Carving from Belgorod

[HAIIAPHNK]

8 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 Aleksandr, great post. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and yours.......Keith

 

Hello, Keith.
Welcome to this thread about carving. I'm glad you enjoyed this short story. And thank you for leaving a comment.

[HAIIAPHNK]

7 hours ago, druxey said:

I once built a desk from padauk. That crumbly orange-red dust gets everywhere! However, isn't the perfumed scent when you cut it wonderful? I wonder how much detail it will hold, as the grain is not particularly fine.

 

Seasons greetings to you and yours.

 

Hello, druxey.
I know that there are several species in paducah. Probably the active odor has some other species. The kind of wood I am working with now does not smell. Maybe it's the fact that I just don't smell it. My sense of smell is a little lower than usual. There are times when I'm baking something in the oven. My wife comes in and asks me what I've burned, because it already smells burnt. And I don't even know it (that's a hyperbolized joke, although I really don't smell as keenly). Or maybe it's simpler than that, and my paduk really doesn't smell. 

[Bob Cleek]

Fascinating post! I think you've really hit on an interesting thing here with the perception of lions in various cultures. I wonder why, as well. You've got the makings of a great "coffee table" picture book or a TV travel documentary. The similarities between various cultures are really surprising and yet they don't really look like lions at all.

 

Just to drive you really, really, crazy if you haven't been there before, have you checked out Chinese lions? Particularly the "lion dancers" in the Chinese New Years parades.

 

Some of the Chinese lions look a lot like your "wide" Russian lions. I wonder if the Russians got their stylized lions from the Chinese, or did the Chinese get theirs from the Russians or the Byzantines. The interesting thing is that there are no native lions in China. See: Lunar New Year: Lions aren’t native to China, so where did the traditional lion dance come from? | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

 

\

And the Chinese also use lions in their architecture. There is a Chinese custom, as it seems there is the world over, of placing "guardian lion" statues at the entrances of buildings. Here again, the Chinese "guardian lions" have the same sort of look as the Russian lions you've been studying.

 

 

 

Perhaps it's some primal impression in the human DNA that goes back to when we all were lion food. A Jungian anthropologist would have a lot of fun musing about this subject. Somebody could probably write a doctoral dissertation on it.

 

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

9 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

Fascinating post! I think you've really hit on an interesting thing here with the perception of lions in various cultures. I wonder why, as well. You've got the makings of a great "coffee table" picture book or a TV travel documentary. The similarities between various cultures are really surprising and yet they don't really look like lions at all.

 

I'm sincerely glad the topic is of interest to you. 
When I thought about this project, my thoughts started on a different path. I have been carving ship decor for a long time and I was primarily interested in this particular direction. Agree that carvings come in many different types. It can be a volumetric sculpture, bas-relief and even in the form of engraving on a flat plane. And each part of these styles easily overlaps with other types of creativity. Flat carving is very close to a drawing or fresco. Volumetric sculpture flows just as easily into stone sculpture, bas-relief into architectural types of decoration. And here it is very difficult to find clear boundaries. Everything is interesting. I decided to limit myself to ship sculpture. Even this narrow part of carving can be very diverse and have its own nuances.
And I was interested in comparing exactly how jewelry was made in different countries. The best option for comparisons is to choose one common image. It seems to me that in ship sculpture it is difficult to find a more universal and more common image than the lion. That's why I settled on it. It would be possible to take another image as a basis, for example, some anthropomorphic character - a man or an ancient deity. There is also someone to choose from. However, this option will lose. Because there are a number of countries where people were not depicted at all, such as in the Turkish navy or another Islamic country. The lion has a distinct advantage here. 
This is how exactly I was thinking about it. 

[HAIIAPHNK]

9 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

Just to drive you really, really, crazy if you haven't been there before, have you checked out Chinese lions? Particularly the "lion dancers" in the Chinese New Years parades.

 

 

Some of the Chinese lions look a lot like your "wide" Russian lions. I wonder if the Russians got their stylized lions from the Chinese, or did the Chinese get theirs from the Russians or the Byzantines. The interesting thing is that there are no native lions in China.

 

I know about the Chinese lions, of course. If you are interested in how images spread in different parts of the earth, there are already such studies. They're not hard to find.
The lion came to China with Buddhism from neighboring India. It is difficult to meet lions in India itself, other types of feline predators are more widespread there. But the world even in ancient times was quite intertwined. And people did not live in isolation from each other. Traders and merchants swam or walked. The silk road across almost all of Eurasia is worth a lot. Silk was transported from China to Europe, spices from India. From the north of Europe, traders from Scandinavia traveled or sailed to Byzantium along the so-called Varangian-Greek route. So there were a lot of different things. It is quite likely that lion skins. It is very easy to imagine ancient "bloggers" who told amazing stories about distant countries and showed drawings. Including lions.
Well, wars also "helped" to learn about foreign symbols. For example, Alexander the Great brought to India ancient images from Greece, Africa and Persia. 
So one should not be surprised that China knew lions. If people in different parts of the Earth know dragons that never existed, they could certainly learn about lions.

