Artistic wood processing. Wood carving

People have been engaged in artistic wood processing since ancient times. Carved wooden products brought him both beauty and benefit. Dwellings were decorated with ridges on the roofs, carved doors and platbands. Three examples of artistic wood processing are the production of wooden toys, dishes and souvenirs, which is what our ancestors traditionally did.

A huge number of palaces and temples scattered throughout Russia are decorated with wooden carvings. A classic example of a masterpiece of such architecture is the ensemble built on Kizhi on Lake Onega in 1714.

The production of turned and carved wooden utensils in Rus' was widespread. It was customary to impregnate it with drying oil, paint it with oil and natural paints, and trim it with gold and silver. A good example of artistic processing of wood products is the well-known Khokhloma painting.

Let's look into the past

All artistic wood processing could be carried out in a variety of styles. For example, the style called Baroque is characterized by dynamism in the form of mobility of forms, festive lush decor, numerous images of cupids, floral wreaths, stylized birds and animals.

Furniture made of solid wood looked luxurious, being decorated with mosaics, inlaid with bone or metal, and also covered with colored varnish or having sophisticated carved elements.

Luxurious examples of products from the Classical and Baroque eras were made in retro style. And these days, examples of unconventional solutions from designers of new forms and designs have appeared, popular among young people.

Nowadays, artistic wood processing is a creative field of specialized work, which is taught in many educational institutions. Nowadays, interest in this topic does not dry out. As part of the school course, boys learn basic techniques for working with wood, allowing them to create simple products. The technology of artistic wood processing is taught as part of a specialized course at art universities.

History of the development of artistic wood processing in Russia and abroad

Introduction

The use of decorations, both on household items and on other wood products, has a long history. Here are the most common types of decoration: carving, turning, wood mosaic and painting.

In modern mass and large-scale production of household items, only such decorative means and techniques are almost always used, the implementation of which can be mechanized. These include decorating the product with relief elements made of wood, including those imitating wood carving, as well as planar elements created through various printing methods (including imitation of wood mosaics)[1]. These technologies are justified by saving money, time, and simplicity of factory production. In the modern world, this is an irreversible process... But despite all these seemingly advantages, a product made in a factory loses a huge part of its beauty and individuality, and above all, the feeling of originality and uniqueness. Increasingly, in shop windows we see “faceless” typical trinkets, often not of the best quality.

Another thing is handmade. Yes, making carved decorations to decorate household items or interiors requires the master performer to have knowledge of wood species, the peculiarities of their physical, mechanical and decorative properties, artistic taste, and mastery of technical techniques. He also needs knowledge of the material, carving techniques, and finishing technology for carved products. However, all this together gives a unique result: the finished product is of high quality from a technical point of view and beautiful and interesting from an artistic point of view.

The topic of this course work – “Decorating a household item with elements of geometric carving” – is relevant. Preserving and preserving the best national traditions in creativity, and not letting them sink into obscurity, is a difficult task, but doable.

The goal of the work is to produce a wooden product with geometric patterns using traditional carving techniques. The basis for applying the ornament was a wooden frame.

This product may be in demand, relevant and interesting for many reasons. After all, any painting, photograph, panel, etc. looks completely different when it is in a frame. With a seemingly large selection of frames in stores, the consumer, for various reasons, does not always find the right one. This product is universal, it is suitable for framing any painting or photograph of suitable size, and has an original ornament.

The object of research is artistic wood carving.

The subject of the research is the technology of decorating a product with geometric carvings. Preservation of the studied technological techniques allowed us to avoid direct copying and create our own composition corresponding to the mastered technology.

Objectives of this course work:

– acquaintance with the history of artistic wood carving in Russia,

– visiting local history museums in Zadonsk, Yelets and Lipetsk,

– study of the manufacturing technology of the corresponding product,

– study of the experience of master wood carvers,

– study of literature on this issue,

– show existing types of wood carving and highlight in detail the technology of geometric carving with which the product is decorated.

Hypothesis: Wood carving, as one of the most common and accessible forms of folk ornament, is an excellent decoration.

It is assumed that this work may be of interest to both master carvers and a wider audience. The theme of folk crafts is the true value. Russians should not forget how to carve wood, create beauty with their own hands in the blood of our craftsman people.

History of the development of artistic wood processing in Russia and abroad

carving varnishing product decoration

Artistic woodworking is one of the oldest crafts mastered by man. In our country, wooden architecture, interior decoration, furniture, and various household items made of wood belong to one of the most important types of art and occupy a significant place in the national culture of the people.

Authentic monuments of ancient Russian art dating back to the 9th–16th centuries. very little has survived, but from literary sources, as well as from images in painting and miniatures, it is known that wood processing occupied a leading place among crafts. Housing was built from wood, furniture and household utensils were made, which were decorated with geometric and contour carvings.

The 15th century was the century of the flourishing of national art and craft. Works of decorative and applied art of the 15th century. became models for masters of many subsequent generations. An example of this is carved iconostasis, in a clear and complete composition in which a wicker ornament consisting of shapes reminiscent of plant motifs predominates[2].

The woodworking workshops of the Armory produced various products decorated with carvings, which were dominated by a floral pattern consisting of a shoot with leaves of complex shapes, flowers and bunches of grapes. Carved decorations were made on solid wood and overlaid using the technique of flat-relief and high-relief carving. For finishing, gilding and painting with tempera, oil and glue paints, as well as natural dyes (stains), wax mastic, and resin varnishes were used.

In the XV–XVI centuries. in many Russian cities the production of turned and carved wooden utensils was widely developed[3]. The dishes were decorated with silver and gold, painted, and impregnated with drying oil. One of these crafts has survived to this day - the famous Khokhloma.

For Russian art of the 17th century. characterized by creative scope, courage, cheerfulness, and the desire for realism[4]. An idea of the masterly skill of Russian carpenters is given by a masterpiece of wooden architecture that has survived to this day - an ensemble of buildings on the island of Kizhi in Lake Onega, among which the earliest (1714) is the twenty-two-domed Church of the Transfiguration (see Fig. 1, p. 27). Although this ensemble belongs to a later time in style, composition, decorativeness of the general design and construction techniques, it is very close to the wooden architecture of the 17th century.

In the second half of the 17th century. Furniture brought from abroad appears in the royal palace, mainly from Germany and Holland. Masters of “various arts,” including furniture makers, are also invited to Russia. The Armory Chamber is mastering the production of artistic furniture.

