Mermaid Piece part 5

A day off from other work, so a good day to get back to the Studio.  Not as hot and sticky as some recent days.

I had finished cutting out the silhouette shape of the mermaid last time, so I started today by cleaning things up a bit.  No saw this time- just sandpaper.  Plenty more sanding will be needed before this thing is done, but overall it's now less rough and the curves are smoother.  This also seemed a good opportunity to redraw the details planned for the surface.  No major changes to what had been there from my original sketch, but a few refinements and a lot more clarity.

In the mood to continue working on it for a while, I took out my woodcut tools and started cutting the tail.  What I had with my was my woodcut class tools, last used in Belmar.  Not quite as good as my personal tools, but still useful, though showing some of the wear of those weeks in Belmar.  They could use a good sharpening, but the part I was playing with this afternoon did not require a delicate details, so not a problem.

The curving grooves I cut in today give a general sense of my plans.  Eventually I will have sharper tools with me (and a non-skid mat will help) and I'll bring this tail into a finished shape and texture.  For now I have confirmation that this project will work