Letter
Carving in Wood
A Practical Course
by Chris Pye
Softcover
210 x 275mm
230pp
Published by Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd, East Sussex UK
R.R.P.$49.90
ISBN 1-86108-043-3
Extract from back cover of book:
Lettercarving In Wood is the first comprehensive guide to the craft to be published in a single volume. It is essential reading for all carvers interested in expanding their lettercarving skills. Beginning with essential background information - tools, suitable woods, making working drawings - the author then moves on to detailed exercises showing how to carve a complete incised alphabet in the modern roman letter style. A similar approach is used to demonstrate how to carve modern roman in raised letters.
More advanced aspects of the subject are included, such as spacing, colour, family resemblance and optical adjustment. To help you develop your technique in a practical way, six other letter styles are fully explained and illustrated, and there are nine step-by-step projects, including simple signs and decorative lettering on a bowl and a breadboard.
Photos: Colour
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1 GROUNDWORK
BACKGROUND
A brief history of lettering
What is 'good' lettering?
Light and
shadow
Incised vs. raised lettering
The naming of parts
The modern
roman letter style
SETTING
UP
Carving tools
Other tools
Suitable woods
The worksurface
and holding work
Lighting
Safety
THE
PROCESS OF LETTERCARVING
Rough sketches to working drawings
Transferring
the drawings
Carving
Finishing
Costing
Common mistakes
Part 2 INCISED LETTERING
ABOUT
INCISED LETTERING
'Stab' and 'stop' cuts
Depth and angle of cuts
Internal symmetry
Stabbing the root line
Alternatives to the V section
Alternatives to incising
Working with large lettering
INCISED
LETTERING EXERCISES
Introduction
Exercise plan
Drawing out the
letterforms
Exercises
Straight letters
Vertical stabbing with mallet
and chisel
Vertical stabbing with mallet and chisel, reversed hands
Vertical
stabbing with mallet, to a line
Angled cutting with mallet
Angled cutting
with mallet, reversed hands
Vertical trench with mallet
Vertical trench,
tidying by hand
Serifs (I)
Horizontal trenches
Serifs (II)
Letters H, T, F, L R E
Oblique trenches
Joining obliques - letters A,
M, N, V, W, K, Z, X & Y
Curved letters
Vertical stabbing with mallet
and gouge (I)
Vertical stabbing with mallet and gouge (II)
Vertical stabbing
with mallet and gouge (III)
Crescents (I)
Crescents (II)
Circles
Letter O
Letters C & S
Straight/curved combinations
Letters
J, Q, D, U, G, P, R & B
Using the V tool
CHARACTERISTICS
OF INDIVIDUAL LETTERS IN MODERN ROMAN Letters A-Z
Family resemblances
Summary of widths
Modifications to modern roman
Working with Roman and
Arabic numerals
Part 3 RAISED LETTERING
ABOUT
RAISED LETTERING
Introduction
Guidelines
Carving
Letter shaping
Backgrounds
Routers
Common mistakes
Finishing
RAISED
LETTERING EXERCISES
Introduction
Exercise plan
Exercises
Basic
techniques
Grounding using the deep gouge
Lowering the ground
Levelling
the ground
Using the V tool
Grounding to an edge
Setting-in
Grounding within a counter
Sample letters - I, H, A, D, B, S
Texturing
ground
Summary
Part 4 LETTERFORM
LAYOUT
Introduction
Making a start
Family resemblances
Colour Optical
adjustment
Working parameters
10
LETTER STYLES
Trajan roman
Lower case roman
Versal
Uncial
and half uncial
Gothic
Part 5 PROJECTS
INCISED
LETTERING PROJECTS
Introduction
Inscripted post
House sign
Bowl
Small table
Dry transfer lettering
RAISED
LETTERING PROJECTS
Introduction
Large, simple sign
Breadboard
Name stamp
Carved and lettered sign
Part 6 RESOURCES
The
Sheffield list
Glossary
List of suppliers
Further reading
About the author
Index