more difficult to photograph. And I had to adjust many photos to somehow pull out the volume, which looks very bad on the photo.

This is where another problem comes in. I've noticed that when the ship stands in its normal position, it gives a better result in the photo. It makes sense. When the light falls from above, the shadows look natural. Here in these shots, for example, the volume is very readable.

 

 

 

 

And when the parts were lying on the table, their appearance looked different, it was worse. But when the light came from above and not from the forehead, everything changed immediately. But that's where the problem comes in. 

The thing is that very many details are not yet fixed. The decor and even the construction of the dome and arch are all separate puzzles that are not connected to the model. I am working with them, or will continue to work with them in the future. I put the pieces on the table, measure. I do decor fitting after a couple seconds so I don't miss the right mating of parts. So I can't intentionally put everything in its place.

When I needed to carefully place a couple of garlands, I did. Put a towel or something else soft underneath so nothing would get damaged in case of a fall. But there are too many parts now. Any movement that wasn't careful could set off a cascade of falls. So I turned the model on its side. 
So that the parts no longer have a chance of accidentally flying down. And now the light from the ceiling is shining on the side gallery right in the forehead, which immediately spoils the picture. 

 

 

I photographed each stage and realized with bitterness that you are not seeing things exactly as they really are. I can't give the picture that would be perfect. And now I suddenly thought, what if I turn off the light on the ceiling. And only what comes in from the little basement window would be left. And I'll also have a light fixture above the table, which is also by the window, to help me out. In this case, the model will receive light as if it were standing in a normal position, because the light from the window is drawn to it at almost the correct angle. However, there is a huge disadvantage that without ceiling light the camera does not get enough light and it swears and makes the frame dark. But I still decided to give it a try. Maybe I could pull out the imperfections in processing. 
I did have to mess around for a lot more time. But when I finished one of the frames, I was amazed. I was able to get a pretty good result. Here's a look at it.

 

 

 

Still, how much the little things and nuances play in this world. I'm very glad I had the idea to experiment. It all started after I decided to talk about the peculiarities of white material. After that, my brain kept working on the idea and suddenly gave me the idea that there is another way to show white carving. I'm not even sure if this was a conscious action or if my brain gave me this idea without my conscious participation.
For the sake of clarity, I'll put two similar views side by side. It feels like they are completely different works.

 

 

The third and final photo is what the photo looks like without processing. As you can see, it took quite a bit to get a good result. The second photo differs from the first one by excessive smoothness. In a normal situation, such smoothness is not good either. But it was a forced action, there was too much "sand". But the most important thing is that the volume of white parts is well distinguished. And smoothing just eats such nuances, which give the volume of details. And this did not happen even after noise suppression.

At the end, however, I went back and finished the rest of the Koloboks. And when I made the first baby I suddenly realized that now it was no longer a Kolobok. Now I saw a completely different image. Try to guess who I saw? I will leave time for your imagination and show you the answer a little later.
 

[Hubac's Historian]

Your execution on all of this is outstanding.  If I could make one small suggestion:  I might consider reducing the almost full-roundness of the globe beneath the wings to maybe slightly less than 3/4 roundness.  To my eye, at least, that detail looks a little too full.

[HAIIAPHNK]

1 hour ago, Hubac's Historian said:

Your execution on all of this is outstanding.  If I could make one small suggestion:  I might consider reducing the almost full-roundness of the globe beneath the wings to maybe slightly less than 3/4 roundness.  To my eye, at least, that detail looks a little too full.

 

After your words, I saw my Kolobok in a different way. And now I too can see that a full balloon does not look good.

I didn't understand your advice exactly. So please clarify. Do you think that from the back part it is necessary to cut off part of the circle, to make a truncated ball or hemisphere?

 

 

Or flatten it out, make it an elipsoid?  

 

 

 

What do you think would be more correct and better?

[druxey]

I agree that high relief rather than 'in the round' would be more likely here. 

 

Your story-telling is as entertaining as your construction notes! I use a single point light source from beyond the piece I'm carving to throw the shadows in the correct direction. Diffuse light or from other directions is not helpful.

