Hingst's Sign Post: Creating Depth and Realism in Relief Carvings

By Jim Hingst

The Techniques of Grinling Gibbons

A key challenge in sculpting a relief carving is creating the illusion of three dimensional space. Too often even the most intricate carvings can appear flat. Artists of all types have struggled to achieve the illusion of depth and realism.

One artist, who could bring his woodcarvings to life, was Grinling Gibbons, a master carver, who worked in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Often referred to as England’s Michelangelo, Gibbons revolutionized the art of woodcarving with his innovative techniques. His naturalistic style has influenced many of the best carvers today. None of these craftsmen, however, have surpassed his artistry. Gibbons’ greatest contribution to woodcarving was his layering technique.

Many of the techniques, which Gibbons employed in his sculptures, can help you in your relief carving designs. These techniques, which I describe in this story, can help you create greater depth, realism and drama in your relief carvings.

Overlapping.

Before the Renaissance painters had codified the techniques of linear perspective, artists used overlapping design elements to give their works a sense of depth. By placing one design element on top of another, you create a sense of depth in the composition.

Layering.

Grinling Gibbons took overlapping one step further. Layering is a variation of the overlapping technique. What Gibbons did was to carve different sections of the work separately. He would combine the sections using glue and nails. This allowed him to carve both the front and back of each section. It also provided him with a way to create very ornately carved constructions of flowers, fruits, sea creatures and game birds.

Grinling Gibbons created the woodcarving shown above for the apartments of King William III at Hampton Court Palace. (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, PD-1923.)

Carving Depth

By varying the carving depth, you can enhance the composition’s depth of field. To create a sense of spatial depth, you should carve design elements at a greater depth than those in the background.

Varying the carving depth is similar to a technique that Leonardo Da Vinci used in painting. This technique was called “sfumato” meaning smoky. Using glazes to create a hazy or smoky effect, Leonardo subdued the background softening colors and the outlines of forms. You can create a similar effect in relief carving. Carving using very shallow cuts helps create the illusion of distance between foreground and background.

In The Crucifixion, (shown below) Gibbons heighten the sense of depth in the way he depicted the characters in the foreground compared to the lightly carved clouds.

In c.1671 Grinling Gibbons carved The Crucifixion, which is now housed in Dunham Massey Hall in Cheshire England. (Photograph by Mike Peel, www.mikepeel.net).

Contrast

The degree of contrast that the sculptor in depicting the individual design elements also provides the viewer with visual cues regarding the distance between these objects and the viewer. Objects portrayed with greater contrast between highlight and shadow are perceived as being closer. Conversely, objects with less contrast appear farther away.

Size Variation

Larger forms appear closer, while smaller objects appear farther away. By varying the size of design elements in your composition, you can add depth to a carved design as well as separating forms in the foreground from those in the background.

Light and Shadow

When a woodcarving accentuates the contrast of light and shadow, it is usually most visually impactful. By employing undercutting and layering techniques in his woodcarving, Gibbons heightened the depth and dramatic presentation in his compositions.

To further enhance the contrast in a carving, you can also finish your work with a colored wax as I describe in my stories: Paste Wax: the Finishing Touch and Thinning Paste Wax for Easier Application.

Undercutting

Grinling Gibbons employed the technique of “undercutting” to accentuate the contrast between highlight and shadow in his work. This contrast created deeper shadows for a more dramatic presentation. NOTE: Read my story on Undercutting to Create Drama in Relief Carvings.

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.

Because low relief by its very nature is shallow, creating separation between two layers or two design elements is critical in producing the illusion of depth. Sharply cut edges or slight undercutting create shadow lines emphasizing distinct layers and defining forms. V-parting gouges and veiners are useful in achieving these well defined edges.

Linear Perspective

The ancient Greeks and Romans may had some understanding of the geometry of perspective and how to use it to create the illusion of depth. But it was not until the Renaissance, that painters formalized these concepts. Apprenticing under, Artus Quellinus the Elder, the foremost Baroque sculptor in Amsterdam, Grinling Gibbons was schooled in the principles of perspective and the artistic conventions of the day.

Gibbons employed these techniques in the woodcarving portraying the Stoning of St. Stephen shown below. Note how he depicts the buildings using linear perspective lines, which converge upon a vanishing point. These lines lead the viewer’s eye to the background, providing him or her with a sense of depth.

Decorative carving by Grinling Gibbons depicting the Stoning of St. Stephen. (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, PD-1923.)

The amount of textural detail can also provide a visual cue, suggesting pictorial depth. Design elements in the foreground should be sculpted with greater detail than those elements in the background.

Positioning

How you arrange your composition also suggests to depth to the viewer. Viewers perceive those design elements positioned higher in the viewing plane as being further in distance than those elements lower positioned lower. In the crucifixion scene, the tree on the horizon line is understood as being furthest away.

Color

Some carvers paint their carvings. Color can also add to the sense of depth. I am sure that you have heard that cool colors such as blue and green recede into the background, whereas warm colors, such as red and yellow, advance toward the viewer. With that knowledge, you can paint your carvings to provide a more realistic display. In fact, painting your carvings was a traditional in England prior to the work of Gibbons.

Grinling Gibbons, however, being trained in The Netherlands, did not paint his carvings, which was the tradition on the continent. The Northern Europeans regarded painted carving as being vulgar or commonplace.

Whether you use color or not for your carvings will depend on your personal taste and application. For exterior sign applications, carved signage should always be painted in my opinion. Not only does color sell, but it also protects the wood from the elements. For artistic creations, in which you will want to let the beauty of the wood to show through, varnish and waxes, is a more popular choice.

Conclusion

In the field of woodcarving, no one has equaled the virtuosity of England’s preeminent carver, Grinling Gibbons. His realistic and intricate carvings displayed his craftsmanship. But his composition and innovative techniques have elevated his work to fine art. For more information about this remarkable artist, I suggest reading the books written by David Esterly, who is the leading authority on Grinling Gibbons.

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 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published. Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon.

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Creating Depth and Realism in Relief Carvings