I currently don’t have much time to put into hobbies, but I did some gardening/landscaping during a break in the rain last weekend. Felt great to get out and move around. Garden finally is put to bed for the winter (or what’s left of it).
I currently don’t have much time to put into hobbies, but I did some gardening/landscaping during a break in the rain last weekend. Felt great to get out and move around. Garden finally is put to bed for the winter (or what’s left of it).
I’m trying (and currently largely failing) to learn seal carving. I’m also translating a bunch of little-known games into English for broader exposure.
If you are a reader at all, I want to recommend the novella “The Emperor’s Soul” by Brandon Sanderson. It’s a fantasy story where the magic is all based around the carving of these types of seals, that are then called soulstamps, and used to alter an object’s history. So for a very basic example, one might carve a seal that indicates, “I am a chair, I have always been a chair,” and whatever other signifiers make up the soul of a chair, then you stamp a trash can with that seal, and if it’s good enough, it overwrites the history/soul of the trash can and it becomes a chair.
Or don’t, this hobby just instantly reminded me of that book though.
What material do you carve in?
Stone. There’s a particular kind of stone similar to soapstone that’s prized for this, but the really hardcore can carve in granite or agate or the like as well.
Cheaters use those little rotary tool things, but I’m going old school with chisels.
Nice. I sometimes come across some stones that feel like vert firm, compacted sand. Very stable, can hold its shape, and easy to work with tools like pen tips and wire. But it will shatter if dropped, or if it suffers a good impact.
The stones I’m practicing with need a really sharp and solid chisel to work. And I have no idea how people get those straight, clean lines with them!