A technique developed in the West during the Middle Ages, engraving consists in creating a relief drawing on a piece of wood. This process is used to imprint the thus created image onto paper or other materials. To do so, the engraver first draws a sketch of the drawing on a smooth piece of wood.
Pinus strobus, or eastern white pine, is a conifer found mainly in the forests of eastern Canada. A soft wood species, it's notably used in sculpture, joinery, and bushel making (manufacture of wooden tools). The color of its wood varies from creamy white to pale brown, and it's characterized by its strong resistance to humidity.
The first pulp was produced from cloth, cotton, or hemp rags. It was only in 1850 that wood began to be massively used, when it was discovered that it could be finely grated to produce the cellulose necessary for paper production.
Firmers are double-beveled chisels. They come in various sizes. Very solid, they are notably used for trimming or hewing out a piece of wood using a mallet. They equally serve to carve out flat bottoms, mainly in the creation of a work in relief.
The American beech, the only native species of the Fagaceae family to grow in North America, is found in eastern Canada. Hard, heavy and resistant, beech wood is used in the manufacture of floors, furniture, tool handles, and even sculpture.
Additional ToolsFirmers and gouges are the principal instruments used in wood sculpture. However, many other complementary tools, employed in woodwork and cabinetmaking, can prove highly practical for sculptors: saws, planes, squares, jack planes, tracing irons, etc.