Abstract Form with a Rounded Volume: Step-by-Step Tutorial

A rounded volume with no detail at all: pure body and visual weight, like a vessel that needs no lid or handle to exist. It's the most honest form for learning to see a block as mass, before seeing it as a figure.

This piece can be carved in high-density rigid polyurethane foam (to practice the form without fear of mistakes) or directly in wood, for the final piece. Recommended wood: basswood or cedar — soft and even-grained, perfect for a rounded volume with no distracting detail.

From the Shop: carving knife, rasp, and sandpaper. See tools →

What you'll need

Cylindrical or rectangular foam blockMedium density, enough to carve a body about 15 cm tall.
See in the Shop
Carving knifeFor the initial roughing toward the cylindrical form.
See in the Shop
RaspTo round the body and the narrowing of the neck.
See in the Shop
Medium and fine sandpaperTo leave the surface silky smooth.
See in the Shop
Beeswax (wood) or gesso and paint (foam)The final finish depends on the material: wax/sealant if carved in wood, gesso and paint or patina if carved in foam.
See in the Shop

Step by step

Initial block with the outline of the abstract form with a rounded volumephoto coming soon

Initial block

Start with a rectangular block of wood or high-density foam. Draw the front outline of the abstract form with a rounded volume on all four faces of the block, and mark a center line on each.

Cutting the finished front profilephoto coming soon

Cutting the front profile

Remove the excess material following the outline you drew. The piece is still flat, like a cut-out silhouette, but you can already recognize the overall shape.

Stages 3 through 10 are in the Habanaescultura book — currently in the works, with tracing patterns, renders of each piece, and the technical sheet for all 21 projects in the route. In the meantime, this preview shows you how the process starts.

What you'll need

A carving knife, a rasp, and sandpaper — the same trio you'll use in several forms along this route.

See in the Shop

Want to keep going? The complete process for this piece — and the other 13 — will be in the book. While it's finished, pick another tutorial from the route, or write to us to be notified as soon as it's out.