At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. There was a division of carpenters into white woodworkers and cabinetmakers. The woodworking industry included the production of carpentry products made from predominantly coniferous wood. Such products were either left unfinished “white” or painted with paint that completely covered the surface of the wood. The cabinetry industry included the production of carpentry products made from hardwood or softwood, less valuable species, but lined with valuable species.

Since the 18th century. In Russian art, two directions are clearly identified: folk, mainly peasant art, and the art of the ruling classes. If in the art of folk craftsmen, closely connected with the patriarchal peasant life, changes occurred slowly and gradually, then in the art of the ruling classes, with Russia’s entry into the European arena and the development of economic and cultural ties, relatively rapid and decisive changes took place.

In Russian art of the first half of the 18th century. The Baroque style developed, which is characterized by splendor and increased dynamism of forms, restless rhythm of lines, festive decor with foams, shells, cupid's heads, etc., glorifying power and wealth.

Development of artistic woodworking in the first quarter of the 18th century. connected with the construction of St. Petersburg, where the best craftsmen - carpenters, joiners and carvers - were gathered from many cities of the country, as well as from abroad. The main means of decorating interiors, both in palace premises and in temples, remains carving, the art of which reached its peak in the mid-18th century. highest flourishing[5].

Then the period of classicism began in Russia, reviving the artistic ideals of antiquity. So, by the middle of the 19th century. Russian craftsmen mastered almost all methods of artistic wood processing, all techniques for decorating products, the main types of carpentry joints and structures, the most diverse types of wooden products, which in subsequent years were only repeated with minor additions.

In turn, handicraft industries related to wood processing developed in many regions of Russia, in particular in the Nizhny Novgorod and Vyatka provinces. Handicraftsmen produced various wooden products - household utensils, dishes, boxes, snuff boxes, etc. Handicraft products were highly valued at national and international handicraft fairs.

At the end of the 19th century. Due to the development of industrial production, handicrafts are gradually declining. Homemade utensils and dishes, even in rural conditions, are being replaced by ready-made factory products. Carved furniture, carved caskets and other products are going out of fashion. More and more craftsmen are leaving to work in factories and factories. After the war of 1914–1918, in which many talented craftsmen died, many crafts practically ceased to exist[6].

After the October Revolution, small and handicraft industry enterprises were declared inviolable and not subject to nationalization. Handicraftsmen were allowed to freely trade their products. They began to unite into artels and partnerships. In the 1930s, many industries had large production workshops; their products were exported abroad and widely distributed on the domestic market. Craft training schools were organized at the crafts, where cadres of masters of decorative and applied arts were trained.

In the post-war and subsequent years, the development of crafts related to artistic wood processing proceeded differently. Some of them expanded their production, while others, due to the outflow of young people to large cities, reduced their production. However, interest in folk arts and crafts never waned, and in recent years it has noticeably increased. Let's say more, today the demand for artistic products made of wood is growing and has not yet been fully satisfied.[7] Consequently, the work I have done in this direction will be relevant and in demand.

Introduction

The use of decorations, both on household items and on other wood products, has a long history. Here are the most common types of decoration: carving, turning, wood mosaic and painting.

The goal of the work is to produce a wooden product with geometric patterns using traditional carving techniques. The basis for applying the ornament was a wooden frame.

The object of research is artistic wood carving.

Objectives of this course work:

– acquaintance with the history of artistic wood carving in Russia,

– visiting local history museums in Zadonsk, Yelets and Lipetsk,

– study of the manufacturing technology of the corresponding product,

– study of the experience of master wood carvers,

– study of literature on this issue,

– show existing types of wood carving and highlight in detail the technology of geometric carving with which the product is decorated.

Hypothesis: Wood carving, as one of the most common and accessible forms of folk ornament, is an excellent decoration.

History of the development of artistic wood processing in Russia and abroad

carving varnishing product decoration

Let's talk about hand carving

In the artistic processing of wood, a special place is given to the process of hand carving. There are a great many different types of it. Speaking about the most common ones, we should mention first of all flat threads. Next - geometric, slotted, contour.

A characteristic feature of the first variety (flat ridged) is the making of indentations of various shapes on a flat surface. Geometric refers to one of its modifications and is a series of elements of square, triangular, and round shapes. An example in this case could be a cutting board with repeating decorative details.

Contour carving is performed by cutting thin bilateral or dihedral grooves of small depth along the contour of a certain pattern. It is used mainly in the process of depicting figures of animals, birds, floral patterns and leaves.

What's easiest?

The simplest type of carving is slotted. It is performed with a jigsaw, which is used to cut out the contours of a variety of shapes where something needs to be seen through the slits (doors, screens, cupboards, window casings). This wooden product has no background. In some cases, it can be replaced with bright fabric.

The technology for performing artistic wood processing (wood carving of this type) is quite simple: a pattern is transferred onto a workpiece with a surface prepared in advance (sanded or planed) according to a template. It is also possible to use tracing paper.

Several holes are drilled along the contour of the future design, into which a jigsaw file is inserted and the entire contour is carefully sawed on a special table called a sawing table.

Artistic woodworking

TECHNICAL LABOR

Ermakov Artem

Supervisor:

ARTISTIC WOODWORKING

Artistic carving

- one of the most ancient and widespread types of decorative and applied art. Carvings are used to decorate buildings and household items, and to create works of fine plastic art – small miniature sculptures. A special type of artistic carving is glyptics.

The most common material for carving is soft wood of deciduous trees: linden, cedar - coniferous heartwood, with a wide white-pink core, has numerous large and small resin ducts. The growth rings are clearly visible, there is no difference between late and early wood. Cedar wood is light, beautiful in color and texture, cuts well, is easily processed on lathes, and is highly resistant to decay, which is why it is widely used for making carved items placed outdoors. Cedar is used in carpentry, furniture and pencil production. Hardwoods are less commonly used: birch, maple, beech.

Wood carving has always accompanied Russian wooden architecture and became most widespread where there were appropriate conditions. The development was facilitated by the ease of processing and availability of the material, the presence of skilled craftsmen, and rich traditions. Carving was not of the same type and monotonous; it was made using different techniques and was divided into types.

Types of
artistic carving.