[HAIIAPHNK]

9 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

Some of the Chinese lions look a lot like your "wide" Russian lions.

 

Yes, you are right, Chinese lions bear some resemblance to the Russian lion I chose for my sculpture. However, there was no single canon in Russia. There were also "skinny" lions on Russian ships, which looked more like European versions. I chose this particular image for several reasons. Firstly, the original museum figure of this lion has more elaborate detailing. And secondly, it is much more interesting to choose different styles. 
It would be possible to trace a connection with the Dutch school and the British school on the basis of Russian lions alone.
You should have seen how many disputes arose on the Russian forum. There is a ship that is considered the first Russian ship. It's called the Eagle. And of course the first ship was built during the reign of Peter the Great. Not a single image of this ship has survived. Only small descriptions. And since the Russian language of that time has changed very much, and during the construction of the first ship has not yet come into use ship terminology, it is impossible to say exactly what the ship was now. Some believe that it was a flute, others are inclined to the fact that it was a galleon or some other kind of ship. And since it is difficult to determine even with the forms, it is even more difficult to guess what exactly was the sculpture on the breakwater. And there was also a lion, although the ship had the name "Eagle". So the debate was very heated. It's a very interesting subject. Someday I will make my own version of the lion from this ship and it will definitely be very different from this "wide" version. 

[HAIIAPHNK]

I would really like to contribute a Chinese lion to this project. Or a Japanese lion.
But, unfortunately, I have not found any mention that the image of this beast was used on ships in any Asian country. I've seen dragon heads, but no lions. If anyone can give information that such instances can be found, I would be very happy. Maybe someone has pictures or links to some sites related to the subject I need? So far, apart from the European variants, I have only found a Turkish lion. And only one. 

[HAIIAPHNK]

Now it's the turn for the assembly of the paduk blank.
 For some time I thought about whether it is necessary to write about why I decided to assemble this Rubik's cube in this way. And still I decided to tell a little bit. In brief, my task of how to place a heavy weight piece on a thin breakwater can be compared to this situation.

 

The bottom of the figure can be compared to a cyclist's legs or even his pants. Everything below the top edge of the breakwater should be made of long blanks. The main thing is that these "legs" are securely fastened at the place of the "pelvic section". Then the lower part will sit on the breakwater with its "butt" and the "legs" will hang down quietly from both sides. And the rest of the body mass will lie on top. And then it is very easy and simple to place even a very heavy weight. Everything will be held securely. That's it. The whole figure, like an onion, layer on top of layer will gradually increase to that necessary volume.

Of course, this is just my own interpretation. Maybe it wasn't really like that. I would be very interested to know exactly how construction was actually done at that time. So if anyone has a different opinion or more accurate information than my assumptions, feel free to comment. At the moment the figure is already completed, so I can't change it, but I'm always interested in opinions or versions. Maybe it will come in handy in the future?

 

 

 

I will also dwell on this stage in a little more detail.  These shields are the very "legs" that will hang down below the edge of the breakwater. And to be even more precise - this is the future background, on which the lion's feet will be later on. And since this shield will be at the water's edge, the waves will constantly wet the edge of these shields. And I thought that on a real ship, most likely this whole edge was covered with a bent arc. First of all, this separate part will cover the ends of the shield, because it is the ends that absorb water the most, which can have a negative effect. For example, the shield will swell or turn out a propeller. 

And secondly, this arc is a good way to fasten the boards in the shield even more securely together. 

Again, this is just my theory. I don't know of any reliable information.

 

 

Things did not go exactly according to plan during the making of this arc. I went with the standard plan. The rail, which will play the role of the arc, was soaked in hot water, and then pressed against the mold. Where it then gradually dried out, acquiring the desired curve. After a while I took the laths out of the clamps and everything looked just right. But only for a number of reasons I had other plans and did not have time to immediately attach the arcs to their place on the boards. The laths stayed in the desk drawer for several days. And during this time they gradually began to unbend back. In the photo you can see how they bent back a lot during the pause. 

 

 

 

So I had to use force and press them forcibly,

against their own desire of these laths.

 

 

I didn't take pictures of the top. I can't remember the reason for not taking pictures. So I'll paste the photos from the practice attempt here. The meaning has not changed. The upper beams lie across the axis and hold both their own weight and the weight of the blocks that will appear above them.

 

 

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

And this is a new layer. And again the lower parts. Now these are the future legs. It is not by chance that you can see this part of the figure on the photo. Here, too, I did not do without small modifications.

 

 

Here you can see how I have placed thick cubes at the very bottom. Let's call them "boots". In my opinion they remind modern sneakers - massive, huge, with a thick sole and almost automobile tread pattern on the sole. According to my idea, such massive "boots" will help in that they will be an additional support for new layers. Like a stirrup on a horse.
But then I realized that such a shape of "boots" is too small. And the smaller the piece, the less support it will have. It would be ripped out by much more massive blocks. In addition, those parts that will become the knees and stomach will remain on the weight, what then will support the "boot"? Practically nothing. So we'd have to redo it.

