With the basic lamp and the reservoir done, the next step is to rough in the embellishment.
I wanted an image of a dragon right out of a medieval manuscript. For this, I cannot recommend Pinterest or Google Images highly enough. I know in the past Pinterest has not been considered a particularly reputable source--one thinks mostly of manic brides and foodies in search of recipes when the name is mentioned.
But I find that this is rapidly changing. More and more historians and medieval artisans are accessing Pinterest, with the result that we find more images that are cited and linked to museums or papers. And if you do encounter an image with no information attached, it's still typically only a matter of time before looking at "Images Similar To This" will take you to the information you're looking for.
The image I settled on was this one. I was especially interested in finding an image that was horizontally oriented and which would be simple to modify.
I like this little guy because he has a friendly, cat-like face and is pretty simple in terms of his body shape. Because soapstone is so soft, it is often frustrating to find that crisp detail is difficult to achieve, and this dragon is basic enough that I can add texture and detail to create some visual complexity and contrast.
I scratched out the basic outline using a pencil and an embossing tool. These are easily removed--erased--with a few swipes of a rasp or riffler if you make a mistake or decide you want to make changes. When satisfied with the overall dimensions, I traced the outline with a small chisel. I concentrated on removing the stone around the dragon, so as to cast the design in bas relief. At this stage, I was only interested in the silhouette and none of the interior details. After about three hours, the lamp looked like this.
I wanted an image of a dragon right out of a medieval manuscript. For this, I cannot recommend Pinterest or Google Images highly enough. I know in the past Pinterest has not been considered a particularly reputable source--one thinks mostly of manic brides and foodies in search of recipes when the name is mentioned.
But I find that this is rapidly changing. More and more historians and medieval artisans are accessing Pinterest, with the result that we find more images that are cited and linked to museums or papers. And if you do encounter an image with no information attached, it's still typically only a matter of time before looking at "Images Similar To This" will take you to the information you're looking for.
The image I settled on was this one. I was especially interested in finding an image that was horizontally oriented and which would be simple to modify.
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| Dragon, Guirard des Moulins, Bible historical, Paris, first quarter of the 14th C, BNF Department des Manuscripts Francais, Folio 239 |
I scratched out the basic outline using a pencil and an embossing tool. These are easily removed--erased--with a few swipes of a rasp or riffler if you make a mistake or decide you want to make changes. When satisfied with the overall dimensions, I traced the outline with a small chisel. I concentrated on removing the stone around the dragon, so as to cast the design in bas relief. At this stage, I was only interested in the silhouette and none of the interior details. After about three hours, the lamp looked like this.
Rather than letting the tail curl underneath as in the source material, I extended it around the lamp's corner, and gave it a decorative loop (below).
From here, I will remove stone from around the edges of the dragon, sharpening the image by undercutting it slightly. At the same time, I will continue to even out the lamp generally with rifflers. When I feel I have achieved this to my satisfaction, it is time to start on details on the dragon's face, wings and paws.
In the next blog, I will show you my progress and also how to repair a soapstone project when an accident occurs. It doesn't happen often, but it's good to know.
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