Geometric carving - represents all kinds of ornaments and compositions made up of simple geometric shapes in various combinations. The relative simplicity of geometric carving, its decorative nature, and the small set of tools required to perform it have made this type of carving very popular. A slotted thread is also called a through thread or saw thread. With this carving method, the background is removed. The techniques for performing slotted carving are very simple, which is why it has been widespread since ancient times, especially in decorating wooden houses. Flat-relief carving is widespread in house carvings. The resulting image is on the same plane, and the relief of the carving, different in design and composition, is revealed by selecting or deepening the background around any element of the carving or ornament. This type of carving allows the carver to create various compositions with plant ornaments, images of animals, birds, and humans. Blank relief carving is a carving with an uncut (blank) background, a high relief pattern, and almost no flat surface. This type is divided into bas-relief carving - with low relief, and high relief with higher relief. Relief carving differs from other types in its greater expressiveness, decorativeness, abundance of light and shade, and free composition. In house carving it is usually done on a large scale. Sculptural carving is a three-dimensional easel or decorative sculpture made of natural-looking wood of a cylindrical shape or its split. The finished carved product or sculpture is visible from all sides and may have a very high or very low relief.

Thread technology

A wide variety of tree species are suitable for carving, which are divided into deciduous and coniferous. But making carved products requires certain knowledge about wood, its properties, quality, application and processing. To perform any type of carving, the wood must be dry. Dry wood has high strength, warps less, is not susceptible to rotting, is easier to glue, is better finished, is more durable, and finished products do not crack.

Dried wood is carefully checked to detect and eliminate defects that are likely to interfere with work. The prepared material is sawn to length and width, taking into account the allowance. Then the layers and edges are planed. If the width and quality of the boards correspond to the work ahead, then the material can be used.

Tools and accessories for carving.

To perform all types of carvings, various elements of home decoration, furniture, souvenirs and other crafts, you need a special tool.

Carving tools are divided into main (cutting) and auxiliary (for drilling and sawing, carpentry, marking). All tools must be of excellent quality so that you can easily carry out carving work of any complexity.

The cutting tool must be made of good steel, light and convenient, well sharpened, so that the wood is cut “like butter.”

Technological project for the production of mirror frames

· To make a frame for a mirror, take dry cedar lumber.

· The prepared material was sawn to length and width, taking into account the allowance.

· Having planed the layers and edges, we proceed to gluing the blanks. We apply a sketch to the resulting form using a stencil and drawing supplies. After drawing the sketch with drills, we burn it out.

· Then we apply a design to the frame using a pencil, and proceed to cutting out the design using a cutter and a spatula.

· Next, the product is sanded with coarse and fine sandpaper. Then apply NC varnish and a second layer of PF-283.

Rules for carving.

Every carver, when starting work, must learn and follow the basic rules of carving, which are of decisive importance.

Carving in any technique necessarily begins by firmly securing the workpiece on a workbench with holders or other devices; of course, only practical experience acquired in the work will tell you the most correct choice of technology in the manufacture of carved products. The work is performed standing. The carving process begins with a cut along the contour of the design, etc.

The most important result of the work is a feeling of satisfaction from the work done and a little pride in the fact that, for example, the mirror you made hangs in the school lobby and my friends, acquaintances, and teachers look at it every day!

How a wood craftsman worked

Such types of wood carving in the artistic processing of wood, such as contour, slotted and flat, have been used for a long time to decorate Russian furniture. Openwork is a type of slotted carving that has a relief pattern. As a rule, it was used to decorate furniture by craftsmen working in the Rococo and Baroque styles.

If products made using the slotted carving technique were nailed or glued to a wooden base, it was called an invoice.

The classification of artistic wood processing equipment has always been carried out depending on the type of work performed. For example, what did a woodcarver’s workplace look like? It could be a very ordinary table with a chair or a system of workbenches equipped specifically for this purpose.

The height of their lids was located at the level of the master’s elbows. The light fell from the left and from the front. The workpieces were fastened to workbenches using screw clamps or wedges. Chisels were mainly used as cutting tools.

Decorative processing of wooden products

When the main part of the work on creating the craft has been completed, they begin the next stage - decorative processing of the coating. It comes in the following types:

waxing;
burning;
painting;
whitening;
staining.

Each type of decorative processing has its own characteristics. For example, waxing is used mainly for kitchen utensils. Most often these are cutting boards. Firing is done with a gas burner, continuously moving the fire. Painting is carried out at room temperature, excluding direct sunlight on the product. They are painted using special solutions. Oil and other liquids are used, which create a protective layer and improve the color of the wooden craft. Bleaching using substances that oxidize the surface. This results in a natural color, imperfections are eliminated, the pattern is smoothed out, and the design becomes more harmonious and more natural in appearance. The whitening process is sometimes carried out at one time. And sometimes it is necessary to repeat several times. As a result, a thin light layer is formed, and underneath it is a dark base. Staining is performed by immersing the product in paint for a certain time. Then the product must be dried.

Tools for different types of artistic woodworking

Chisels can be straight flat, with the help of which they protect the background when performing relief or contour carving. The grooved one is useful for almost every type of work. Cranberry with a long curved neck and a short blade is used if you need to cut a recess in a hard-to-reach place. A corner chisel is used to cut grooves. Using cerasic, narrow veins or grooves are applied.

For geometric carving, use flat chisels called jambs, cutters or jambs. They can be short or long with different bevel angles of the cutting edge. The roughest types of work are performed using a chisel.

Each of the tools must have a high-quality handle. The blades must be well sharpened and fine-tuned. In the case of a well-made tool, it is possible to obtain high-level work.

How the process works

Wood carving begins by marking the selected design. To do this, use a ruler, square, protractor, compass, stencils, as well as ballpoint pens or pencils. The pattern for geometric carving is a set of squares, rectangles and triangles.

Each of the recesses (notches) is cut using a jamb across the fibers, and then along them. In this case, the joint is held in the right hand and placed with the toe of the blade with a slight tilt on the marked line. The blade is cut into the wood and a line is made with a movement toward you.

All middle lines are performed in this way. If you need to cut a slope, the jamb should be tilted to the left or right at an angle of 30 to 40 degrees. The marking line should not be cut. The carving process must be carried out smoothly and slowly, pressing evenly on the jamb. The instrument is held tightly in the right hand. Sometimes you need to hold it with your left to avoid moving in the direction of the grain. Those who have just begun to master the carving process are allowed to hold the tool with both hands.

The procedure for cutting triangular recesses comes down to processing the sides of the drawn triangles with a jamb, which is held vertically in the hand. The cutting goes from the top to the bottom. These techniques are very simple. Mastering them will not take much time and will allow you to move on to cutting out other, much more complex shapes.

Decorative processing

After artistic work, decorative work must be completed. They consist not only in tinting the wood, but also in protective treatment and some other things.

The main steps come down to cleaning and painting, which absolutely should not be ignored. Otherwise, the unprotected material will be less durable and vulnerable to contamination and biological damage.

After cleaning and painting, wood may change color and texture. As a rule, the appearance becomes much better, and performance increases significantly.

