Beginner sculpture, modesty, talk about mood

Peach stone carving, as its name implies, is to carve the images of various animals and characters on a small peach stone, among which the carving of the zodiac is the most representative. Rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs have their own models, which are vivid. There are 18 arhats, Eight Immortals crossing the sea, China pearls and various sculptures such as flowers, birds, fish and insects.

Introduction of peach stone carving

Peach stone carving is a kind of carving art with Han characteristics, characterized by small carvings.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the large-scale sculpture art did not develop greatly, but the decorative production of small sculptures and handicrafts was creative. Stone carving is a distinctive variety, and the conception and carving of the works have reached a very high technological level and artistic realm. At that time, rare treasures such as bamboo and wood tooth carvings were popular among bureaucratic businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and the exquisite nuclear carving art was one of the hot spots in people's collection.

Nuclear sculptures in Ming and Qing Dynasties were popular in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shandong and other places. Suzhou is the birthplace of nuclear carving. Throughout the ages, the Tibetan style of appreciating nuclear carving sketches in Jiangnan, mainly in Suzhou, has prevailed.

2. Peach stone carving can be summarized into six steps:

First, choose materials. Generally, it is submerged with mature peach stones.

Second, repair the embryo. Trim the peach pit with a file if necessary. Make the work close to the original shape. Some fine carvings are made with carving knives, so this step is not needed. )

Third, trace the line. Draw a carved pattern on the peach pit with a pencil. Grasp the proportion of the object.

Fourth, sculpture. Draw the outline of the work. Then, it is further carved by means of relief and hollowing out. Then deal with small details, such as facial expressions of characters, muscle distribution of animals, expressions of flowers, birds, fish and insects, so as to have both form and spirit.

5. Make a hole (some people like to make a hole before carving), remove the peach kernel (see if it is necessary), and polish it with a file (some people like the original pattern, don't polish it with a file, because the file may damage the carving), and polish it with sandpaper. Generally, carved works are scraped with a knife.

Sixth, use red rope. Beads, wear, Chinese knots, etc.

3. Peach stone carving tools

If you want to do a good job, you must sharpen your tools first. Nuclear carving is no exception. Whether you are a master or a beginner, you must have a good set of tools. Let's talk about peach stone carving tools first. Cutter:

There are three main types of peach stone carving knives.

(1) flat knife, shaped like a single-edged sealing cutter, can be divided into various specifications according to the blade width, and can be enlarged. You can also carve details. Some experts use a big flat knife to open their eyes.

(2) a semicircular knife. Is to grind the bevel edge on the semi-circular steel bar. There are also many specifications. Widely used. Semi-circular knives are often used in the ups and downs and turning points of nuclear carvings.

(3) Angle knife. Shaped like an inverted triangle. Mainly used for detail carving,

Elephant's eyes, teeth, etc. A good artist may have twenty or thirty knives at hand, so he can use them whenever he wants. It is a pleasure to watch its carving process.

(4) Edge trimmer. Shaped like a bevel knife, but not as sharp as a bevel knife, it is only used to scrape the surface smooth.

(5) ? The meat knife looks like a wire or steel wire, but it is actually used to dig the kernel inside the core, because if the kernel is not pulled out, it will cause moth-eaten, which is not conducive to the preservation of the nuclear carving.

(6) Special knife. The shape is similar to the above, but the diameter of the cutter head is smaller, even reaching a few tenths of a millimeter! Suitable for carving scenes the size of rice grains.

(7) Carve the handle. ? There are common double-ended ropes, also called handles, metal handles, etc. Originally a tool for repairing clocks and watches, it was adopted by people in the nuclear carving industry because of its compactness and convenience. 20 13 Xingyixuan has developed a brand-new carving knife handle on the basis of previous tools, which combines the dual advantages of traditional wooden handle and modern metal handle, and not only has a gorgeous and elegant feel of wooden handle, but also meets the needs of convenient use and portability.

4. Peach stone carving raw materials

It is understood that the core materials of the earliest nuclear carvings in the Ming Dynasty were peach stones and apricot stones. Judging from the existing nuclear carvings, there are flower boats and figures carved with olivine and walnut stone from the early Qing Dynasty to the Qianlong period. In the Ming Dynasty, the carvings of peach stones and apricot stones were mostly immortal figures, evil spirits and mascots. They are exquisite pendants hanging under belts, fans or embroidered bags, which can be used as decoration and embellishment, and can also be used as enjoyment. Since the mid-Qing Dynasty, most of the nuclear carving objects have been carved with olivine and walnut stone, which are specially designed for literati or rich children to play with. All kinds of flower boats carved with olive cores can also be equipped with hollowed-out carved ivory and mahogany seats and displayed on miniature antique shelves for appreciation.