 

 

 

So I just cut them down and made them bigger. Now the stirrups don't look like sneakers, but like boots or booties. All the way up to the knees. Now this support will be stronger and will be able to hold all the weight of the other layers. And I decided not to make them symmetrical. Let them be slightly different. I think symmetry is more suited to our era. I imagined we found the right pieces of logs, but they're still different. Let them be different, they would hardly shorten a longer log to make it the same as the second (shorter) one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further photos show the most recent layers. Again I skipped some of the stages of work, there was nothing to tell. Just different wooden cubes. 

I'll tell you a little bit here.
In this section of the photos, the topmost layers. Later on they will turn into the top of the head and the crown on the lion's head. And you can notice that this part of the structure is very different from all the previous layers. If all the layers were arranged vertically, I have now done the opposite. The last top layers are across. I decided that this was the right way to do it. Just like with the bottom edge, when I hid the ends of the boards at the shield with an arc-shaped beam, here I also hid the ends of the whole huge figure. And the transverse layers act as a "roof". Exactly for the same purposes, so that as little chance as possible for water to soak into the ends of the boards. Yes, of course, it is not possible to completely hide all the places in the wood. And this "roof" has its ends on the sides, and moisture will also penetrate into them. And, of course, the wood on the ship is covered with paint or other coatings that work as waterproofing. But still, I think that's what they would do on a real ship.

 

 

 

You can also see in one of the photos that I sometimes left voids inside. That's a whole other topic. Whether ship sculptures were made hollow or monolithic? Each version has its own arguments, pluses or minuses. In my case, leaving a void is just a way to save material. There just wasn't enough of the right piece. In the future, this void will remain inside, so why would I turn the machine back on and stand in bloody dust again? During this phase with the carving blank assembly, I had done enough with the paduk to last me two lifetimes. So when the question arose in front of me whether it was necessary to saw something else for the sake of a small gap of the hollow, I unequivocally decided that it was better to leave the hollow. Maybe that's how it was in life? I don't know. Certainly ship sculptures were not made like, for example, sculptures for temples or for castles, when all the wood was gouged out from the inside and almost a thin shell was left. 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't done on a ship. But maybe if it was a small void between thick logs, it was left. This could be a good conversation too, and if anyone has a desire to develop it in the comments, I'd be only too happy to exchange views. Maybe I'll learn something new or have an excuse to elaborate on my opinions.

 

 

 

That's it. That's the whole Rubik's cube. I tried to fit it in as concisely as possible. In fact, if you summarize all the time from initial sketches, information gathering, thinking, and rough and final assembly, it took me somewhere around two months. Roughly. It was an interesting phase. Never before had I spent so much time not carving, but preparing a carving blank. And it was interesting. Pondering and envisioning the little cubes in actual size. Here's a little cube of wood on the table in front of me. And in reality, this "small" piece weighs a ton and can be lifted either with a tractor or by assembling a friendly soccer team. So I took the liberty of trying to convey to you at least some of the emotions I had while working. If you are a fan of short posts or just pictures alone, sorry.

And the final shots will be these. Just so you can see how much material was spent. Near lies a whole purchased log of paduk, and next to all that is left of the second. And next to the finished workpiece are the remaining scraps.

 

 

[druxey]

Is that medieval statue hollow, or are those sockets for the hand sections to be fitted that are now lost?

[HAIIAPHNK]

1 hour ago, druxey said:

Is that medieval statue hollow, or are those sockets for the hand sections to be fitted that are now lost?

 

These two female figures are from a museum in a castle near us. Both sculptures are missing palms. Instead, they have drilled canals. I don't know if the main part of the sculpture is also hollow in this case. A lot of wooden sculptures have the whole body hollow too. I've seen a lot of them. Unfortunately, I could not find photos of such sculptures. I know for sure that there are some somewhere, but I don't remember where I saved them.

[HAIIAPHNK]

Well, the carving itself has begun.
And this story needs to start with a splash page like this.

 

 

Why? What does this have to do with Lucas? What's the connection? 
Don't worry, you'll figure it out in time. All you need is a little patience. You can imagine me writing this in Master Yoda's voice: Be patient, young padawan! Trust the force!

In the meantime, I will begin my story.

Even as I was getting acquainted with the paduk planks that came with the package, I realized that this wood would be different from the way the carving wood I normally use behaves. And those assumptions began to be justified within the first few seconds of working. Paduk is cut quite differently. Sometimes it splits not at the point of the cut, but randomly somewhere nearby. And you can't call it a cut anymore, it would break off and leave chunky chips. So I had a question right on the first day, maybe I was wrong in my choice of material. Maybe I should redo the whole thing before I go too far. If the paduk continues to behave like this, I won't be able to do a good job. I'll just waste more time. 