Burning

First, the wood is dried and cleaned. The next step will be firing.

It is carried out using a specialized burner;
They hold it at an angle, move it along the wood, without stopping in a certain place;
The material is then treated with a brush by stripping along the fiber.

Whitening

Through bleaching, wood is given a noble natural shade. At the same time, existing flaws and color transitions are eliminated. As a result, the decorative qualities of the material are significantly increased.

Below is a picture of timber that has undergone the bleaching procedure, above is the material that has not been processed

Waxing

This is a special type of processing, which also greatly improves the external quality of products. The material for application is selected taking into account the future purpose of the items.
If, say, this is a cutting board, then it must remain environmentally friendly and suitable for using and cutting food products on it.
A completely safe material is wax (beeswax). It is applied to a surface that is previously coated with impregnation. It will prevent the wax from being absorbed into the wood.

Painting

Painting is a simple procedure, but still requires adherence to technology.

Note! When carrying out work, it is recommended to avoid high humidity and direct ultraviolet rays. The material is first coated with specialized antiseptics.

For painting, you can use suitable compositions, which are available in a wide range in stores. If you apply oil, the natural color of the material will be preserved.

Finally, the product is varnished.

Staining

Staining can be deep or superficial.

On a note! This processing method is used mainly when it is necessary to imitate the natural shade of expensive wood.

The procedure is quite simple and consists of “soaking” the products in a paint solution for some time.

They are then hung to allow excess liquid to drain away and dried.
If the desired effect is not achieved, the actions are repeated.

About safety rules for artistic wood processing

1. It should be remembered that chisels are dangerous cutting tools and require careful handling.

2. The left hand must not be kept near the cutting tool.

3. It is prohibited to use too much force when working with a chisel.

4. If it is necessary to strike the handle of the chisel, it should be taken in the left hand, and the mallet in the right. The tool is placed at the cutting site, then light blows are applied to its handle.

5. Chisels should be stored in specially designated places (in cabinets, workbench drawers, etc.).

Artistic wood processing

Wood is one of the most versatile materials that man learned to process in ancient times. Wood was used variedly and widely by Russian craftsmen. With the help of an ax, a knife and some other additional tools, Russian people made everything necessary for life: housing and outbuildings, bridges, windmills, fortifications, tools, furniture, dishes, children's toys and much more.

For the world exhibition in Paris at the end of the last century, to the wonder of the whole world, Russian carpenters cut down a log hut. The beauty of the proportions, the simplicity and wisdom of the design solutions - all this amazed the visitors of the exhibition, who figuratively called the log hut the “Russian Parthenon”. The whole hut was flesh from the flesh of the tree. Thanks to ingenious techniques for connecting parts, the carpenters built the hut without a single nail or other metal fasteners. “Good knitting is stronger than any nails,” the people’s architects said with conviction. In everyday life, peasants usually cut huts on their own or with the help of neighbors. But there were also professional carpenters. Numerous teams of carpenters roamed around Rus', sometimes contracting to work in foreign countries. There was a joke about the ubiquity of Russian carpenters that when Columbus discovered America, there was already an artel of Vyatka carpenters there.

Imagine that you are entering a good-quality peasant hut from the last century. Almost everything in it is made of wood. The walls, floor, ceiling, window sills, benches and table are smoothly hewn. It’s hard to believe that the master did everything without a plane - the art of using a carpenter’s ax was so high. Almost every peasant hut had a weaving loom, a spinning wheel for spinning flax and wool, and a box for rewinding yarn. They were also made of wood. There was a great variety of dishes, which were made not only from stem wood, but also from other parts of the tree: branches, roots and bark. From long birch bark strips taken from birch trees in the spring, they wove boxes, shoulder boxes, and baskets for collecting mushrooms. On lathes, which, by the way, were also wooden, they sharpened all kinds of utensils: cups, bowls, stands, dishes, brothers and goblets. Peasant craftsmen carved spoons, scoops, ladles, bratins and salt licks from wood drifts. Baskets, bread bins, bread pans and much more were woven from willow vines and flexible roots of coniferous trees. On holidays and leisure time, it was impossible to do without wooden musical instruments - balalaikas, violins, pipes and zhaleikas. And the loud-voiced wooden horn was always an indispensable companion of every village shepherd. The working life of the Russian village began with the drawn-out song of a shepherd's horn.

Sometimes wood had completely unexpected uses. For example, it was used to make ingenious and quite reliable door locks or bells hung on the neck of a cow, which emitted a soft, muffled ringing. And other craftsmen managed to cut a permanent chain from a whole piece of wood along with a vessel suspended from it, usually a washbasin with two spouts.

Working with wood, man simultaneously studied its various properties, each time discovering more and more new possibilities of this wonderful material. In terms of the variety of physical and mechanical properties, other natural materials can hardly be compared with wood. Wood can be cut, planed, split, bent, pressed, painted, stained, etched and fired. And of course, the master was always attracted by the lightness and strength of the material, the unique beauty of the texture of individual trees.

Any wood product has always been made taking into account its physical and mechanical properties. Sometimes even the simplest product contained several types of wood. For example, in an ordinary barrel the walls and bottom were made of oak; its wood is extremely durable and perfectly resists putrefactive microbes; the hoops are made of tough flexible elm, and the cork is made of soft and uniform linden. In some wooden products, wood of various species was used so constantly that it gave rise to a once widespread folk riddle: “I’m sitting on a linden tree, looking through a maple tree, shaking a birch tree.” This riddle is not so easy for modern man to guess. Meanwhile, a villager of the last century could confidently say that this spinning wheel is the simplest device for home spinning. Each part of it was made from a certain type of wood: the bottom, on which the spinner sat, was made of linden (“I sit on a linden tree”); the comb for combing the yarn is made of maple (“I look through the maple”), and the spindle for winding the finished yarn is made of birch (“I shake the birch”).

Modern wood processors also take into account the properties of individual trees. Many objects that we encounter every day in everyday life are made only from a certain type of wood. Pencils are made exclusively from soft, uniform cedar or juniper wood; matches - from aspen and poplar; thread spools - made of birch; parquet - oak and ash.

In the old days, most wood products had a purely practical purpose, but the master tried to add a piece of beauty to each of them. First of all, great attention was paid to the shape, proportions and beauty of the material. Many ladles and sconces were made in the shape of ducks. If the expressive texture of wood could decorate a product, then they tried to highlight and emphasize it. Wood products with a weakly defined texture were most often painted or decorated with carvings. Moreover, carving and painting were always organically combined with their shape. Any household item, be it a simple rolling pin for beating out linen, a salt bowl turned on a lathe, or a carved ladle, in the hands of a folk craftsman turned into a true work of decorative and applied art.

