Vases are my daughters. When I conceive them on a blank sheet of paper with a pencil in my hands and tenderness in my heart, I surrender to my father's dreams of their happy fate. I believe they will give joy, causing admiring glances of fans. They will be loved.
How, then, from a piece of log are born beloved “daughters” that evoke such exalted feelings? As a rule, artists do not like to dedicate outsiders to the mystery of the birth of beauty. But Mikhail Bibichkov, with the help of a camera that he knows as well as a cutter, gives an almost exhaustive answer to this question.
Where to begin? If you have a good spatial imagination, then you just need to make several sketches in different projections. If the image of the "unborn child" eludes you, try to mold plasticine model. So, the model suits you. Then, having prepared the tool, we get to work.
Wet wood is easier to cut. Moreover, wet - does not mean living. Even a tree cut or fallen from the wind for a long time maintains high humidity on the street. If you have stocked a raw tree and cannot immediately process it, make a “thermos” for it. Without removing the bark, paint the ends with varnish, wrap in several layers of paper or rags so that the tree “breathes”, but with difficulty. The thicker and harder the logs, the slower it should dry. Cracks appear because the core dries out more slowly than the periphery. Fig. 1.
If the workpiece is large, use a saw and hatchet (light and sharp) to remove excess weight. In this case, remember, the larger the size, the more difficult the struggle with a dull wooden mass for harmony. Resist the temptation to finish the vase with just one ax. Even in capable hands, this is a pretty crude tool. Switch to the chisel and mallet in time. Fig. 2.
Which wood species is better: soft or hard? A dense tree (apple tree, juniper) is usually more plastic, it is cut without chips, glistens on a cut, but requires some preparation. For beginners, I would advise soft breeds (linden, aspen, willow, thuja, pine). The surface of these species is not so spectacular, but it can be sanded and tinted to look like solid solid wood. Fig. 3.
Drawing wood on a polished cut (texture) can be an additional expressive tool. Bright texture of pine, oak, larch, juniper. It is good for concise forms. If you conceived an intricate design, then it is better to take a plain plain tree - linden, birch, aspen, willow, beech, mahogany. Fig. 4.
On decorative vases, both rough and cultural (without burrs and burrs) cutting is appropriate. You can combine different types of surfaces. But with the seeming simplicity, cutting, creating a rough texture, requires experience and taste from the cutter, so as not to look messy. But what if you accidentally chopped off an “extra” piece? Glue the splinter with PVA glue. Your flaw will be inconspicuous. Fig. 5.
The last operation is tinting a vase. Some people like shiny surfaces. I'm closer matte or with a barely noticeable shine. To get this effect, I coat the vases with wax or linseed oil. This treatment emphasizes the natural color and texture of the tree, protects against pollution.
Carved wooden vase can be an independent decoration of the interior. If you conceived it as a vessel for flowers, then it should not compete with the beauty of the bouquet. There is no point in jamming honey with jam. Fig. 6.
Of course, you can live without this vase. How can you live without many other beautiful things. Is it only worth it?