 

But I didn't throw out the paduk. I'm not sure why? There's an expression in Russian called "taking on a weakling." It's when you're specifically told that you're too weak and won't be able to cope with the task. And usually in such a situation you want to do everything possible to prove that this is not true. That's pretty much how I felt. Even though I didn't like what I was getting, I wanted to keep working. I'm a man! I have to do it! To this I talked myself into thinking that this was just the beginning. It should take time for me to get a better feel for the unfamiliar wood. And when my hands get used to it, it will be much better. After all, the stage of work, when you try to remove large pieces of excess wood is always different from work with detailing, when you already cut thin slices. Most likely the paduk will not break off as much as it does now. 
So I kept working. It was a strange phase. Unlike other sculptures, I was working and not enjoying the work. You could even say it was a torment for me. Such were the first emotions. That's a general description. And now we can move on to the telling of specific stories.

I have already mentioned many times that I am used to starting from the head. I always want to work in this part of the sculpture first. I'm used to it and I don't even try to do it differently. This lion was no exception. Here, too, I followed a familiar pattern. However, this lion was different from the other figures. 

 

The head is usually the topmost area of the figure. It is very convenient to hold the workpiece by the torso, it is easy to get to the head from all sides. This was different. This lion did not have a standard head. The muzzle was practically drowned in a huge pile of mane. Parts of the face were in a low place, as if it were the vent of a volcano. It had yet to be reached. And that's where the trouble was. Because of this feature, my incisors were forced down too steeply. And at that angle, the knives were not cutting, they were gouging or plowing the wood. So again I could not work as I pleased and get a good result. What to do?

Usually this situation should lead to a logical conclusion. Since you can't work the old way, you have to change it. You just work the parts that are easier to approach. Cut out the mane or the paws. That way you'll gradually remove the excess wood in those areas, and get more room to work the muzzle area. I mean, that's the obvious plan to work with. What better way to do it than this? After all, there is simply no other option!

There really is. But this time it was in this case that I found another way.  Why did I agonize in vain with the workpiece, making it composite? Here you can get the advantages of this complex variant. I disassembled the blank, took out the segments with the muzzle, glued them on the plywood and continued to work with my favorite muzzle in free conditions. As you want, you can climb up, at any angle you want, from any side you want.

 

 

 

And that's when I suddenly realized the truth!

How could I have never noticed it before?!

Look at that face.

 

It's a--

 

What is this? All this time we didn't even know what kind of model we were holding. It turns out that it is not by chance that there are still differences of opinion as to what kind of ship it is. And the dimensions don't match any of the known archival data. 

What are you? The Millennium Falcon?  Maybe it is evidence of a monument to some heroic deed of this space Furry from what it was immortalized as the main decoration? 

So, it shows that in the 17th-18th century Pra-pra-Vuki visited the Earth and people knew him very well. And all this time we naive people thought that lions - ugly on the breakwaters - are just ugly. Ignorance and inability of masters of that time to depict lions. In fact, it turns out that they all knew how, and this Lion has even portrait features! Wow! It's a sensation! 

Everything is falling into place! If you sit through Lucas's movies, you can easily find other evidence. And on the sides of the Lion are not defeated Hydras, but some alien worms or dragons, or whatever they are called, in the movie they are a huge number. And in the hands of "Hercules" is not a club. They're lightsabers immortalized in wood. So Lion... What Lion? From now on, I'll call this figure by the name that has been undeservedly forgotten. Wookiee! This is the way! I'm done!  😄

 

[empathry]

 

Hi ! I have read some info about Padauk wood, whilst being described as : 

 

<< a little Heartwood color can vary, ranging from a pale pinkish orange to a deep brownish red. Most pieces tend to start a vibrant reddish orange when freshly cut, darkening substantially over time to a reddish/purplish brown (some lighter-colored pieces can age to a grayish brown). UV-inhibiting finishes may prolong, but not prevent the gradual color-shift of this brightly colored wood. >>  

 

Maybe should you be aware to this gradual color-shift of your finished lion ; as it's finals aspect should perhaps not be keeping (in time) as per your expectations ?

 

I am eagerly reading all your "Lion's adventures" and they make me thinking about this kind of analogy, as I am a more or less talented amateur piano player (maybe less than more) and also a more or less micro sculptor (surely less than more).  When you play (amateur level) piano, the result may be roughly acceptable whilst you are (psychologically) completely "eaten" - "swallowen" by this fu**ing piano keyboard.  The same for model ship sculptures, you may get acceptable results (after a lot of spent time and sweat) and you have to keep yourself happy with that.

 

As for you HAIIAPHNK (I am curiously answering myself how to pronounce it correctly ... is there something like HAPPY hidden there, or should I read it within a cyrillic mood, or (my imagination) is "II" to be read "two" ... which would phonetically mean << HA two A >>, when translated HA two A which in French sounds "à toi" ?

 

Your concerns about lions and sculpture are the ones of a man who has sufficient skill and experience for not being "eaten" - "swallowed" by the technical execution of the sculpture itself.  Then you can have aesthetic and philosophic concerns about your sculpture work. You are not (only) keeping yourself happy of what you realized, you are able to completely disrupt your work and do it again if you find out a new (creative) way to proceed in order to have a better result.

