Relief-carving differs from the chip work in that the ornament is raised instead of being cut in. Solid relief-carving, such as appears on panels, box-covers, and furniture, is produced either by cutting the background away or by carving the ornament separately and then gluing it onto the surface of the article to be decorated. Of course, this latter process is only a makeshift, and the first method is the really artistic one.
It is best to begin with something simple and then go on to the more complicated forms of ornamental work. A neat pattern for a long panel is shown in Fig. 18 A. This panel is twelve inches long and four and a half inches wide.
Fig. 18 A.
On a smooth piece of paper draw one-half of the design and transfer it to the wood, as described for the chip-carved panel. Clamp the wood to a corner of the bench and, with a small wooden mallet and both firmer and gouge-chisels, cut down on the lines and into the face of the wood. Then, with the gouges and grounding-tool, cut away the background to a depth of one-eighth of an inch or more, until a result is obtained similar to that shown in Fig. 18 B. The entire design and edge of the panel will then be in relief, but its surface will be flat and consequently devoid of artistic feeling. With the flat and extra flat gouge-chisels begin to carve some life into the ornament. A little practice will soon enable the young craftsman to observe which parts should be high and which should be low. The intermediate surfaces should be left neutral, or between high and low relief. This finishing process depends for its effect upon the good taste and feeling of the craftsman; it is the quality that gives artistic beauty and meaning to the work. The panel, when completed, should have the appearance shown in Fig. 18 C.
Fig. 18 B.
As already stated, the general effect of relief-carving may be also obtained through the “applied” method, a simpler and less tedious process, but neither so artistic nor so substantial.
Fig. 18 C.