If you have been watching college basketball's March Madness, you have probably come across some commercials featuring former NBA player Allen Iverson. The commercials portray a parody of a press conference during his NBA career when he was criticized
by his coach for missing a practice. Needless to say, he thought that missing one practice was being blown out of proportion.
This reminded me of all the practices I attended during my school years, as well as the dance practices I took my daughter to during her school years. Although practicing was never as enjoyable as the games, competitions, or recitals, I do remember the significant improvement gained from those practices. Those
improvements are a good reminder that the same can be true of chip carving. Progress takes time and effort, and consistent practice can lead to great results.
This leads me to a saying from a dance instruction video I bought for my daughter. The dance instructor in the video was named Bella Dancerella, and Bella would always end each lesson by saying, “Practice makes your good, better, and your better,
best!”
As corny as that line was, it's always stayed with me! Even though it's not always at the top of my to-do list, I often find myself practicing project patterns before doing the actual project. It helps me identify the potential trouble spots, as well as come up with a game plan on how I’m going to approach different cuts.
Do you make time for practicing, or do you just go straight from one project to the next? Let me know at troy@mychipcarving.com
Monthly Project for March:
Pencil/Candle Box!
Watchthe short video below to see it being carved!
Do you want to carve one for yourself, or a gift??
Troy, My youngest son graduated from the University of Dayton. Dayton, Ohio. The church on campus has these amazing stained glass windows which I thought, parts of them, would make wonderful patterns for chip carvings. Just thought I would pass this along.
Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed the pictures - they are beautiful stained glass windows. I agree that parts would make wonderful patterns. I'll be keeping them in mind.
Did Someone Say Practice?
The Deliberate Practice Course may be what you're looking for!
I prefer a balance of positive and negative images, carved and uncharted patterns. I almost never do jam packed patterns because I prefer and view less cluttered patterns as more artistic. (IMO!) I
think every carver should try something simple like a seeds of life pattern and carve it several different ways. Each appears different, depending on what you have chosen to highlight (or lift from the background.
Regards,
Jim
Examples of a Seeds of Life pattern:
Thanks for your reply! I agree with you on pattern selection. While I can appreciate and admire the talent and technical execution required to carve a jam-packed pattern, I just don't find them as artistically pleasing to look at. As you also stated, it is an opinion, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing those patterns if it's what they enjoy. I also like your suggestion to carve a seeds of life pattern in
several different ways because of the number of variations.
Want to practice and create some cool carvings, too!