 

Then your final obtained result is bringing it's own perfection (whilst there are, philosophically speaking, various existing types of perfections), as you have put into your work not only your fingers and hand's skill, but also your mind and soul.                    

Edited January 14 by empathry

[HAIIAPHNK]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:52 PM, empathry said:

I am eagerly reading all your "Lion's adventures" and they make me thinking about this kind of analogy, as I am a more or less talented amateur piano player (maybe less than more) and also a more or less micro sculptor (surely less than more)

 

Hello. Your comment really impressed me. And this is the second time in a short time. First I was impressed by your posts about your thesis work on French ships. My project with "Fulminant" is my first introduction to the French school of shipbuilding. I had read some before, but I didn't have much experience. So it is very interesting for me to learn new things. And I am very grateful for the links I got thanks to your posts (+comments from other members). I have put them aside and will try to familiarize myself with them more. But since the topic with Fulminant is very extensive, it would not be right to talk about this ship in this thread. I know myself how far I can stray off topic. And then the thread about my carving work will very quickly become a duplicate of the thread about building the Fulminant.
And now you surprise me once again. In Russian there is an expression "a bear stepped on your ear". This is what they say about someone who has no musical ear. A bear stepped on his ear. Well, I've had not just one bear on my ear, but a whole family of bears. And they didn't just walk on my ears. They probably had a picnic there and hung out for a season. That's how far I am from making music or singing in any way. The only thing that makes me feel better about my situation is that there is a practical use for my singing. When I start singing, all the mosquitoes in the neighborhood start disappearing. 

I once personally witnessed one of them desperately banging his head against the glass in an attempt to escape from my house. And he was desperate. Since then I sing very rarely and only in self-defense. 😄
So, for me, I see all people who can sing or play musical instruments as special. And I even envy those who have this gift. So I take my hat off to you.

 

Now, let me try to answer your questions. I'll start in order.

[HAIIAPHNK]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:52 PM, empathry said:

I have read some info about Padauk wood, whilst being described as : 

 

<< a little Heartwood color can vary, ranging from a pale pinkish orange to a deep brownish red. Most pieces tend to start a vibrant reddish orange when freshly cut, darkening substantially over time to a reddish/purplish brown (some lighter-colored pieces can age to a grayish brown). UV-inhibiting finishes may prolong, but not prevent the gradual color-shift of this brightly colored wood. >>  

 

Maybe should you be aware to this gradual color-shift of your finished lion ; as it's finals aspect should perhaps not be keeping (in time) as per your expectations ?

 

Thank you for the additional information about the paduk. Thank you for your warnings about the variability in the color of this tree.

Where do I begin my response? Well, I think I'll start by letting you in on a secret. In fact, what I am posting now about the Russian lion carving is actually a retrospective. That is, it describes events that have already happened. At the moment, the work with this figure has already been completed. And I am telling my story already knowing how it will end. 
At the same time, I want the story to look like a story, a tale, an adventure. And not just statistics of step-by-step demonstration of work. I don't know how true that is. Most likely, this option has its disadvantages. First of all, short posts that don't take much time to write are much more popular now. Secondly, I realize that since I am not a native English speaker there are a lot of mistakes in my posts. It's hard to read that kind of stuff too. 
And I didn't immediately decide on this style of posting. I hope that with disadvantages there are also pluses. 

 

For example, if a person has never encountered paduk, it will be useful for him to learn about the nuances of this material. So I try to remember not only the positive discoveries, but also the problems. 
Also, I hope that this style can help someone to try carving something themselves. The finished sculpture might look too complicated. But when you see that it was a simple log at the beginning and the first steps don't look so pretty. More like weird ditches in a field where potatoes are supposed to be planted or just dug up. It goes to show that just because you have something similar in the beginning doesn't mean it's bad at all. A little patience and gradually things will start to change. 

Plus, describing funny moments or minuses makes the story more alive, real. I feel like this. 
Maybe it's my own delusions, but it seems to me that there's been less socializing on the forum pages lately. And I want people to get more interesting reading experiences. And more socializing. And this is easier when there is not only useful information, but also descriptions of emotions.

Here you are, by the way, a good example of this working. You wrote a lively and interesting commentary. And I'm very happy about that.
----

You guessed some of the themes that should appear in the next issues about this Wookiee. And now you've mentioned some of the nuances of Paduc, which I'll also cover a bit later.

 

I'm not afraid that the paduk will change a lot over time. You could say that this particular lion project is immune to many problems, including the question of what the paduk will look like in a year. I am free from the need for the color scheme to remain exactly a certain color or tone. For example, in the Fulminate project, experimenting with paduk would have been much more dangerous. Here there is no problem with that. In the collection, there will be lions of different material side by side. Some will be light, others dark. I don't have to worry about any of them turning yellow or dark over time. I am absolutely sure that after some time the Russian lion will become very different from its current color. When I showed the very first shots of the purchased firewood, you can already see there how different sides of the same bar look different. I am ready for this. I'm even interested in it. If over time my Wookiee looks like very old and darkened wood, there will be the effect of an ancient find. And I'll be telling stories to all the visitors that I actually found this figurine in the basement of an ancient castle. And I will look at the surprise of gullible guests 😄.

