Learn how to use “undercutting” in relief carving for a more dramatic presentation...
Ever since the days of Grinling Gibbons, woodcarvers have employed the technique of “undercutting” to accentuate the contrast between highlight and shadow in their work. Gibbons was a master carver, who worked in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. He frequently used undercutting in his woodcarvings to create deeper shadows for a more dramatic presentation, as shown in the photo below.
NOTE: Read Creating Depth and Realism in Relief Carvings to learn more about the carving techniques of Grinling Gibbons.
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| From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository |
If
you haven’t heard this term before, undercutting refers to the removal of wood
under the edge of an element in a relief carving. While some will caution against the practice
of undercutting, because it weakens the wood along the undercut edge, nothing
creates more drama in a carving.
A
chip carving knife is a valuable tool in cutting along an edge. See the photo
below. You can also use a #2 gouge for undercutting. But be careful not to take too much wood at
once or you could damage the edge. Taking smaller slices of wood might be a
safer approach.
In
the Art Nouveau design pictured below, the shadows created heighten the
definition among the tightly packed elements of the carving. It also makes
these elements appear more three dimensional.
To clean out the debris under the edge, there are some specialty tools
manufactured by Ashley Isles specifically designed for this task. These tools are available from Tools for Working Wood
in Brooklyn. For cleanup work spoon gouges are also great for getting into
tight spots.
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| Spoon gouges are great for cleaning out the debris in tight spaces. |
Undercutting
is much more useful than merely creating shadows. It also helps create the
illusion of depth in a scene (shown in the photos below), by separating design elements in the foreground
from those in the background.
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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.
© 2015 Jim Hingst
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