Stiller Designs - Quality Wood Carving

Changes

2009-10-27T07:18:00.004Z

I have decided to move this blog to fit in better with my website.

You will find it at www.stillerdesigns.co.uk/blog

I hope you will join us there!

On location in Parkwood

2009-09-14T10:34:00.001+01:00

Having been for a quick walk in the woods yesterday I suddenly realised that it might be a good location for a shoot of my current range of work.

So here we are this morning taking pictures of wood in the middle of the wood!

Pictures (depending on what they turn out like) to be posted later.

Exhibition Stand

2009-09-13T22:44:00.005+01:00

We made a slight detour after we delivered yesterday and didn't get back till late, so no post yesterday.

But as promised I have dug out the pictures I took as I built up my stand at The Sussex Guild show at Pashley Manor Gardens over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August.

The system that I ended up using was suggested to me by another member of the guild and worked incredibly well. Below is the first image showing the stand as it was first put together on Friday morning.

I decided that I did not want to have the MDF used as the final finish for the screens so I had worked out beforehand that I would cover the screens once built with wallpaper as I had run out of time to paint them.

Below is the result of the 3 hours it took me to wallpaper the screens. It looks a lot better in the picture than it did in real life and I thought I had completely wasted my time and was close to panicking. I also realised that the screen was not big enough for the allocated space and I went back to the workshop that evening and made some more frames but I did not have any more MDF boards to cover them. As the frames were going to be hung from chains from the top of the boards I thought it would not matter too much.

My next thought was the covering as I was really unhappy with the papering, the next quickest thing would be fabric, unfortunately I could not get back to the fabric shop I use before it closed. Then I remembered that I had some fabric at home, it took me quite a while to iron the fabric pieces without knowing whether they would be enough to cover the screens.

When I got back to the stand on Saturday morning I tried out the fabric and found out that the lighter velvet fabric was too short when hung lengthwise, but as I had 4 pieces I hoped they would work hung sideways which is what you see below.

This ended up looking a bit straggly but there was nothing to do as it was time for the show to open. On Sunday morning I rearranged the pinning of the fabric and I feel it was a lot better. The two photos below show the stand on the final day with the two frames I finished over the weekend on show. The third frame that I carved has since been glued together and is awaiting finishing.

I still think there is more work to be done before my next Guild show at Hurstpierpoint at the beginning of November, mainly with the fabric covering.

I'm hoping that the weather tomorrow will be good and I can get some pictures of the frames so that I can update my website.

A bit of a while

2009-09-11T23:54:00.001+01:00

Its been a bit of a while since my last post I've been rather busy what with the Sussex Guild Show over the Bank Holiday weekend and a rather large frame carving job which I've had my head down trying to complete.

I've just completed the frame carving job and after delivery tomorrow I'll get back on here to post some pictures I took of my stand at the Sussex Guild show.

Time for sleep now I think!

Enough hours in the day?

2009-08-22T23:38:00.001+01:00

Or is it just a case of not using them wisely enough?

My first show with the Sussex Guild is coming up next weekend (at Pashley Manor) hence all the talk about stands and the like. I have an awful lot to get done this week and I don't think I have enough hours available.

I know that I am easily distracted, to say the least, but I do get things done. I am getting better at scheduling (horrible word!) my time and putting tasks into blocks, I still underestimate the time I need for things.

One solution I have learned recently is to do things as I go along and not just leave them all to build up and become MASSIVE tasks.

I would love to know if anyone out there would want the wish fairy to bring more hours in the day, or just organise the time we have better?

A long stand

2009-08-04T14:54:00.000+01:00

I think that I have a good basic idea of what my stand will look like thanks to a meeting I had this morning.

I just have to refine a few things and also decide whether to paint/paper/something else the boards.

All these decisions for such an indecisive person!

So far I'm managing to stick to my plan of action which I'm really pleased about. I also have an idea for the first piece of work so I'll get it drawn up this afternoon and source the wood needed.
Hopefully it will be well under way/complete by the weekend.

