Design Resource
Carving of Stone Pillars
The Art of Stone Pillar Carving
by
Making Process
Columns and pillars are very good option for construction as well as decoration; it can be used for exterior and interior. Stone Column consists of three parts; capital, shaft and base. The surface can be plain, groves; spired or very detailed carved. The available materials for stone column are marble, travertine, limestone, sandstone and soft stone. From breaking of large slabs of stone into smaller pieces, to reshaping and sculpting fine details, each and every process is prepared by hand, with the help of hammers and chisels of various shapes and sizes.
Huge blocks of stones are mainly shipped in Lorries from Devanahalli and Gopalapura, Bengaluru. The carvers of this region mostly work on the Koira stone which is more comfortable for carving as they can be found in sizes and shapes ranging between 10 feet to 60 feet. The raw stone block is firstly cut into desired size and thickness by the use of electric grinder and chisel. The main importance is on getting the size up to approximately 8 feet tall so as to make the product expensive. The carver usually begins by knocking off large portions of unwanted stones. The sides of the stones are made uniform by removing the roughness and cutting it down to the required shape. The shaped object is then further kept for deeper carvings. The artisans outline the diagram or the intended designs using stencils with red oxide or pencils on the surface of the stone for the process of initial carving.
Chisels and hammers are used to carve out intricate design by hands, any smallest miscalculation can damage the whole shape. The carver places the point of the chisel against a selected part of the stone so as to remove the unwanted parts (which are marked by pencils or chalks) evenly when the hammer is strike on the end of the tool accurately. The artisans make their own judgement for using the right size of instrument which influences the quality of the object. The intended design is roughed out with the help of chisels, electric grinder and hammer. Once the general shape of the object is determined the sculptor again refines the whole object by using various smoothing tools to get the perfect output. To impart a better finish and shining sand paper is used for polishing .Eventually the rough block of stone is sculpted into a finished object.
Craft of every other field has an influence from their local essence which is either developed in the past or with the changes in time and design improvements during the period. This influence conveys a story and an artistic appeal behind it; moreover the people are able to relate to that culture. If craft artisans develop a certain style of story interpretation then it will make a rich and positive impact on the productions. Craftsmen can gain valuable insight about product, design, demand, good pricing through personal relationship with the buyers over time. The artistic appeal helps in increasing long term trade relationships, reassures repeat business from which artisans can utilize the consistent income to invest in and grow ones business.