 

 

 

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

I'm not sure I explained it correctly. Let this be an additional attempt. 
In the topic I try to describe the emotions I had at the same moment of work. If there were doubts, I write about them. If there were problems, I tell about them too. But as time moved on, I found answers. In the next parts of this story I will write what exactly was the reason for eliminating doubts, how I found a way out. And so on.
You know? Imagine you are watching a movie. It already has an ending, it has already been filmed. And it's bound to happen. That's not to say that I want to stop you from writing about your prompts. It doesn't. By all means, write. I may not know what you know and your tips can help a lot. Except I definitely won't be able to make any changes to this work anymore. It's already finished. I will only be able to remember my mistakes and avoid problems in future works.  
I really do not want to unwittingly turn out that you said something really important and useful, and tomorrow I will publish the next part, as if I did not want to listen. And that it doesn't make for an awkward situation. 
Oh, I'm not good at expressing my thoughts in two words. In ancient Sparta, where they loved precise and short phrases, I would definitely have been executed long ago for writing too long. I know it's my flaw. I hope I was still able to explain my thoughts. 

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:52 PM, empathry said:

Your concerns about lions and sculpture are the ones of a man who has sufficient skill and experience for not being "eaten" - "swallowed" by the technical execution of the sculpture itself.

 

I'm not quite sure how I interpreted your words about being eaten. I assume that's your reaction to what I said. I may have used the word myself. But unfortunately I could not find such a place in mine.  It is also possible, because different translators may translate the same sentence differently.

In one place it is perceived as a positive expression, and in another, next to it already as something negative. So I find it hard to know how to react and what to say.
In Russian, the expression "eaten by work" has a positive, good context. Here we are not talking about something that can be compared to an attack by a wild animal, a shark, or something that can harm or kill. When they say that a person is swallowed up by his work, they mean that for this person his work is very important. He completely "dives" into it. He doesn't just have to or have to do the job. He enjoys it. "Amazingly, it was already evening. I hadn't even noticed how quickly the time had flown by. I was so swallowed up by my favorite activity that I didn't even notice that it was already time to go home...". So if these words have a different meaning in English, I apologize if I may have been misleading.
I may not have used those words in my text. Then I apologize for not being able to accurately understand the essence of your words.

[HAIIAPHNK]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:52 PM, empathry said:

As for you HAIIAPHNK (I am curiously answering myself how to pronounce it correctly ... is there something like HAPPY hidden there, or should I read it within a cyrillic mood, or (my imagination) is "II" to be read "two" ... which would phonetically mean << HA two A >>, when translated HA two A which in French sounds "à toi" ?

 

And finally I'll answer your question about my nickname. It also directly relates to the difference in languages. I've been thinking for some time how best to answer it. And I had two options. In the end, I chose both. How's that? If suddenly there is someone near you who is familiar with the Russian language, maybe some friend or acquaintance, maybe at work there is a colleague who speaks this language, then I would like to suggest that you show this nickname to such a person. Somehow I think that you will have an interesting dialog, he will be surprised at first, then he will smile and you will get something new and positive. In this case, just don't read what I write below. Below will be the second answer option. Just in case you don't have acquaintances with knowledge of Russian language. And in this case it's easier for me to give a full answer myself.

[HAIIAPHNK]

So, this nickname is a Russian word written in Latin letters. Once upon a time I chose this nickname for one of the online games. In the game it was possible to call your character only with the English alphabet, and already in the game I communicated more with those whom I understood better. These were people from Russia, Ukraine and other parts of the world who speak Russian. That's why it was interesting for me to write my nickname in such a way that no matter what the English letters were, anyone could understand the meaning of this name correctly. The special nuance was in some letters that are in the Russian alphabet, but they are not in English. And I found a way to use such symbols so that they look like the right letters. 

Once I already had an account on this site, it was on that account that I started this very topic. But unfortunately that account has been lost. It's a long story, I've written a bit about it. If you're interested, you can flip through the pages and you'll find a place where I talked about this event.

When I started a new account I remembered about this nickname. I got used to it and decided to use it. It is useless to look for some kind of kinship with English words in it. In this case, it will still look like I fell asleep at the computer and dropped his head on the keyboard, which formed a random set of letters. My nickname copies the Russian word, which is spelled like this "Напарник". And if all the letters are capitalized, it will look like this "НАПАРНИК". 

Now let's put together the Russian original and the English clone variant: НАПАРНИК - HAIIAPHNK. 

 

In English, it means "Partner." Someone who helps at work, or someone who sits next to you in a police car, likes doughnuts and is ready to protect you from a gunshot. 
 I'd like to think I can work in a team and be a helpful and responsible friend. At least that's the kind of person I'd like to be. And I try to behave in a way that makes people around me feel comfortable and at ease. It is not always possible to be a perfect partner, sometimes it can be very difficult with me. But I try.