Site update up and running

2009-07-19T22:39:00.003+01:00

Its finally working, had a few days where the images wouldn't load and I couldn't figure out why, the solution seemed to be to delete the whole directory on the server and then put it back on again. Don't ask me why as I haven't got a clue!

Now that it is working I can do a bit more work on the text on the site.

Lots of carving to be done this week so hopefully some updates on that side of things to come soon.

Been a bit of a week

2009-07-11T22:18:00.006+01:00

The last 7 days have been a bit of a trial. My mum fell last weekend and broke her hip so most of this week has been taken up with hospital visits and general worrying. She is home now but needs a lot of care, it is very painful.

On a more positive note I presented my work to The Sussex Guild on Wednesday evening in the hope of being accepted as a guild member. The most nervous I have been in a long time, extra stress on top of all the stress with mum's leg and everything, I nearly didn't go.

Good job I did go as I received a letter on Friday morning letting me know that I have been accepted as a provisional member for the next year. FANTASTIC!

Things should be a little easier now that mum is home and I don't have to travel to the hospital each day. That and my sister is arriving from France on Monday so that I can go to the workshop and work without worrying.

So lots of work to catch up on next week!

My new website is nearly up and ready, I have the images and the site design all I need now is the text to go on the site. I think I'm nearly there so it should be up and running this week. I'll let you know here as soon as it goes live.

Its only words

2009-06-30T20:49:00.004+01:00

So I thought it was about time I put some of the other bits of stuff I am working on on here, if you see what I mean.

This is a commission I am working on for a housing development based on the seafront. They have a very beach feel to the development and a lot of these reclaimed sea defence planks as a part of the landscaping. The planks come from the Hastings and Bexhill Wood Recycling Project.

This plank is one of four with various lettering on them, I will post more pictures of them as I get them completed.

I have no clue what this wood is but beneath the worn away outer 'shell' it is bright orange! Fascinating.

Gosh its been a long time!

2009-06-20T23:24:00.004+01:00

I didn't realise how long its been since I posted an object to this blog.

10 days is a long time, thats what you get for getting a bunch of work in all at the same time (and also discovering a curiosity for woodcuts and monotypes!!). Maybe I should post some images of my printing here aswell, something to think about anyways.

Just to let you know that I am still continuing with this plan I just have not had a lot of time recently, and paid work always comes first.

Hope to be back in a couple of days with some new work.

Minor hiccups!

2009-06-10T22:30:00.004+01:00

It was a strange old day for weather today. Drizzly all day mainly, so no long walks or walking too or from work, but we did manage to get out when the drizzle let up for a short while.

The minor hiccups I refer to in the title of the post are a couple of small incidents that occured while carving the shape of Neville. The back foot was shortened by the gouge going all the way through the wood, no mean achievement when it is 3cm thick but not what was wanted today. As you can see the foot is so short that it does not provide the balance.

Instead Neville balances on his belly and the bottom tentacle, which shows the other minor hiccup that took place, while being sanded the end of the tentacle popped off and flew across the workshop. The tentacle ended up being a lot shorter but luckily the piece still balances nicely on it!

Rainy, rain, rain

2009-06-08T23:31:00.004+01:00

Oh how it rained this afternoon, we were most upset the apprentice and I that we couldn't walk home this evening, at least it was nice on the way to work this morning.

For some reason Del here looks a lot thicker than the others of the same thickness (3cm) not sure if its a carved illusion or a camera illusion. I think it depends on which photo you look at!

I have also discovered today that the piece doesn't only have to rest on the lowest tentacle, it can also rest on the one above depending on how it is carved.

It is amazing the freedom working this again and again is giving, I already have ideas for the next few pieces!

Meet Arnolds brother.....

2009-06-06T23:07:00.004+01:00

So today I tried the Arnold outline again, and I managed to get it to stand up unaided - Yay!

Meet Ace. He took a little longer to create as the tentacles overlap and make the cleaning kinda difficult. I made very sure that the back foot and the resting place on the bottom tentacle were inline to enable the proper balance of the piece.