Evaporation of moisture through leaves and shade from trees reduces annual indoor cooling costs by $2.1 billion. Wild fig trees, native to South Africa, have root systems that reach depths of more than 120 meters!

Interesting facts about trees

White cedar, growing in the Great Lakes of Canada, has grown by ... 10 centimeters over the past 155 years. This is the slowest growing tree on Earth.

In Ancient Greece, willow was a symbol of inspiration, melancholy, and feminine grace. The Slavs believed that the willow sympathizes with the suffering of a person and takes on all his pain. It is known that many European peoples believed that willow could heal a woman from infertility: for this purpose, willow branches were placed under the bed.

The island of Barbados got its name from the Portuguese explorer Pedro Campos, who saw many fig trees growing there, entwined with beard-like epiphytes. Barbados means “bearded” in Portuguese.

Among our trees, besides oak, only spruce reaches 500 years of age, and each of its needles lives 5-7 years. Pine lives up to 350 years, ash and alder - up to 300 years, aspen - up to 100 years.

Among straight-trunked trees, the largest in height are Australian eucalyptus trees, their growth reaches 150 meters or more. Eucalyptus trees produce wood that is as hard as iron and does not rot. Piles and telegraph poles made from eucalyptus trees are the most durable, and masts can withstand any storms. The roots of these trees pump such a huge amount of water from the soil into the leaves that with the help of these green pumps people began to drain the swamps and improve the climate.

One tree produces about 113 kilograms of oxygen per year. This means that two mature trees can produce enough oxygen to meet the annual oxygen needs of a family of four.

All people once sat under the crown of a tree. This did not escape Hippocrates, the father of medicine. In Greece, a tree was named after him, under which he allegedly sat and treated the sick. It is called “Tree of Hippocrates”.

The most massive tree is the Lindsey Creek Tree, containing more than 3,000 cubic meters of wood weighing 3,600 tons. Oddly enough, it was uprooted by a storm in 1905, so now the largest tree is a redwood in the California National Park.

It grows on the American continent. Just one tree is capable of consuming as much carbon dioxide in a year as a car produces during a run of 41.8 thousand kilometers. giant of the earth's flora, the famous giant sequoia (mammoth tree), a representative of coniferous trees, the ancestors of which lived on our Earth about 100 million years ago. The thickness of sequoia trunks often reaches more than 20 meters. In one of these giants, growing in America, in Yosemite Park, a tunnel was built back in 1881, through which buses now pass freely.

A tree, like a plant in general, is correlated with a person according to external characteristics: trunk - torso, roots - legs, branches - arms, juices - blood, etc. There are “male” and “female” trees (birch - berezun, dubitsa - oak), which differ in shape: birch branches bloom to the sides, birch branches upward.

The Copaifera langsdorffii tree, found in the rainforests of Brazil, contains a resin that can be immediately used as diesel fuel. One tree provides approximately 50 liters of fuel per year. Its large-scale cultivation for these purposes is unprofitable, but private farmers can easily cover their needs from a garden of such plants.

The oldest tree is an oak named Old Man, he is 2000 years old and lives in Lithuania. His three younger brothers, friendship trees, are 900 years old, grow in Poland and bear the names Lech, Czech and Rus.

Just one tree can consume as much carbon dioxide in a year as a car produces during a run of 41.8 thousand kilometers.

In the forest, trees grow more actively. So 1 hectare of forest can produce more than 6 tons of wood per year.

The most dangerous tree is the Manchineel Tree, which grows on the Caribbean coast and the swamps of Florida. When the sap of this tree comes into contact with the skin, a burn appears, followed by painful blisters. If this juice gets into the eyes, a person may go blind. As you understand, the apple-like fruits of this tree are also very dangerous to eat - they cause burns and other troubles. This tree terrified local residents until the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century.

The spice cinnamon is not the seeds, leaves or roots of any plant, but the ground bark of a tree growing in Sri Lanka and southern India.

The hardest tree in the forests of Russia is the Schmidt birch; it grows in Primorye, in the Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve. You can't cut it down with an ax, you can't pierce it with a bullet.

Balsa wood has a wonderful quality, its wood is unusually light, it was from this wood that the famous Kon-Tiki raft was built, on which a group of brave daredevils, led by the Norwegian scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl, sailed across the Pacific Ocean from the shores of Peru to the islands of Polynesia.

The average lifespan of trees within the city is only 8 years.

For comparison, the maximum lifespan of trees in the wild: apple tree up to 200 years, pear tree up to 300, European pine - 500, oak - 1000 years, juniper - maximum 1500 years.

170 thousand pencils can be obtained from a medium-sized tree trunk.

In the 18th century, one of the chestnut trees in Sicily became famous for its girth. It was... 60 meters, that is, the approximate diameter of the tree was almost 20 meters. Over time, the trunk split into three separate plants.

The Bengal ficus tree is distinguished by a special life form called banyan. On large horizontal branches of an adult tree, aerial roots are formed that grow downward. Growing to the ground, they take root in it and become new trunks. In this way, a banyan tree can grow over an area of several hectares.

African baobabs live up to five thousand years. This is one of the most revered trees in Africa. Its leaves, flowers, fruits, and bark are used by the natives in their farming. Among the inhabitants of the savannas, there is a custom according to which everyone must plant baobab seeds near their hut. Trees extract nutrients mostly from the atmosphere, and only 10 percent receive them from the ground.

The most interesting trees in the world

Giant sequoias, which grow in the Sierra Nevada of California, are considered the largest trees in terms of volume. The largest tree is the “General Sherman” in Sequoia National Park, which reaches a height of 83 m and a volume of about 1,486 cubic meters. m, and weighs more than 6000 tons. The tree is believed to be somewhere between 2,300 and 2,700 years old, and each year the tree grows as much wood as a typical 18-foot tree. It is a true natural masterpiece and the greatest living organism on Earth.

The Tree of Life in Bahrain is the loneliest tree in the world. The mesquite tree is located on the highest point of the barren desert of Bahrain, hundreds of kilometers from other natural trees. It is believed that its roots extend several tens of meters to aquifers. The exact age of the tree is unknown, but it is believed to be over 400 years old.

However, the secret of the Tree of Life is not its size, age or shape, although it is quite large and very beautiful. The most amazing thing is that it stands alone in a barren desert on the highest point of Bahrain, in an area where there is absolutely no water. In a place where it seemed nothing could survive, this tree seems to radiate life itself. People come here in droves, as locals believe that the tree stands on the site of the Garden of Eden.

