stone] Re: Carving the Short (Straight 1/4" Long) beard of the Male Homo Sapiens

["Clive Murray-White" <clivemw@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi All,

I'm fairly sure the Romans were quite keen on designer beards, they used to
do it with a pattern of chisel marks but I don't think that will help you to
much because it all depends on how you've approached the rest of the
sculpture.

Hair of any kind in stone is an interesting conundrum, not that there aren't
many ways of achieving a reasonable outcome but you do have to make use of
the fact that stone usually has a very limited tonal range. A short beard on
an old person is easy because your marks will be white. I think it is a
drawing question more than anything else, I'd start by trying to draw the
whole head without using any tone at all, just line.

A few tries latter you may come up with something that looks as if it will
fit your own needs.

Clive
Sculptor Clive Murray-White
Web: www.cowwarr.com