He is made from Jelutong, 16cm long and 3cm thick carved and then sanded.

A little skewy

2009-06-05T22:56:00.006+01:00

Dave yesterday inspired me to cut more into the insides of of the main part of the 'body' of the piece.

Meet Arnold, he is the piece for today. Things went a little skewy with him, I was getting carried away with carving the tentacles and managed to carve away slightly too much and now Arnold will not stand upright without leaning against something, so I present him laying down preparing to crawl away.

I am a little annoyed as at one point he did stand up and looked really quite good so I think I'll have to try again and pay a little more notice to getting him to stand up properly. So I'll use the same thickness at 3cm and try again! Maybe tomorrow and maybe another day.

Arnold is not the piece I started the other day, that one is still in progress. I have discovered that it is much thicker than any piece I have made previously and it is providing lots of decision making so it is taking me longer than I anticipated.

Dave

2009-06-04T22:46:00.003+01:00

So now I have two pieces on the go today, the one I started yesterday (as yet with no name and still unfinished) and this one which I did manage to complete - Yay!

I have for various reasons decided that he is a Dave, I believe at some point that Dave may become a series of Daves (not sure that the grammar is right or not!) but for the moment he is a single.

He is slightly wider than Flynn at roughly 2cm although exactly the same profile size. I just had the urge to cut through completely from the outside edge to the inner. I think that it works very well and there is plenty of room for experimentation.

Busy start to June

2009-06-03T22:15:00.003+01:00

Its been a busy couple of days finishing and delivering work which left very little time to get any pieces done for my cunning plan.

I did manage to get one started today but didn't manage to get it finished what with everything else going on (and forgot to take any progress shots to post!). So it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

One week and still going!

2009-05-31T22:34:00.005+01:00

Hottest day so far since I started this! Day 7 and still the ideas are flowing.

I decided to try something a little different today, rather than take away the outside of the line to cut down inside the line instead. Meet Doug, he is 16cm long, made from Jelutong and just over 1cm thick. Thing is I think that it only works when standing on edge as the shadows are needed to help define the shape, this is a good case for some sort of colouring either on the flat or within the depression, a thought for future days. Or maybe a deeper piece of wood so that the carving is deeper which might help with the shadow casting. Revolving the piece round its four edges changes the design completely - something else to consider.

Isn't it amazing what you can use a planar for?!?

2009-05-30T19:22:00.004+01:00

I think the days are just getting hotter and hotter, the workshop was quite cool until I had to open the big door to get some wood in. Luckily there was a slight breeze so at least the hot air circulated! And I've noticed quite a few ants around the front of the workshop so thats something to keep an eye on, I don't want a little colony setting up out there.

Speaking of animals, nice little link there even if I say so myself, todays piece is called Noah. Still using the same size profile though a little thicker than Cedric and Otto I think he looks completely different and as though he is about to crawl off into the distance!

The photo today looks slightly different as rather than using the boards I have used on the previous days I put Noah onto the planar, hence todays title, and the reflections that were produced in some of the other photographs I took are something to think about. Maybe a mirrored surface in the future?

Holey Moley

2009-05-29T23:06:00.007+01:00

Another beautiful day of sunshine, lucky for me that my workshop is quite cool inside and on such a lovely day I don't even need to turn on the lights as the sun takes care of all the lighting for me. Just a bit of a breese so that it was not unbearably hot either.

Today produced Otto, he is in the same dimensions as Cedric being quite thin, and the same wood. I feel that he works better being along the same lines as Flynn from day one.

Although Otto is from the same width of timber as Cedric the difference in the carving produces such a different effect, in fact I think that he looks thicker than Cedric, but that could just be me!
Again another load of follow up ideas have suggested themselves from this piece. I'm not sure which way I will go tomorrow, I'll wait and see what inspiration tomorrow brings.

On a completely different note I had an email that I sent in published on the letters page, The Forum, of 'British Woodworking Magazine' June/July issue and they even suggest that readers visit my website, how cool is that?