Madagascar is considered the birthplace of the baobab; it is also common in Africa and Australia. Baobab trees are the oldest forms of life on mainland Africa and many of those that still stand today have been growing since Roman times.

The amazing baobab or “monkey breadfruit tree” can grow up to 30 m in height and 11 m in width. They remain without leaves for most of the year. A characteristic feature of baobab trees is their pot-bellied trunk, which serves as a water storage facility. A baobab tree can hold up to 120,000 liters of water to survive severe drought conditions. Some trunks are so large that people live inside the tree.

Learn and learn again

Anyone who decides to achieve results in wood carving should not rely only on their own creative abilities. Serious artistic woodworking involves constant training and mastering its various nuances.

There are a huge number of methods that allow you to create wonderful carved products. An example of one of them is the Tatyanka style. It is based on the technology of making floral ornaments. The peculiarity of the carving style that emerged as a result of a creative experiment is that the product is processed only once. Re-working is not allowed, and, in principle, it is not necessary, since all elements come out of the cutter ready-made, not requiring additional processing. Therefore, in this case, special tools are used.

Artistic processing of wood lesson plan on technology (grade 8)

Artistic wood processing

The concept of the teacher: the student’s work is certainly creative. The most important law of work: “A child’s mind is at his fingertips”

(V.A Sukhomlinsky).

The production of handicrafts has been added to school education. What is important is the student’s decision, that is, the independent choice of the type of activity. An individual approach to each student is important.

Woodworking is the preferred type of arts and crafts in school. The simplicity of the equipment, the availability of tools, materials, accessibility in work - all this makes it possible to conduct classes in artistic woodworking for students from 5th to 8th grade. Such classes can be conducted in additional education clubs. Classes consist of theoretical and practical blocks. Students are given educational tasks:

ability to complete work;
follow simple rules of work culture;
keep the workplace clean;
use the necessary material rationally and carefully;
be able to use tools and follow safety rules when working with them.

The mastery program contains tasks for individual or collective work. Group work is carried out by three or more students. Collective tasks contribute to the quick solution of the task, as labor is distributed taking into account the individual capabilities of each student. Joint creation of sketches of products, discussion and implementation of them into the material, instills in students a sense of mutual assistance and responsibility for the task, which allows them to complete the task well. In the process of doing work together, students develop artistic taste, the concept of rhythm, light and shade, volume, and be able to see and convey the beauty of the surrounding world through wood materials of the appropriate color and texture.

The essence of the woodcarving training program is aimed at developing artistic taste, developing interest in folk crafts and its preservation.

The purpose of woodcarving is to familiarize students with the traditions of our ancestors in woodworking, develop a love for this artistic craft, teach practical knowledge of woodcarving, and teach them how to make their own creative projects according to the traditions of local craftsmen.

The objectives of wood carving classes are divided into:

Educational:

teach practical wood carving skills
geometric carving techniques
teach how to do individual arts and crafts work
teach how to use carving tools
develop students’ understanding of the folk crafts of the ancestors of our history
explain safety precautions when working with wood;

Educational:

try to develop in the student the ability to draw up simple drawings of wood carving using the traditions of folk crafts
try to develop the artistic taste and general culture of the student’s personality
help develop the skill of evaluating your work;

Educational:

introduce students to the Russian folk culture of our people
cultivate respect for other people and their traditions
cultivate tolerance for different opinions
to cultivate a culture of communication among students.

During woodcarving training, students learn the basic traditional types of artistic carving, learn the technological production of carved wood products and their finishing, become familiar with tools for working with wood and the safety rules for their use.

At the end of the wood carving program, the student should be able to and know:

folk crafts of the territory of our country;
the history of the emergence of folk crafts and territorial features of artistic carving;
the entire manufacturing process of the product;
safety precautions in the classroom/workshop;
tools and equipment necessary for wood carving;
design and defend a creative project;
make drawings from samples of folk crafts;
make an individual composition of the product using wood carving;
turn various crafts on a wood lathe;
know the principles of flat notched carving, slotted carving, sculptural carving;
draw from life and from memory;
hand over the finished project.

Types of wood carving

There are different types of wood carvings. Let's consider the main types used in lessons at school and additional education clubs:

Flat notched or recessed thread.

The essence of this type is that the background is the flat surface of the product being decorated or its workpiece. The pattern is formed by different shapes of the recesses. Depending on the nature and shape of the recesses of the pattern, flat notched carving can be geometric or contour.

Geometric carving is the most ancient type of wood carving. It is carried out in the form of two, three and tetrahedral recesses, forming a pattern of geometric shapes - triangles, squares, circles - on the surface of the product or workpiece. In geometric wood carving there are many techniques for decorating a wooden surface. Geometric carving is not a complex type of carving and does not require the student to have special knowledge in the theory of drawing or a complex set of tools. The advantage of geometric wood carving is the shallow depth of the carved pattern, which does not disturb the overall composition of the product.

Contour carving is characterized by shallow, thin dihedral grooves that run along the entire contour of the design. In contour carving, figurative motifs are used: leaves, animal figures, flowers, birds. This carving is used to make decorative panels on wood. Contour carving requires attention from the student, good command of the tool and good artistic taste.

Flat relief carving.

Flat-relief carving has several varieties:

with dam contour
with pillow background
with a selected, that is, selected contour.

These varieties are united by a low conventional relief located in the same plane at the level of the surface being decorated. Flat-relief carving is a transition from contour to relief carving.

Relief carving.

The essence of relief carving is to trim a flat ornament left on a recessed background and work out the shapes on the surface of this ornament. Relief carving has virtually no surface. The ornament is a relief of different heights. The difference between relief carving is expressiveness and decorativeness.

Slotted carving.

There is no background in the slotted carving. Slotted carving can be done in both flat-relief carving and relief carving. The background of the slotted thread is removed with a chisel or saw. If the background is removed with a saw, then such a thread is considered a sawn thread. Saw threads can be mechanized and this is convenient for use in mass production of furniture. Carved carving with relief ornament - openwork. Carving this type of carving requires great skill. The slotted thread can be glued to a wooden base. Then it is called an invoice or pasted on.

Sculptural or three-dimensional carving.

The essence of this carving is that in it the relief image is partially or completely separated from the background, transforming into a sculpture. Sculptural carvings were used to decorate furniture and interiors. In ancient times, chairs and armchairs were often decorated with figures of strange animals and birds. Miniature wooden sculptures and carved toys belong to three-dimensional carvings.

House carving.