That's the whole meaning I wanted to reflect in my nickname. It's hard for me to find the right word in English, and this was the first option I decided to keep as a result of my choice.

I am well aware that the meaning is not clear to everyone. For the vast majority of people it is just a set of letters. That is why I indicated my real name. It is certainly common and easily understood by everyone. So that you do not have to go through the trouble of typing, you can address me by my first name. And use any spelling you like, either the full Alexander or the short version - Alex. For me they are both acceptable. At home I am generally called Sasha. Don't be surprised, this is the standard variant of my name in Russian. The short version. Yes, I know it's strange in many countries, and they are completely different words. But other languages have something similar.  

For example, the abbreviations of names like Richard to Dick, William to Bill look roughly the same to me. And so on. 

Well, or you can write the English version of the nickname - Partner. This will also be much easier for you. As you prefer. 

 

[empathry]

Hello Sasha, how pleasant it is to discover that the deep meaning of your nickname is "Partner" ... because as for my nickname here (Empathry), it's a pun word meaning "try empathy", so that I try to act (generally speaking in my life) with empathy ! 

 

As for the correct meaning of being "swallowen - eaten" by something, it means that the piano keyboard is of a very difficult use and needs years training, exercises and sweat ; the same (this was my analogy) with your skill in micro-sculpture ; it needs years of practice to masterize and once you've got the good level (in piano or in micro-sculpture), you are starting "freeing" yourself from the technical difficulties and then, your work (on piano or on micro-sculpture) is free and looks so easy ... so that you can start to have philosophical and spiritual concerns about what you are doing.  At the end of the (long) training process, the mind gets free and is then able to elevate. 

 

It's sure that modeling, as a passion, is a "school" for life, for perseverance.   Then this "school" makes you (all of us) happy !          

[HAIIAPHNK]

Yes, Empathy, it's amusing. Really our nicknames have something of the same direction. Being a friend without having empathy is impossible. 
And it is very interesting that you decided to have this conversation about nicknames.
Thank you for reading my posts and for your high praise of my work. It's very inspiring.

[HAIIAPHNK]

Moving on.
This is how Chewbacca's appearance looked after some time.

 

 

 

I collected all the segments and the block with the lion's face back into the general figure and was about to continue working....
 

 

In this shot you can see the pencil marks below the chin. These marks show me where Wookiee's front paws will be. I was going to do them. Later in the story, I will pay attention to this. 

 

 

 

but
suddenly...

 

 

 

 

It wasn't the muzzle itself that had fallen in deeper. I myself reopened the figure a second time and moved the muzzle deeper. I actually put the muzzle back where it was supposed to be. I thought about it during assembly and moved it a little closer to the surface. But I decided that was wrong and put it back where it was. 
So why did I decide to make the adjustments first and then undo them?
The answer is obvious, I just realized I had made a mistake. 

The thing was, the muzzle didn't turn out right on the first try. It took me quite a while to get used to the padouk, I didn't like the way it cut. Even when I could comfortably rotate the little element on the table with just the muzzle glued to the plywood. Even that I could comfortably reach tools at all angles and from any side. I still really didn't like the way the wood behaved. It wasn't cutting, it was splintering. I was worried, cursed the paduk, cursed myself, put everything on the shelf and tried to calm down and think of what I could do differently. And after a break, I cut off the faulty attempts again and tried again a little deeper. 

 

And when the muzzle is lying separately on the table, is it hard to tell if it has crossed the line or not? Has it fallen below normal or not yet? I had an idea in mind that a segmented blank might give me a plus here as well. Since I won't be able to see what's inside, I can just move the whole portrait segment closer to the surface. That's what I did. However...

In these shots, you can see that I managed to carve out the lion's paws. After this stage of work, I was convinced that I was worried for nothing. And I lifted the face closer to the surface for nothing. After examining the photo with the original figure and comparing it with what I had, I came to the conclusion that the portrait is too close to the tips of the paws.

So I took the blank apart for the second time and returned the muzzle to the depth it should have been originally. Now it was exactly where it needed to be.

 

 

In this shot you can see that I was about to transfer the carving from the muzzle to the rest of the body and had already outlined the element with the lion's ear. Now it has separated at the seam and will need to be done again.

 

 

 

 

And here you can see that except for the ear the whole side is already plowed in rough plowing, places of figures and detailing with mane and tail are outlined. All this helped to estimate how close to the surface the face is located.

And the last shots for today show how the blank looks after I removed the overhanging edges around the face. There is still a lot of work ahead, but more on that in the next issues.

to be continued...

