DeChristo
Member
Just put the finishing touches on this coin carving a few hours ago...inspired by the animated creatures in the old Harryhausen cult classic film , THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD...Kali
ANOTHER FIVE CENTS WORTH...
- Thread starter DeChristo
- Start date
Just put the finishing touches on this coin carving a few hours ago...inspired by the animated creatures in the old Harryhausen cult classic film , THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD...Kali
Jonathan.Silas
Elite Cafe Member
If you dont already, you should absolutely start a YouTube channel, I for one and I'm sure many many others would love to watch over your shoulder so to speak.
jerrywh
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
This is not a criticism. It is simply the impression the piece gives me.
It appears as a casting rather than a cut piece. I do both.
It appears as a casting rather than a cut piece. I do both.
This is a fantastic coin carving! I don't know if I've ever seen better. Just outstanding!
DeChristo
Member
Thanks so much for the encouraging words, Mr. Alfano!
DeChristo
Member
I can assure you, this is no casting. Maybe I went too far in polishing and refining the final finish, because I admire the look of a carved coin that almost looks minted, and don’t care as much for carved coins that show evidence of tooling, at least with my coins. I take your comment as a compliment, actually, because a minted look is what I have strived for. Furthermore, if you cast this coin, you would spend a lot of time on touchup, post casting, because this is not cut in bas relief...it is sculpted with a lot of undercuts deliberately, so it would be harder to cast or copy.
It is tough to photograph these coins, because a photo renders everything in 2D and can’t capture the rounding of surfaces...thus the final image looks fatter than the actual carving. As mentioned above, I also undercut much of the detail making it tough to copy, since some of my coins have been copied by the Chinese counterfeiting market. I have attached some photos to highlight the earlier stages.
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jerrywh
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Nice work for sure. Photos are deceptive. I saw a photo of a piece that Sam Welch did and it appeared totally flat but when I saw it in person it was in deep relief. I was really impressed but the photo was not impressive at all.
dbeck
Member
That is fantastic detail. Do you have any pictures of the tools you use to get those finished? Unreal and well done!
pkroyer
Member
"It is tough to photograph these coins, because a photo renders everything in 2D and can’t capture the rounding of surfaces...thus the final image looks fatter than the actual carving"
Not sure what your are getting at, but this looks like you could pluck it off the coin and the figure would spring to life and come at you. Great work
Not sure what your are getting at, but this looks like you could pluck it off the coin and the figure would spring to life and come at you. Great work
just a pleasure to look at your creations. you cast doubt on the premise that the hand can never achieve perfection. do you direct draw on the piece, or use transfers ?
My first impression was just how clean the piece is...a beautiful work!
DeChristo
Member
Thanks, but I can barely keep up with FB and Instagram...too time consuming...lol
DeChristo
Member
I
I do both...draw up a design and make an initial transfer to get the initial lines in, and character placement. I don’t flatten out a coin precarving, so there are challenges transferring images to a surface that is not flat. So you have to fill in the gaps with a scribing or two. To be honest, once I get the initial lines in, it’s mostly freehand sculpting...once you cut the outlines, a transfer has kind of served it’s purpose...after that a reference picture of a design is my only friend.
I do both...draw up a design and make an initial transfer to get the initial lines in, and character placement. I don’t flatten out a coin precarving, so there are challenges transferring images to a surface that is not flat. So you have to fill in the gaps with a scribing or two. To be honest, once I get the initial lines in, it’s mostly freehand sculpting...once you cut the outlines, a transfer has kind of served it’s purpose...after that a reference picture of a design is my only friend.
DeChristo
Member
DeChristo
Member
Thanks! I’ll rustle up a few photos when I can.
DeChristo
Member
Thanks...here’s a coin I did a while back...and the copy of it that has
been floating around eBay and the like...I’m not too worried that they would be mistaken for the original...the extra depth in cutting more of a 3D style and the tiny details really makes it hard to reproduce or even cast from an original. The right hand of this angel is actually freestanding, cut from the top, sides, and even underneath...not just undercut, but extended out from the coin.
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