It is mainly used on softwood using an axe, saw and chisel and is used to decorate wooden buildings. According to the technique and character, house carvings can be relief, openwork or three-dimensional. There is an opinion that carved decorations on houses came from ships, hence house carving is often called ship carving.

Blind relief carving.

This is a carving with an uncut (blank) background and a high relief pattern - they decorated the pediments of houses and window frames. This carving clearly depicts foliage scenes with curling steep counter spirals, they are connected together and immediately separated by floral rosettes. Mermaids, lions, and birds can also be depicted in leaf themes.

Tools used for wood carving.

Chisels of various shapes are the main tool for wood carving. They are: flat, straight, semicircular, corners, cranberries, cerasics, jambs. These tools are expensive, so you can make the cutters yourself from drills, chisels, and files. Another important tool is a blunt knife.

Recommended style

Using the Tatyanka style saves time compared to making forms with other types of artistic woodworking related to relief carving. The tool in each specific case is selected taking into account the characteristics of the tree species. As you know, it can be hard or soft. Each of the devices needs to be sharpened well.

The Tatyanka style is multi-layered. Each of the layers is processed in turn, and maintaining quality is important at any stage, otherwise subsequent work loses all meaning. Before reproducing any part, its location and design must be carefully thought out. If an element is cut incorrectly, it cannot be restored.

Products made in this style are quite popular among buyers. Therefore, a master who has mastered this method will never be left without work.

Other methods of working with wood

Let us remind you once again that each carving technique requires an appropriate tool. For example, through carving, the result of which looks voluminous, requires the use of a saw, jigsaw or chisel. This kind of openwork carving is widely used in decorating houses - the relief shape gives additional volume.

In the technique of flat-relief carving, the background is chosen and pillow-shaped.

These days it has become fashionable to create wooden sculptures using a chainsaw. Sculptural carving is one of the most complex of all available artistic woodworking techniques. At the same time, she is very interesting. Having processed the original piece of wood in compliance with the correct proportions, you can realize your idea of turning it into a figurine of an animal or a person. Volumetric details make the sculpture unusually alive.

Another type of artistic wood processing is wood burning. This is also a whole layer of interesting skills and artistic techniques that require a separate story. By burning it is possible to obtain a rich variety of patterns on a variety of subjects.

Wood processing technology

Wood processing technology allows you to achieve different results. If you need to treat or paint a product with stain, it must first be primed. Prime with wood glue, after soaking it in water for a day, then heat it in a water bath to 60 degrees. Using a thick brush, the resulting composition is applied to the surface and left to dry.

To paint products, a small amount of brownish stain is mixed with water-soluble paints to increase the brightness of the shades. To emphasize the play of shadows, the work, while still wet, is blotted with a cloth.

The last stage is the treatment of products with wax, this allows you to reliably protect the wood from dirt and moisture.
Artistic processing of wood products is an amazing skill, a kind of art of decorating surfaces with natural materials. However, with desire, a little creativity and patience, almost anyone can create interesting decorative items. All that remains is to choose the direction that is closest to you, inlay, for example, or turning of savory cups. Currently reading:

Tips for a newbie

Before starting complex work for educational purposes, you should work on some of the simple sketches for carving, familiarize yourself with specialized literature, look at classic diagrams and sketches with their detailed descriptions. It wouldn’t hurt to look into GOST standards for artistic wood processing.

Beginning carvers should start carving small figures with minimal detail. To move on to products of complex shapes and master the art of artistic wood carving, constant hard training will be required.

Decorative wood products include many works created by the hands of craftsmen and artists. The main features that characterize them are high artistic taste, craftsmanship, exclusivity of the author's work and the revelation of the softness, plasticity and color of wood.

Types and properties of wood products

Decorative and artistic wood products decorate the house, giving it comfort and originality. You can make many useful and beautiful things from this material. Wood is often used to create works of fine art, which are represented by sculptures of various shapes and sizes.

Wood products related to decorative and applied arts are, in turn, divided into gifts, souvenirs, jewelry, decorative architectural details and furnishings for residential and public buildings.

Carved decorations

Jewelry carved from wood has long been valued and popular in Rus'. Nowadays, jewelry of this kind also remains quite fashionable and in demand. Jewelry in a set made in the same style, such as a bracelet, earrings and a pendant, looks very beautiful and impressive. You can make a complete set - with brooches, necklaces, belts, rings, hair clips, etc. The main desire of a wood carver when making jewelry should be that the material does not look like metal, plastic, etc.

Wood jewelry can be interesting due to the original shape, finish, natural color and structure of the wood (Fig. 3).

Toys

Making toys from wood has been known since ancient times.

The matryoshka doll, which is popular all over the world and is associated with our culture and history, will forever remain a symbol of Russia.

Sculptural portrait

Recently, a passion for sculptural portraits has become quite widespread. Their creation requires certain skills and experience, as it is a difficult and painstaking task. In order to create a high-quality and professional portrait, it is necessary to become familiar with the concepts of portrait resemblance, human character, his mood and feelings.

Before you start working, it is recommended to make several sketches with different compositions, and then choose the most successful one from them and sculpt a three-dimensional image from plasticine from it.

Sculptural images are varied. This can be a bust, a half-length portrait, a head or a full-length portrait of a person.

Household items and interior decoration

Perhaps the most common group of wood products are household items and interior decoration.

These can be satirical figurines that will serve as an excellent addition to the interior of an apartment or house, as well as boxes (Fig. 4), candlesticks, vases, lamps, dishes, furniture and much more.

Also, doors, windows, grilles, ceilings, wall panels and much more can be made from wood, which gives the house comfort and warmth.

Artistic wood processing: origins and main directions

Since time immemorial, artistic wood processing has been associated exclusively with carpentry and joinery work. Wood was widely used to make tables, windows, doors, etc.

In the modern world, wood processing and furniture manufacturing are carried out in factories equipped with special equipment using developed technological processes.

Wooden boxes

Artistic woodworking is mainly done by amateur carvers. Their work is not related to mass production and implies an individual creative approach, the development of a method for manufacturing and finishing a decorative product.

Carvers search the forest for material, many of them attend exhibitions dedicated to their hobby and study the products of recognized masters.

At the beginning of your creative journey, at the origins of your passion for wood carving, the most important task is to choose a direction. You should not rush with this step, having first determined the range of your own passions and interests.

Wood processing can consist of decorating existing cabinets and shelves at home, creating an original toy from a forest find, etc.

Subject of the image

The subject of the image in wood carving can be a person, a group of people, animals, plants or any artistic images. Also, when making sculptures from wood, craftsmen often try to convey events and phenomena in a symbolic way using plastic means.

