Industrial Arts Design Part 13

The close-fibered woods with smooth, even textures are capable of more delicate enrichment than woods of coa.r.s.er grain. Small articles are generally seen from a close range and should, therefore, be ornamented with finer decoration than large articles, such as a piece of furniture that is to be seen from a distance. The latter should have surface enrichment of sufficient boldness to "carry" or to be distinct from a distant point. Furthermore the enrichment should not have a "stuck on"

appearance, but be an integral part of the original ma.s.s.

[Sidenote: Appropriate Methods of Surface Enrichment for Wood]

There are three distinct means of ornamenting wood: (1) inlaying, depending for interest upon the difference in value and hue of the different inlaying woods used; (2) carved enrichment, depending upon line and ma.s.s for its beauty and made visible by contrasts of light and shade; (3) painting or staining of the surface with the interest dependent upon the colors or stains and their relation to each other and to the hue of the wood. It has been deemed wise to consider the first two types in the present chapter, and leave the last type for later consideration. In Chapters XV, XVI, and XVII, accentuation has been placed on wood coloring. The designer is advised to read those chapters before attempting to stain or color his problem.

[Sidenote: Inlaying]

Treating surface enrichment in its listed order we find that inlaying is one of the most common and best forms of enrichment for wood work. As inlaying readily adapts itself to bands and borders, emphasis is placed upon them.

[Ill.u.s.tration: STRAIGHT LINE SURFACE ENRICHMENT OF A SMALL PRIMARY Ma.s.s IN WOOD

BANDS AND BORDERS

FOR INLAYING, CARVING, STAINING

PLATE 32]

Rule 6i. _Inlayed enrichment should never form strong or glaring contrasts with the parent surface._

[Sidenote: Errors in Wood Inlay]

Two conspicuous errors are often a.s.sociated with inlaid designs. The first is the use of woods affording a glaring contrast with that of the project. Figure 209, Page 106. The right contrast of value is established when the inlay seems neither to rise from the surface nor sink through it. It should remain _on the surface_ of the plane to be enriched, for it is surface enrichment. Figures 210, 211, and 212 are ill.u.s.trative of pleasing contrasts.

The second specific glaring error is the use of unrelated inlay. As an example, an Indian club is created by gluing many varicolored woods around a central core. The result of the pattern so formed has little relation to the structural lines, fails entirely to support them; and, as a result, should be discarded.

[Sidenote: Carving]

Carving is difficult for the average beginner in wood working design, therefore merely the simplest forms of the craft are suggested as advisable. Figure 205a. If an elaborate design is desired (Figure 205c), it should be first drawn in outline and finally modeled in relief by Plastelene. This model is then an effective guide for the carver, supplementing the original outline drawing.

[Sidenote: Divisions of Carving]

Carving may be roughly divided into the following groups: (1) high relief carving similar to heads, human figures, and capitals; (2) low relief carving in which the planes have been flattened to a comparatively short distance above the original block of wood, such as panels, which are good examples of this group; (3) pierced carving where the background has been entirely cut away in places, such as screens, which ill.u.s.trate this type; (4) incised carving in which the design has been depressed _below_ the surface of the wood. Geometric chip carving is a representative type of this group. There are possible variations and combinations of these groups.

Rule 6j. _Carved surface enrichment should have the appearance of belonging to the parent ma.s.s._

_The central governing thought_ in all carved designs is to show an interesting proportion of light and shade coupled with a unity between the raised portion of the design and the background. If the carving has a glued on appearance it becomes mechanical and resembles a stamped or machine-produced ornament.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SURFACE ENRICHMENT OF SMALL PRIMARY Ma.s.sES IN WOOD WITH BORDERS OF CURVED AND STRAIGHT LINES

FOR INLAYING, CARVING, STAINING

PLATE 33]

[Sidenote: Steps Taken in Carving]

A typical carved enrichment is carried through four steps: (1) the design is transferred to the wood surface by means of carbon paper; (2) the design is "set in" or separated from the ground by means of a grooved chisel; (3) the wood is cut away from the back of the design by a process of grounding; (4) the leaves and flowers or other elements of the design are modeled. The designer should keep these processes in mind when developing his design.

