Study of a Savoy Cabbage

Zoë Gertner gets her daily greens

Intricate wooden flower sculpture, natural detail

Among the entries in the Veg Growers’ Competition at the local fête there were several impressive savoy cabbages shown, one of which was displayed decoratively in a traditional Sussex trug basket together with a garden trowel and fork. A trug itself is a pleasing shape, as is the cabbage with its leaves and their texture. Together with the garden tools, it could be interesting to carve – in all, a fascinating subject and a rather intricate and pretty addition to my gardening- themed woodcarvings.

When making a more complicated carving or one which you are not fully confident about, it can be helpful to separate it into smaller individual elements or ‘building blocks’ and concentrate on a specific aspect or part of it. By regarding your study as a practice piece you can forestall any difficulties that might arise when you carry out your proposed carving – a valuable and time-saving preparation in advance. Here then, in detail, is my preparatory study of the striking savoy cabbage whichI worked on before I began my intended Sussex Trug Exhibit carving.

Things you will need

Tools

  • No.39, 1/4in & 1/8in V-tool
  • No.3, 1/2in, 5/8in, 3/8in, 1/4in & 1/8in gouges
  • No.5, 3/8in gouge
  • No.9, 3/8in & 1/4in gouge
  • No.9, 10 or 11, 1/8in gouge
  • No.2, 1/4in or skew chisel
  • Wax polish, redundant toothbrush and soft brush

