Mild steel plate

I have keratosis in my eye so I can't drive anywhere today, seemed like a good time to start some carving. I've made two new tagane and a punch so far. I cut a mild steel plate into a circle a while ago to practice on.
First I used sumi ink and brush to draw some possible designs.



Then having prepared the plate with an abrasive stone, I drew a landscape with an enzo moon and a withered, hollow tree.

Using this tagane



I outlined the design.




The tagane cut nicely, making new ones from the correct steel and refining the shapes has was the right move.




I carved the cavity for the inlay of the Enzo. I'm going to use fine silver.





Then I got to shaping the tree. Getting the rounded look in shallow relief is a challenge. Once I've shaped and smoothed it I will give it texture.





More to follow...

Test plates etc

I was chiseling away at a test plate yesterday but I've realised something about my mental process, test plates/pages don't work for me. To put care and hours into something I have to believe it is the final piece. Testing a carving technique by carving a flower pendant works, if I just carve a plate with no purpose I peter out about a quarter of the way in. If I screw up royally then it becomes a test piece but mentally I must be making the real thing or my brain shifts to neutral.