Last time I posted, I had just completed 10 days’ worth of carving on my new piece, Contendium. I’ve now finished day 19, so here’s an update.

The elements are pretty much all roughed in now, and some are even almost final. Still to come: adjusting the depths and details, the front cover and the sides.

Contendium as of January 23, 2019

It’s been a while, but I’m back here with a new post, and introducing my new carving, Contendium ─ a portmanteau name built from the French conte and the English/Latin compendium. When finished, it will be an open-book collage of fairy tale imagery.

One of the things that drives most carvers crazy is being asked, “How long did that take you?” When you work a couple of hours here and a few there, over months or even years, it’s virtually impossible to keep track.

With Contendium, I’m hoping I’ll actually be able to answer that question. What I’m doing is taking a picture every eight hours or so and calling it a “day”.

Here are the pictures from Day 2, Day 6 and just an hour or two shy of Day 10. You can also follow my progress, and see all of the days, on Instagram, at illicitdiamond.

Contendium – Day 2

Contendium – Day 6

Contendium – Day 10