[HAIIAPHNK]

 

I was taking close-ups for myself, temporary photos, so to speak? For technical tests. My eyesight isn't what it used to be. I wanted to see the fine details through the optics. It always looks wrong with my eyes. The eye is more forgiving, you don't notice any mistakes. Now I realized that in macro photos there will be disadvantages in the form of roughness or tool marks. I photographed to see these disadvantages. But to my surprise everything turned out the other way around. And it's not that there are no flaws. They are. But these are the minuses that I just like. And the roughness of the wood, and polygonal traces of cuts, and notches left from the point. It's all there. And exactly where it should be. Where it should be. Or to be more correct: in sum, I really liked the fact that it was all there. Exactly where it should be in the end result. So I'm posting these shots as an excuse to share.
I realize everyone has their own fetishes and understanding of how carving should look like, with what degree of accuracy and meticulousness. But as they say: all felt-tip pens are different for taste and color! I share the vision that I have.  So, in my opinion, the figure looks authentic. There is a feeling that it is two hundred years old, not two days from birth.
It's not the final state yet. Work on this side is ongoing. There is also something to be said about new discoveries with the work on the paduk. But I'll save that for future issues.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

 

 

 

[druxey]

Having worked with padauk (full size, not on scale models!) in the past, I know how easily it can split and splinter. That you have been able to carve at scale the way you have is astonishing! When you began, I was very skeptical.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   With the right wood, small tools and a steady hand, much is possible.

[HAIIAPHNK]

15 hours ago, druxey said:

Having worked with padauk (full size, not on scale models!) in the past, I know how easily it can split and splinter. That you have been able to carve at scale the way you have is astonishing! When you began, I was very skeptical.

 

13 hours ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

 With the right wood, small tools and a steady hand, much is possible.

 

Thank you for the high praise. I tried my best and for me the project with this Wookiee is a new challenge and a test of myself. There's still a long way to go, we'll see what happens in the end.

[HAIIAPHNK]

The second side of the lion figure. 
Often the right and left sides are processed simultaneously. To follow the symmetry and more accurately show the mirror elements of the figure. However, this time doing the carving parallel on both sides was not as necessary. In this again you can see the difference between the way modern people look at the work and the way our ancestors did it. When I talked about the lion from Vasa's ship I already mentioned that the original figure has many asymmetrical features. In this lion, the same trend has been maintained. On the museum original you can see that the two sides have slightly different nuances. Which means that both sides can be done one at a time. What I found interesting to consider was that the two sides had their own features. For example, the defeated Hydra lay on both sides of the sculpture slightly differently. The necks of these predators were different. One side had more curves than the other. The tattered holes of the wounds looked different too. The Heracles were different too. For example, they looked in different directions.

 

 

 

 

 

I'd also like to point out another feature that was a revelation to me. Paduk gets very dirty. And I can't call it dirt. 
When working, you always have to make sure that the wood doesn't get dirty. This applies to any wood. This is especially true for light-colored woods. I have a very negative attitude towards sanding. In my opinion, sanding sandpaper "kills" the carving. I don't like it when a sculpture looks too smooth. 

So the issue with the appearance of dirt on the figure is always very important to me. It took me a long time to get used to gloves while working. I don't like them, my hands don't feel objects well. Now I can get used to the option of having my left hand gloved and my right hand with the tool without protection. At least this way I can reduce the degree of dirt on the sculpture.
However, there was nothing to help me while working from this sculpture. Even with a glove on, the workpiece became covered with a dark patina very quickly. The surface also became shiny, as if I had rubbed a piece of lard or sausage on the workpiece.
But you can't call it dirt. It was something else. Padouk, perhaps, oxidized or burned out in the sunlight. And the darkening process happens very quickly. It was particularly interesting to watch the dark areas form first on the most convex areas. Just like with ordinary dirt. But over time, the darkened areas become wider and wider. And they even go into the hollows. The light-colored areas turn into thin hollows in the very depths of the depressions. You can't get your hand in there, so it's clear that this process of discoloration is not just dirt.

In these photos, you can see the darker areas. And you can also clearly see that where the knife has just cut away new layers of wood, the sculpture has a lighter color. In some ways, the paduk resembled an apple, where the bite or cut site becomes darker over time due to iron oxidation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the following parts, the feature with dark areas on the wood will be seen even more. Such is the peculiarity of this type of wood. At this stage, there is no point in cleaning or renewing the darkened areas. After the carving is finished I will go over the entire surface at one time so as not to traumatize the sculpture unnecessarily. This wood is very finicky and it is very easy to ruin the work that has been done.

Well, there is nothing more to tell in this issue. 

 

 

 

Edited February 5 by HAIIAPHNK

[HAIIAPHNK]

Strange, the site loads some of the photos with a twist. And no matter how many times I tried to rotate them, it never works. That's too bad. I'll have to twist and tilt my head sideways. Or rotate the computer screen. Let it be like neck and head exercises. Against osteochondrosis.   🙃

[druxey]

Coming along well! As for oxidation(?) I wonder whether the color change is due to air or exposure to light. Skin oils will mark wood, for sure. If a piece gets 'dirty', I clean it using isopropanol.

[mtaylor]

The carving issue of differences is interesting.   Would it have been intentional?   Perhaps two different carvers with one on each side?  Or maybe the same carver does one side, flips it over and does the other?   I can that no matter it was done back then that there would be some differences between the sides. either by design or inadvertently during carving.