My email was about an article they printed on picture framing, me being a maker of bespoke hand carved picture frames and all, and how they concentrated on one side of framing, that of the fast framer, and a suggestion that they might like to cover the side of framing that I do. Basically I create the frame from scratch, taking a plank of wood, making the moulding, the frame and so on. A lot of people cannot see the difference between this and framing where the moulding is bought in in large amounts and stapled across the corner. To see the difference in what I do have a look at my website www.stillerdesigns.co.uk

Sunny shine shines

2009-05-28T22:34:00.004+01:00

Such a different day today weather wise, I know I sound like I'm obsessed with the weather, but I'm not really its just that yesterday was so wet and windy and today was so very hot I find it strange and just a little odd. Also when it rains we don't get to walk to work, whereas when its dry we do and it seems to make a lot of difference to the day.

But weather aside; todays subject is Cedric, he is a lot thinner than the first three at about 1.5cm, yet still the same size profile and length at 16cm, and using Jelutong.

I'm not too sure about Cedric, he has a little movement across his length but something is not quite right.

He was also not inspiring to photograph as the finish is a little too smooth, which has never been a problem before, maybe its the slight bulging. The surface is something that can be addressed, I think this could be a good candidate for making a batch of similar types of object and trying some different surface finishes, even colouring or painting or similar. Although first I think I should maybe try a few different ways of shaping at this thickness and see whether it is the thickness or shape that is bothering me the most - more decisions to be made!

I'll wait to see what the weather will be like tomorrow!

Wet n windy

2009-05-27T22:32:00.005+01:00

Today was so wet and windy that it was good to be inside the workshop!

With Frederick here I used the same size and shape of profile, type and depth of wood but went for an approach I have tried before with another profile, that of scooping out the 'body'. This time I left the tendrils floating in the air rather than touching the ground making the whole piece balance on the body. It seems very shell like to me.

One bonus of this process that I didn't anticipate was the photos that I am taking once the item is carved, shooting from lots of angles is creating lots of forward ideas!

Day Two

2009-05-26T21:15:00.002+01:00

Meet today's candidate Horace.

Again he is made from Jelutong and is approximately 16cm long by 6cm tall.

Second day in and things are still going well (well why wouldn't they after only 2 days!!). At the moment I'm sticking to the same wood and the same size of piece, thickness especially. It is amazing how much more substantial Horace looks than Flynn just by not carving the hole in the middle.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the next time brings!

I have a cunning plan

2009-05-25T23:05:00.001+01:00

I am indecisive to say the least and to a large extent I feel it affects the work I produce (the work that is from my own design not when I work to samples as for the traditional picture frames I make). Initial ideas are not a problem for me, I would liken it to an ideas firework being let loose in my head, the only problem is noting down all the flashes of inspiration quickly enough before they dissipate.

Coming up with a proposed profile from the visual research I undertake is not a problem, converting it into the third dimension is where it all starts. So many decisions to be made each debated and thought about before being attempted, slowing me down considerably. Sometimes even afraid to move onwards in case I have made the 'wrong' decision and it ends badly.

In a bid to combat this difficulty and expand my horizons I have a new plan, a 'cunning one' if you like.

I will take the same starting profile, a ground hog profile, each day and see where the inspiration takes me. Making/producing/carving without having the pressure of a highly defined end result.

Part of the process is seeing whether returning time and again to the same starting point will make things easier for me or more difficult. How long will the inspiration last? Will removing the element of 'this is the only one so get it right' speed up my thought process? Will each piece become more or less precious?

I will post here every day/every other day the result of that particular day so that I have an ongoing documentation of what I am achieving, and I hope to archive it on my website as well. I have set a first goal of 100 days, when I reach this I'll decide whether to stop or carry on further. My ultimate aim is to arrange an exhibition of the pieces produced, though where this will be I'm not yet sure.

So as I start this challenge wish me luck!!

I present my first days effort below.

His name is Flynn, he is made from Jelutong and is approximately 16cm long and 6cm tall.