Chalk carving
Encyclopedia
Chalk carving is essentially carving
in chalk
. This article covers some methods, types of chalk, tools used and the benefits (and ramifications) of this material.
The benefits of this material are also its drawbacks. Its main benefit, its softness, makes it very easy to manipulate. This is also a serious disadvantage, however, as chalk structures tend to be very delicate. This material is also extremely brittle and dusty. However it is cheap, readily available, easy to work with the simplest of tools, and able to hold a reasonable amount of detail.
The main types of chalk, for the purposes of the carver, are processed and non-processed (natural). Processed chalk has several advantages over natural chalk; it is softer, more consistent and comes ready finished in neat cylinders of varying sizes. However, natural chalk is available in more interesting shapes, the size is not limited, and it holds detail better.
Tools for chalk carving are numerous. In fact any small file, stone carving equipment (no mallet is needed), and even needles can be used. Some of the best hand carving equipment are an etching needle, a selection of small files, and a miniature carving tool designed for soapstone
.
The methods are very simple. Once the carver has a feel for the material, it is possible to construct fairly complex shapes, and make figurative work. It is possible to coat the chalk in button polish to produce a finish.
Chalk is considered by seasoned stone carvers as one of the most difficult of stones to shape, as the material may literally powder away in your hands, if you are not delicate with the handling.
1. Using a single chalk
In this case we use a single chalk to carve an item. This can be face of a celebrity, tool, or other small object.
2. Using multiple chalks
Using multiple chalks we can create beautiful monuments. here are few examples
Stone carving
Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, evidence can be found that even the earliest societies indulged in some form of stone work....
in chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
. This article covers some methods, types of chalk, tools used and the benefits (and ramifications) of this material.
The benefits of this material are also its drawbacks. Its main benefit, its softness, makes it very easy to manipulate. This is also a serious disadvantage, however, as chalk structures tend to be very delicate. This material is also extremely brittle and dusty. However it is cheap, readily available, easy to work with the simplest of tools, and able to hold a reasonable amount of detail.
The main types of chalk, for the purposes of the carver, are processed and non-processed (natural). Processed chalk has several advantages over natural chalk; it is softer, more consistent and comes ready finished in neat cylinders of varying sizes. However, natural chalk is available in more interesting shapes, the size is not limited, and it holds detail better.
Tools for chalk carving are numerous. In fact any small file, stone carving equipment (no mallet is needed), and even needles can be used. Some of the best hand carving equipment are an etching needle, a selection of small files, and a miniature carving tool designed for soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx...
.
The methods are very simple. Once the carver has a feel for the material, it is possible to construct fairly complex shapes, and make figurative work. It is possible to coat the chalk in button polish to produce a finish.
Chalk is considered by seasoned stone carvers as one of the most difficult of stones to shape, as the material may literally powder away in your hands, if you are not delicate with the handling.
Types of Chalk Carving
There are two types of chalk carvings.1. Using a single chalk
In this case we use a single chalk to carve an item. This can be face of a celebrity, tool, or other small object.
2. Using multiple chalks
Using multiple chalks we can create beautiful monuments. here are few examples