[Sidenote: The Designer's Vocabulary]

It is now essential to find the extent of the vocabulary possible for the designer of surface enrichment. He has three large sources of information: first, geometric forms and abstract spots; second, natural organic objects such as flowers, leaves, animals, etc.; third, artificial objects, pots, jars, ink bottles, and other similar objects.

He may a.s.semble or group these objects or elements for future designs into four typical systems: first, bands or borders; second, panels; third, free ornament; and fourth, the diaper or all-over patterns.

DESIGNING BANDS ON BORDERS

Rule 6d. _Bands and borders should have a consistent lateral, that is, onward movement._

Rule 6e. _Bands and borders should never have a prominent contrary motion, opposed to the main forward movement._

[Sidenote: Bands]

Bands are particularly suitable for inlaying. They are composed of straight lines arranged in some orderly and structurally related manner.

They are used for bordering, framing, enclosing, or connecting. They give a decided _onward_ motion which tends to increase the apparent length of the surface to which they are applied. Referring to Plate 32, Figure 192, we find three typical bands, _A_, _B_, and _C_. It is often the custom to limit the width of the inlayed bands to the width of the circular saw cut. To secure unity, the center band in _C_ is wider than the outside sections.

[Sidenote: Accenting]

A possible variation of motive in band designing may be secured by accenting. The single band has been broken up at _D_ into geometric sections of pleasing length. But while this design gives variety, it also destroys the unity of a single straight line. Unity may, however, be restored by the addition of the top and bottom bands at _E_. This method of restoring unity is of extreme value in all border arrangements and is constantly used by the designer.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SURFACE ENRICHMENT OF SMALL PRIMARY Ma.s.sES IN WOOD

APPLICATION OF BANDS AND BORDERS

PLATE 34]

Rule 6f. _All component parts of a border should move in unison with the main movement of the border._

[Sidenote: Borders]

Bands, as has just been stated, give distinctly "onward" movement.

Borders are merely bands combined with other motives from the designer's vocabulary. As will be seen, bands, by their onward movement, tend to hold the other elements of the border together. Figure 193 is a border design without variety, unity, or interest. Figure 194 has added unity to a similar border by the addition of the double bands, but monotony is still present. Figure 195 suggests a method of relieving the monotony by accentuating every other repeat, thus supplying variety and creating an a.n.a.logy to march-time music. Figure 196 has accentuated the monotonous border in Figure 194 by omitting every other square. This makes a simple and effective inlay pattern and suggests a large number of possible variations that could be applied to accented band motives.

[Sidenote: Moorish Ornament]

Figures 197 and 198 are border motives of geometric derivation taken from the historic schools of ornament. Figure 198 ill.u.s.trates the "strap ornament" of the Moorish school. The simple underlying geometric net upon which these designs are based may be found in Meyer's Handbook of Ornament.

INCEPTIVE AXES

Rule 6h. _Borders intended for vertical surfaces may have a strongly upward movement in addition to the lateral movement, provided the lateral movement dominates._

[Sidenote: Upward and Onward Borders]

In addition to the purely onward borders we now come to a variety with a distinctly _upward_ movement as well. While this new feature adds materially to the interest of the border, it also adds to the difficulty of designing. The upward movement is often centered about an axis termed the Axis of Symmetry or Inceptive Axis, about which are grouped and balanced the different elements from the designer's vocabulary. When both sides are alike, the unit so formed is called a _bilateral unit_.

Figure 199 shows the formation of a bilateral unit by means of grouping, accenting, and balancing straight lines over an inceptive axis. By adding bands above and below and doubling these vertical lines to gain width, we form at _A_ and _B_, Figure 199, inlaid designs with an upward and onward tendency or movement.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Courtesy of Berkey and Gay_