 

Beautifully done!

[Hubac's Historian]

I think you can shave down this sphere from its backside, incrementally, until it gives you that sense of high relief.  Not quite to the mid-way point, but almost.  As it is now, it is just a little to protuberant.  It would be well, though, to maintain some small trace of the undercut, or “rounding” shadows.

[HAIIAPHNK]

13 hours ago, druxey said:

I agree that high relief rather than 'in the round' would be more likely here. 

 

Your story-telling is as entertaining as your construction notes! I use a single point light source from beyond the piece I'm carving to throw the shadows in the correct direction. Diffuse light or from other directions is not helpful.

 

Beautifully done!

+

2 hours ago, Hubac's Historian said:

I think you can shave down this sphere from its backside, incrementally, until it gives you that sense of high relief.  Not quite to the mid-way point, but almost.  As it is now, it is just a little to protuberant.  It would be well, though, to maintain some small trace of the undercut, or “rounding” shadows.

 

Thanks for the very helpful tips. The outside perspective is very important. 
I was planning to do another post in the future. With the grenades at the bottom of the dome. 
And these grenades I made exactly in the form of truncated balls. There's no other way to do it differently. A whole ball wouldn't fit on a narrow ledge. 
Now it's even lucky that the modified Kolobok will be with the others.

The element with the winged Kolobok can either be remade from the existing result and leave the wings three-dimensional. Or you can completely remake and make a completely flat version, so that the wings lie on the planks of the paneling. Which is better?

At the same time I want to voice one more question. I was planning to ask it later, but since the topic of conversation itself stopped on the Big Grenade, it will be right to voice my question now.

 There are small elements in Beren's drawing that I have my doubts about. And these elements also concern the grenade with wings. These are the small details I am referring to

 

 

In the current state of the winged Kolobok, I left room for these details. So that they are placed at the back of the wings.

That being said, there is no clear understanding in my mind of how these details should be done. I can't even tell exactly what Beren drew? What's in there? Or rather not. I see that there are bundles of lightning. It's an element found elsewhere in the decor. But here, I don't see the point of this addition. It just looks like random trash. And it might even be worth not doing at all. If you do, do it in a more active way. Like multiple beams. But I'm not really sure if that's the right thing to do. On the transom, the beams have not just a function of decoration. They, in my opinion, carry an allegorical meaning. They increase the significance of where they come from. A coat of arms with wings that glows carries a certain meaning.
Is it right to give the same emphasis to the pomegranate? 

On the one hand those rays behind the grenade could simply mean explosion and in that way be appropriate. And on the other hand the rays can also mean the rays of Glory, which should only be with a very important symbol. 

I have similar doubts about the branches of laurel around the shell. 

 

 

In the picture they look unkempt. I do not see the point of adding them to the overall decoration. But maybe I am wrong? Maybe these branches should have some sense and it is necessary to leave them?

 

[Hubac's Historian]

As for the carvings surrounding the top grenade, I see them as a continuation of the flames at the top of the grenade, with the addition of the lightning bolts.  The impression these two elements give me is one of the kinetic potentiality of the grenades, and by extension - the ship herself.

 

The laurel branches are a consistent element of French decor, of this period, symbolizing peace in the wake of Victory.

 

The available space in the crowning of the amortisement essentially dictates the layout for these branches.  I think that your interpretation of the structure of Berain’s quarter gallery drawing does a nice job of balancing the volumes of the QG around a central axis.  With all of that established, I believe your version of the laurel branches can’t fail to find harmony with the rest of your work.

 

The shell carving is really excellent!

[HAIIAPHNK]

Thanks for the reply.
Now I see in my imagination the whole construction of the dome and the decoration on it quite differently than I saw it all before.
I am now more inclined to think that the design should be more flat. And I was trying to make three-dimensional details. 
I will now take time to reflect on what to keep and what I would rather redo. 
The easiest option is to just remove the ball part of the grenade. And the hardest one is to completely redesign the whole top part. I'll think about it.

How dramatically things can change.

[druxey]

I completely agree with HH's remarks.