Carving a Carp:
Bob Jubb carves a stylised carp
Bob Jubb carves a stylised carp
I spent a lot of time in my youth fishing for carp and sometimes I would fish all night – when they are supposed to feed more enthusiastically. One could be dozing quietly in a chair on a bank, and suddenly all hell would be let loose if a decent fish took the bait and made a run for it. After a decent battle, they were admired and then returned to the water. I used to draw them and later, when I became more interested in carving and also in Japanese netsuke, started to carve them.
The picture here is of my most recent larger carp, based on a Japanese ivory netsuke, which is only a couple of inches long, that I saw some years ago, with gills and scales accentuated in a pleasing way. I carved it in lime (Tilia vulgaris) and inlaid the eyes with imitation ivory and buffalo horn. I put three coats of finishing oil on and rubbed down between each layer. Finally, I used an ‘Antique’ wax which was slightly darker, to bring out the features on the gills, scales, fins and tail.
Drawings and how to resize them
To enlarge or reduce the size of drawings right click on the image to download it and then go HERE to watch a video on how to use paper with a grid to do exactly that.
Did you know
• From the family Cyprinidae, carp are various species of oily freshwater fish
• They are a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia
• Sub-species include silver carp, common carp, grass carp, crucian carp, catla carp, mrigal carp, black carp, mud carp
• Koi are a domesticated subspecies of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that have been selectively bred for colour
• In Japanese culture, koi are treated with affection, and seen as good luck. They are popular in other parts of the world as outdoor pond fish.
