CraftingTechniques

Gourd Crafting Techniques

PYROGRAPHY

Description:
Burning techniques consist of three basic styles; lines, shading and stippling. There isn’t a right or wrong way of doing pyrography, however as in any type of art, there are certain guidelines that create a more appealing end result.

Judging Considerations

Is the pyrography placed on the gourd in an attractive manner?
Has the artist used lights, darks and mid-tones, combined with soft and hard edges to create the illusion of depth and perspective and overall composition?

Resources: Tools, Suppliers & Books

CHIP CARVING
Description:
Chip carving is a style of wood carving in which hand tools (knives & gouges) typically used on wood are used to remove selected 'chips' of wood from the project in a single piece. Geometric patterns on gourds carved with hand gouges can range from a simple design all the way to an elaborate one.

Judging Considerations

Is the design laid out in a neat and evenly spaced manner?
Are the cuts neat, clean, and carved to an even depth and size throughout the design?

Are there "chipouts" - unintended cuts, or inadvertent tool marks?

Resources: Tools, Suppliers & Books

RELIEF (3D) CARVING
Description:
Relief carving and 3D carving commonly are done with power tools and a variety of burs. Relief carving is executed in a manner that gives an illusion of depth. Backgrounds areas may be dimensionally carved, rendered as smooth or textured, with or without cutout areas. Stippling is an example of a textured background treatment.

Judging Considerations
For basic relief carvings:

Is the background texture neat and even?
Are borders or edges clean, even and smoothed?
Are simple geometric shapes such as ripples, basketry, etc. smooth, even, and without roughness or "fuzzy" areas?

For advanced, dimensional carvings:

Are proportions and shapes of the subject matter correct?
If it is a subject from nature, it should be anatomically correct.
If it is a man-made object, the proportions and perspective should be correct.
Are items "layered" correctly - (i.e. does the background appear to be behind the subject?) A good example will give the impression of depth even when the gourd is not really thick.
How complex is the design and carving? Well done complex or extensive carvings should be scored higher than basic carvings.

Resources: Tools, Suppliers & Books

FILIGREE/FRET WORK/CUT WORK
Description:
Ornamental carving in which the design is formed by perforations. The sizes and shapes of the holes may vary, but the holes are spaced so that they create a pattern.

Judging Considerations

Are the holes neat and clean without ragged edges?
Are borders clean and sharp?
On carvings where the skin has been removed, is the exposed surface sanded smooth and have an overall neat and clean appearance, without any obvious tool marks or irregularities?
Hole sizes may vary in size and shape, but should be spaced evenly without huge variations in distances from one another.
"Bridges" between holes should be structurally sound.
Cut edges should be either completely natural, or completely painted. You should not see evidence of overspray or paint drips within the holes.

Resources: Tools, Suppliers & Books

Advanced Pyrography

Chip Carving

Basic Relief Carving

Advanced Relief Carving

Carving

Fret Work with Stippled Background

Filigree with Etching Design

WEAVING & TENERIFFE
Description:
Weaving is an ancient craft that uses naturally grown materials and a few very simple tools to create baskets and other two and three dimensional artifacts. A weaving pattern can be a simple over one, under one weaving with one or more types of materials to more advanced patterns with twill, twining or other advanced techniques.
Teneriffe is weaving with threads to create a pattern or random design.

Judging Considerations
Weaving

Is the weaving free of hanging fibers and look neat?
Are all stray materials trimmed outside and inside?
Is the reed or other material laying flat inside (not be sticking out)?
Are there fuzzy looking materials hanging from the materials?
Is the overall weaving level, or leaning slightly to one side?

Teneriffe

Do the stitches appear to have even tension?
Are there an adequate number of stitches to hold the fiber in place?
Are there any areas where stitches are too loose or uneven?
Are the knots or color transitions (as in adding new threads) invisible when viewing the weaving?
Do the weaving fibers and the binders (stitching threads) chosen compliment each other?

Resources:

Tools, Suppliers & Books

COILING
Description:
Coiling is a basketry technique that involves the use of a core and a binder material for wrapping and/or stitching the core material to the gourd or a previous row of coiling. Core material could be from a variety of materials such as pine needles, philodendron sheaths, long grass, bark strips, cotton clothesline, paper rush or Danish Cord. Binder materials most commonly used are artificial sinew, waxed linen, embroidery floss and raffia.

Open coiling - The core of open coiling is exposed and materials such as pine needles, horsehair, Danish cord or plant fibers work well.
Closed Coilng -The core of closed coiling is NOT exposed. A simple or complex design may be incorporated into the wrapping.
Floating coils - Coils may float, not attach to the previous coil.
Stitches – decorative stitches, endless variations

Judging Considerations

Is the stitching in the coil neat? (sometimes the spacing is uneven on the floater, or stitches aren't neat, or thread is overlapped)
Are the stitches tight? (they should not be able to be moved)
What is the complexity of stitches? (time involved and complexity should be taken into consideration)
Is the stitching on the inside of the gourd as neat as that on the outside?
Are the coils uniform in size?
Are the pine needles in the coil twisted? (they should not be twisted)
Are the ends of pine needles sticking out of the coil? (they should not, unless it is part of the design)
Is the beginning of the coil hidden or covered with the following coil? (it should be)
Is the ending of coil abrupt? (it should not be. The coil, including pine needles, should be feathered so it does not suddenly stop.

Resources: Tools, Suppliers & Books

PAINTING/COLORED PENCIL
Description:
Painting with either acrylic paints or colored pencils are broken down on the same levels: novice, intermediate, and advance. Regardless of level, there should be no ridges within their painting, colors should complement each other … pleasant to the eye and evenly painted/penciled. The colored pencil piece should appear painted. Several levels of shading and highlighting (where appropriate) are indicative of higher painting skills. For example, the piece has various colors to give it depth and bring out highlighted areas, and colors have been blended into the adjoining colors.
Judging Considerations

Is the piece painted/colored without obvious errors, not smooth?
Can you see the gourd under the painting where the painting is otherwise opaque?
Is the painting/penciling neat and smooth?
Are the edges jagged?
Do the colors complement each other?
Do you see the individual pencil marks of the colored pencils?
Does the piece have various colors to give it depth and bring out highlighted areas?
Are the colors blended into the adjoining colors?
How complex is the design and penciling?

Resources: Tools, Suppliers & Books

Twill Weaving with Round and Flat Reed and Philodendron Sheath

Teneriffe

Coiling with Seagrass and other Natural Fibers

Pine Needle Coiling with floating coil

Painted - Acrylic

Colored Pencil

Youth Entry - Missouri 2018

Download More Information
- Do You Want to Win a Blue Ribbon?
- Judging Guidelines by Technique

For more information about entering your gourd art into Competitions at Shows, go to the AGS Judging Program pages on this web site
To find Gourd Shows and when/where there are classes & competitions go to our Calendar page.

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