The subject of the image in sculpture cannot be photographically accurate, since the basic principles of wood carving are highlighting the main thing, generalizing and emphasizing in the image.

Nevertheless, generalization implies precise knowledge of the features and details of the subject of the image. This is proven by the fact that it is a good knowledge of the subject that makes it possible to highlight the main features in its image, without focusing on random details.

Copying and expediency

Copying already completed known works can be viewed from different perspectives.

On the one hand, copying is necessary in order to gain insight into the many years of experience of Russian masters, as well as to further study various techniques and techniques for working with this material. Copying can be a kind of assistant for the carver to implement his own plans and ideas.

From this point of view, copying is useful, but should be carried out after gaining some experience in wood carving.

On the other hand, copying can become a mindless activity that deprives you of individuality and prevents the emergence of new ideas. In this way, the carver can slow down or stop his own creative growth and development. This especially applies to cases where products of dubious quality are copied.

Artistic generalization

Artistic generalization is a technique in which the carver identifies and highlights the character and main features of the image. The artist excludes all random details, thereby focusing the viewer's attention on important forms. The carver can also enhance the expressiveness of the image he created by adding certain details to the main features.

It would be useful for a novice carver to remember that when making artistic generalizations, the main thing is not to simplify your product.

The main goal is to develop artistic skills.

Exaggeration

Exaggeration is used in all forms of art, and miniature painting is no exception. It consists in exaggerating individual features, phenomena or characters and is aimed at giving greater expressiveness to the artistic image.

Preparing for work

Preparation for work is an important stage in the creativity of a beginning woodcarver. It is recommended to read literature about famous sculptors and artists, which is currently presented in a fairly large assortment.

It is advisable to observe “nature” for some time - the nature of the plasticity of objects, life situations, features of movement, etc.

Before starting work, the carver must select the subject of the image, study it, and supplement the image with photographs, drawings, and descriptions.

Next, the idea and main composition of the product must be worked out in a sketch, molding it, for example, from plasticine or clay. It is also recommended that a novice carver become familiar with or brush up on the basics of descriptive geometry, drawing, sculpting and drawing.

Composition development

Artistic composition is the construction of a work of art, in which the most effective position of details, elements and figures is selected. This way you can focus the audience's attention on the main idea.

The composition consists of a main one, which expresses the main idea of the work, and a subordinate one, which carries an auxiliary semantic load.

The process of developing a composition perfectly develops spatial imagination.

Proportions and rhythm

The composition of a work of art must be harmonious and coordinate the forms, figures, elements and details of the image. The main condition for the correct construction of a composition is the relationship between rhythm, plasticity and proportionality.

Rhythm is the alternation of three or more elements of a composition. Symmetry is created by two identical alternations of this kind. Thus, we can say that the usual alternation in a sequence is called a simple rhythmic structure, and the alternation of a group of elements that create a new grouping is called a complex structure.

Rhythm very often creates the basis of a composition, giving it harmony, precision and clarity. When making artistic products from wood, an arrhythmic structure is allowed, which can create a unique image of the composition.

Plastic also plays an important role in artistic works. It represents the expressiveness of a volumetric form and is displayed in calm or broken lines of circles, directions, etc.

Creating a Sketch

A novice woodcarver needs to create his works on paper first. In this case, many things must be taken into account, including the properties of the material, basic shapes, volume and appearance from all sides.

For more complex compositions, you can develop a three-dimensional sketch made of clay or plasticine. It does not need to be processed in detail, but it is absolutely necessary to take into account the basic shapes and dimensions when making it.

Types of flat-notch processing

It can be geometric, contour, nail-shaped or black-lacquered. Each of these techniques will require its own sketches and a set of tools in the form of a knife and chisel.

The process of creating a carved geometric design consists of cutting out squares, rhombuses, hexagons, etc. at certain angles. If the design is created using circular or triangular grooves, we are talking about the contour carving technique. If the surface is coated with black paint or varnish before starting work, the finished drawing will look unusually impressive.

Master's workplace

If you decide to work using the Tatyanka technique or any other of the above, you will need a wooden plane with a flat surface. This could be a workbench, table, window sill or even a stool. A table or workbench is preferable because it is heavy and has a wooden top.

If the table is polished, you can cover it with a piece of plywood or a drawing board. This protects the tool from damage in case of accidental failure. Linden blanks are quite soft on their own; it is customary to rest them against something hard.

The woodcarver's workplace requires good natural lighting or artificial lighting with a wide spectrum. This is due to the painstaking nature of the work and increased requirements for accuracy and precision. Ideally, a table with a lamp should be located next to the window.

The educational board for the work process needs constant moisture. The required humidity is about 12-15%. You can moisten the board in advance by washing its ends.

Carving material

The wood used for the carving process must have a smooth, even surface without knots or other flaws. If you deliberately take a tree with knots, then in the process of work you can play with them artistically and create a decorative composition based on them.

An excellent material for creating wooden compositions (especially in the Tatyanka style) is linden. This type of wood is easy to cut in any direction, making it ideal for novice carvers. When choosing a board, pay attention to its end. Using it, you can select a sample of dense, homogeneous and not loose wood.

It is best to choose a board cut from the edge of the log, close to the bark. In this case, the layers are placed hollow relative to its surface. This board is easy to cut. If it is necessary to take a break between stages of work, it is not worthwhile to moisten the educational board by wrapping it in a wet cloth or placing it in a damp bag, since the appearance and proliferation of a variety of bacteria is possible, followed by darkening of the board and the formation of mold.

It is best to store such boards in rooms where there is no heating, for example, in barns, entryways, bathhouses, on balconies and loggias. It is not recommended to store study material in the bathroom, basement, refrigerator or in the sun.

Which tool is better?

There is a special tool for the Tatyanka style with parameters designed to work with plastic wood. If your instrument is homemade or factory-made, it may be of little use due to mismatches in size and other parameters.

Working with unsuitable types of cutters greatly complicates the process of learning to carve and reduces its effectiveness. The first simple educational ornaments are made using the most common student set, consisting of chisels No. 6 and No. 17 (semicircular of medium diameter) and a jamb knife. The blade of semicircular chisels in cross section looks like part of a circle. If you place such a tool with its end on the board and then rotate it around its axis, the blade closes the circle, cutting through the wood.

An important quality of a chisel that allows you to make deep cuts is maneuverability. A joint knife is one of the main tools. The name comes from the shape of the blade with an oblique cut. Its size is usually suitable for medium-sized hands.