From Beer to Lime with a few pricks on the way.

The original carving is in a local church, and is made from Beer Freestone. It is a chalk limestone and is creamy grey white in colour. I am putting oak to the side for this one and using limewood (Tilia Cordata) as it is closer in colour. I also want to get used to using lime as I have just bought 5 logs of the stuff for some large sculpture! It behaves very differently from oak, but allows for greater detail, as indeed does Beer Freestone.

The swirling renaissance style of the original is complex, so I am using a method I haven't used on carving before; drawing out the design on paper and then 'pricking through', to transfer the design to the limewood board.

Then using gouges to join up the dots.

Before starting the long way down to the sloping ground. At it's deepest, 15mm or 19/32". Limewood is more brittle than oak, and more care needs to be taken.