Preparation

Wood grain drawing with directional arrows.
1. Normally I would use a denser, close-grained wood for my carving such as box, but because this is a larger practice carving and I want to work quickly, I used a cube of lime approximately 4in square and 3in thick, lime being easy and quick to carve, but it can be larger if you wish – a life-size one could be most impressive. Start by drawing the top view of the vegetable on the top of your wood, its leaves hanging over the sides of it, with the grain of your wood lengthwise. I included the end rim/frame of the trug in my drawing as that is relevant for my study carving, but it is not essential unless you intend to carve the full exhibit later on (for which, please see my following article)
Wood carving technique with grain direction guide.
2. Using the 1/4in V-tool with a mallet to outline the head of the cabbage, the enlarged terminal bud that we consume, make a cleanly cut V-channel around its edge, cutting in the appropriate directions as shown but leaving the outlines of the leaves for later. Now a series of opposing cuts follow around the outline to relieve it so that it stands proud from the leaves
Chisel carving wooden flower design.
3. The first set of cuts is made around the head of the cabbage as shown. With the No.3, 1/2in gouge resting against the side of the V-channel, make successive cuts around its outline, continuing your cuts downwards along the angled side of the V-channel adjacent to the head and always cutting away from it. Make sure your gouge is turned so that the shape of the downward cuts matches the curvature of the outline
Woodworking marks on timber surface with grain directions.
4. For the second set of cuts, turn the gouge so that its bevel is beneath its cutting edge and work towards the first set from outside the head. Angle each second cut downwards and towards the first so that it meets cleanly with them, enlarging the original V-tool channel both deeper and wider
Chisel carving intricate wooden design.
5. To make a cleanly cut channel curving along the grain, use alternate cuts from each side as shown when you work towards it with your second set of cuts. When the V-channel has been sufficiently enlarged, begin rounding over the cabbage head, working into the channel and lifting your gouge hand over its edge to make rounded cuts around its perimeter
Wood carving with chisel on unfinished sculpture.
6. Repeat the sets of opposing cuts and rounding over sequences until the cabbage head is fully convex, its surface falls away from the top of its convexity and no original flatness of the block remains. Paring with the No.3 gouge inverted, smooth it, working with the grain in the directions shown
Wood carving with floral design in progress
7. Now the sharp, angled upper edges of the sides of your block of wood need to be rounded so that the leaves can lie over them smoothly, without any kinks. Start by rounding over the side edges, along the grain, beginning at one end and cutting successively outwards along it, extending the cuts back to the middle of that side, then from its opposite end in the same way. Repeat for the other side and pare their surfaces smooth so that no sharp angle or edges remain anywhere along them
Wood carving with chisel on table.
8. Next, round over the outer ends (one of which will be the end of my trug basket with a leaf overhanging it). Using the No.9, 3/8in gouge followed by the No.3 or 5, 5/8in gouge, lift your gouge hand as you cut over the corner into the end grain. Draw the outlines of large outer leaves on the rounded surfaces, attaching each to the bottom of the V-channel around the cabbage head
Woodblock carving with chisel and pencil sketch.
9. Cutting towards the head of the cabbage with the No.9, 3/8in gouge, round over the surface of the leaves into the bottom of the V-channel then, taking care with the grain direction, cut away from here and outwards from the highest point, to make a continuous surface ready to mark their outlines over the sides and ends of your wood (the trug in my study piece)
Wood carving with chisel in progress
10. Round over the outer edge of your block, where the outer leaves of the cabbage will lie beneath the handle of the trug if you intend to tackle my little box wood ‘trug and its contents’ carving later on. Leave the channel beside the head for the time being – these particular leaves are to curl forwards from their attachments to the head and the channel will be used for this later on
Wood carving in progress with chisel tool.
11. For clarity, I am numbering the leaves and I have shown the rim of the trug as adjacent hatched lines. Using the 1/4in V-tool, cut round the outline of leaf no.1 starting from the highest point on the leaf outwards, towards and over the end of the basket to the middle of the edge of the leaf. Repeat on the other side of the leaf and join the cuts together here. Then starting as before, from the highest point, mark both sides of the leaf attachment, finishing the cuts either side at the bottom of the cabbage head to complete the outline of the leaf
Carved wood with pencil sketch detail.
12. Using the No.3, 1/4in gouge, relieve the edges of the leaf as described before, reduce the hatched area each side beside it and draw the frame or rim on both fresh surfaces. Alternatively, if you are not intending to carve a ‘trug and its contents’ later, you could draw the outlines of additional leaves beneath both sides of no.1 instead
Wood carving with chisel on unfinished sculpture.
13. With the 1/4in V-tool, cut round the remaining leaves. Around the leaves which overhang the sides start your cuts each side of the leaf from the middle of its lower edge and work round and upwards toward the highest point of its curve over the side, then from there along both edges to attach it to the bottom of the cabbage head. Start relieving it from the sides of the trug using sets of opposing cuts, first cutting around the outline with the No.3, 1/4in gouge within the V-channel, turning it to match the shape as described previously
Close-up of wood carving with chisel.
14. Cutting with the tool bevel beneath, remove the adjacent surfaces each side so that the leaf stands proud. I have drawn the lower edge of the rim as this is relevant to my practice piece, though if you have included additional leaves as mentioned in Step 12, cut their outlines and relieve them as before
Wood carving with chisel tool in progress
15. At the sides where the leaf edge lies along the grain, make alternate cuts towards it from each side to remove its adjacent surfaces cleanly, as in Step 5
Carved wooden block clamped in a vice.
16. When they are formed, to make them overlap each other around the cabbage, reduce the surface of one side to below that of its adjoining neighbour, as shown
Wooden carved flower on table
17. Separate leaves 4 & 5 and round each over as described before using the No.3, 1/4in gouge. (They are to curl forwards toward the cabbage head from beneath the basket handle and be undercut later from the other side of its handle in my future ‘trug and its contents’ carving.) Remove any remaining f latness and draw the edges of the leaves, rolling over them as shown
Wooden rose carving with handle and notes.
18. Here, by reducing the adjacent surfaces of the trug I have relieved its handle, having first outlined it with the V-tool then using opposing cuts with No.3 gouges so that it encircles the basket underneath. I have adjusted the width of the rim so that its outer edge adjoins the inner side of the encircling handle, and marked a small triangle to be removed between the edges of leaves 4 & 5 and the inside of the basket each side, all of which I will need to do with my intended small box wood carving
Wood carving process with chisel tool close-up
19. Now more smaller leaves around the cabbage head are relieved over the surfaces of the larger ones using the 1/4in V-tool and No.3 gouges as before
Wood carving process with chisel on wooden sculpture.
20. Using the No.3, 3/8in or 1/4in gouge within each smaller leaf, deepen their attachments to the cabbage head, tilting the gouge and further undercutting the head from all round
Wood carving of a flower in a vice.
21. Now draw the outer or upper edge of a smaller leaf, and deepening within its attachment to the cabbage head, extend it back as a concavity or hollow up to the outer edge, the concavity now curling the edge of the leaf forwards towards the cabbage head in the middle, with the larger leaf emerging from beneath it. Continue thus with the rest of the smaller leaves until they encircle the head of the cabbage
Close-up of wooden sculpture being carved.
22. Using the No.9, 1/4in gouge, texture the leaves by making close gouge cuts over their full surfaces to give them the characteristic crinkly appearance of savoy cabbage leaves, with irregular indents along their edges
Wood carving with chisel on floral design
23. Using the 1/4in or 1/8in V-tool, cut the main vein at the middle of each leaf, reducing the depth of cut to decrease its width towards its outer edge
Close-up of detailed wood carving in progress.
24. Now cut the edges of the tightly bound leaves around the head of the cabbage, reducing the area between them at its convexity with the No.3, 1/4in or 1/8in gouge. Then overlap one edge of each by reducing that of its neighbour, as described before. With the No.9, 10 or 11, 1/8in gouge, texture them as for the larger leaves and finish them by cutting a corresponding groove along the outer side of the topmost edge so that each leaf curls prettily along its topmost edge
Wood carving of a flower in progress
25. Finally, the leaves can be undercut by tilting the appropriate width No.3 gouge as shown and cutting away beneath their edges. It is helpful to mark the places to undercut with pencil beforehand, as shown
Wooden floral carving in workshop vice.
26. Work round each leaf, and within adjoining angles between them the point of the No.2, 1/4in or skew chisel can be used to tidy the edges cleanly

Finishing

Erase all pencil marks and check all meeting edges are cut cleanly, including those undercut, and that there are no large gaps missed in the gouge cuts texturing the surfaces of the leaves. A simple wax polish finish and the carving buffed with a soft brush sufficed for my practice cabbage, and now my little carving of the trug and its contents in box wood (shown left) can be carved
with confidence.

Intricate wooden carvings displayed on a white background.

Further reading

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *