Shemogodskaya birch bark carving. Slotted carving on birch bark. Master class DIY sketches for ornament on birch bark

Shemogodskaya birch bark

The craft originated in the city of Veliky Ustyug, Vologda Oblast in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. Ornament of Shemogod carvers is popularly called "birch bark lace". The craft is associated with the processing of birch bark and the manufacture of caskets, boxes, caddies, pencil cases, tues, dishes, plates, cigarette cases from it.

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Before cutting the drawing itself, the contours of the future image are applied to the prepared birch bark plate with a blunt awl. After the drawing is finished, the birch bark plate is glued to the product.
In the village of Kurovo-Navolok in 1918, an artel "Artist" was formed, and in 1981 the art-production plant "Veliky Ustyug patterns" was created, continuing the traditions of openwork knitting.
The art of birch bark carving brought fame to the masters of the Shemogodsky volost of the Velikoustyug district. Judging by the early samples of Shemogod carving that have survived to this day, the influence of the Veliky Ustyug perforated iron, niello art, and northern openwork bone carving is noticeable.
The silvery-white surface of the birch bark is beautiful in itself, but it was sometimes also decorated with embossing or painting, cut through ornaments on it.
The art of birch bark carving brought fame to the masters of the Shemogodsky volost of the Velikoustyug district. Already in the 18th century. the inhabitants of the village of Kurovo-Navolok and neighboring villages located along the Shemoksa River, a tributary of the Northern Dvina, cut openwork patterns on birch bark plates and applied them to embossing. Over time, this kind of skill turned into a craft. The famous Russian scientist-traveler P.I. Chelishchev wrote about products made of birch bark as a commodity in 1791. At the fair in Veliky Ustyug, he saw in the trade rows "printed beetroots protected by figures."
In the parish, the craft was called "Shemogodskaya" carving.

Probably, one of the reasons for the emergence of birch bark craft in Shemogodskaya volost was its proximity to Veliky Ustyug, an ancient center of artistic crafts, with which the history of nielloed silver, filigree and filigree, cloisonné enamels, painted tiles, gold embroidery, perforated iron, carving and painting on wood. The period from the 16th to the 18th century was the heyday of the local artistic culture, the achievements of which were preserved in the future in the works of folk artisans.

The most complete description of the trade was made by F. A. Arseniev in 1882: "In the Velikoustyug district, in 14 villages of the Shemogodsky volost, there is a production of beetroots from birch bark. In terms of strength and accuracy of work, beetroots surpass wooden dishes in the sense that they never dry out, they are used at home for wearing milk and under various pickles; large - replace buckets. All beetroot production is determined in 2800 rubles. Recently, this craft has begun to fall due to a lack of material, and one should not want it to develop, because The beetroot business is the cause of the tremendous destruction of birch forests.
There are 168 people in Shemogodskaya volost, including 110 householders, who are engaged in beetroot business. The earnings are negligible, not exceeding 16 rubles per adult for six winter months. The best borage in the village of Kurovo-Navolok. They custom-make extremely dainty beetroots with a shallow cut, decorated with colorful foil. Sale of beetroots in Ustyug and to buyers in all districts of the Vologda province.
Beetroot patterns are always cut by craftsmen with a simple sharp-pointed knife; some are so outlined in this matter that they compose a pattern directly by hand and will never get lost in a drawing. "
The Shemogod carving technique was used in the manufacture of caskets, boxes, caddies, pencil cases, toes, dishes, plates, cigarette cases. Decorated with carved birch bark, they took on the appearance of elegant, skillfully made products. The openwork ornaments of Shemogodsk carvers were called "birch bark lace".
It is easy to recognize Shemogoda carving by this ornament. The pattern, as a rule, consists of a creeping stem with elongated leaves and spirally twisted branches. On their tips are round rosettes, berries, shamrocks. This ornament may include images of birds or animals, architectural motives, and sometimes even scenes of walking in the garden and drinking tea. Another characteristic feature of Shemogoda carving is the frames with geometric patterns that surround the pattern.
The carving technique is not difficult, but it requires solid skills, patience and imagination. The main contours of the image are applied to the prepared birch bark plate with a blunt awl. Then the pattern is cut out with a sharp knife and the background is removed. If you lead the knife at a right angle to the birch bark blank, you will get a clear outline, and if you tilt the knife, you will see a cut of the birch bark, the thickness of the material will be revealed, the drawing will acquire a soft outline. The silhouette ornament is decorated with small cuts. Embossing is applied to birch bark with the same blunt awl. The finished strip is glued into the smoothly cleaned grooves of the products. Many craftsmen tinted the background or put colored foil under the openwork pattern.
When carving, it is very important to be careful and draw the line exactly according to the pattern, otherwise the desired fragment will fall out of the pattern and the entire plate will be damaged. Experienced craftsmen unmistakably carve the ornamental pattern in the tradition of Shemogodya and without preliminary marking the pattern. But only high-class specialists can do this.
The art of carving on birch bark, judging by its early samples that have survived to this day, was influenced by the Veliky Ustyug perforated iron, niello art, and northern openwork bone carving.
The names of many talented craftsmen are associated with the history of the craft. In the State Historical Museum there are signature works of the Veliky Ustyug master Stepan Bochkarev. These are boxes and tavlinka (snuffboxes) of the first half of the 19th century. with scenes based on the themes of Aesop's fables that were fashionable at that time, with images of animals and architectural structures. In the village of Kurovo-Navolok, all residents of which bore the surname Veprevy, an outstanding master of the late XIX-early XX centuries. was Ivan Afanasyevich Veprev. He is considered the creator of the Shemogod ornament itself - the very one based on a spiral curl with a round “berry”, reminiscent of carved rosettes on spinning wheels. The master's works were distinguished by the purity of the carving and the beauty of the drawing. On the lids and walls of boxes with secret locks, he placed hunting scenes, depicted various animals among the forest thickets. It was his works that were awarded a medal in 1882 at the All-Russian Exhibition in Moscow and a diploma at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
In the second half of the XIX century. birch bark carving was carried out in 14 villages of Shemogodsky volost.

In 1918, craftsmen from the village of Kurovo-Navolok were united in the "Artist" artel. There was another artel on Shemoksa, founded in 1934 by Nikolai Vasilyevich Veprev. It was called Solidarity. The best carvers were invited to this artel, who tried to preserve the traditions of Shemogod carving. Their products were distinguished by their particular purity of execution, variety of forms and novelty of patterns.

In 1964, the production was considered economically unprofitable, both artels were closed, and the foremen were fired. It took a lot of effort to restore the Shemogod carvings. This happened in 1967, when at the Kuzinsky Mechanical Plant a workshop was created for the manufacture of boxes, tues and other products decorated with cut birch bark. After the unsuccessful "innovations" of the 1950-1960s, the fishery began to develop actively again. In 1972, the Vologda Department of Local Industry decided to create a brigade of birch bark carvers at the Veliky Ustyug factory of artistic brushes. AE Markova was instructed to teach young carvers the complex language of the art of carved birch bark. So a new stage in the history of the craft began - its true revival.
In 1981, an experimental factory "Veliky Ustyug Patterns" was opened in the city. Since that time AE Markova has been working as a member of a creative group created at the factory. The master's products are increasingly being shown at various exhibitions, they are purchased by museums in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda, Suzdal, Veliky Ustyug.

"Slavic culture"

Many people who start working with birch bark ask themselves the question: how to make a slotted thread? I have come across different approaches to this. I am giving my version as a master class.
So what tools do we need?
First, it is, of course, a jamb knife and a feather knife:

A jamb knife (right) is needed for the initial processing of birch bark from growths and irregularities on the white (seamy) side. It must be cleaned in order to then stick the birch bark with a cut ornament on the product (box or background for a picture).
A miniature feather knife (left) is needed for the carving itself. Many Vologda craftsmen use only it for carving.
I also use wood chisels. These are arcuate chisels of varying degrees of convexity, straight and triangular:

Chisels from the "Tatyanka" series have proven themselves, they are quite thin and slowly dull, although they are quite decent, but you can spend it once, because they will serve you for many years.
Awls are also needed. Moreover, they need to be blunt a little so that they do not scratch the birch bark:

We select birch bark for carving of high-quality, smooth, uniform color and without any sagging. We clean with a knife or peel off the inner (white layer) of birch bark. Birch bark peels off easily. You need to pick up the required thickness with your nail and separate:

You can apply the sketch yourself on the birch bark with an awl. I often use presets printed on a printer on paper. We attach a sketch to the birch bark and outline with an awl:

A pretty clear print is obtained:

Now we cut through the birch bark along the lines, using chisels for curved lines and a knife for more or less straight lines:

To make the embossing, I use metal cutters. They leave an asterisk-like pattern:

If you draw a line with the same cutter, turning it, you get a nice "groove":

I circle the frame around the picture with an awl along the ruler:

A beautiful print - the dotted line remains from the points made with a blunt awl:

In order to stick a birch bark with an ornament on a product, we use PVA glue, which is applied to a sponge for washing dishes. We carefully tampon the birch bark with them from the seamy side.

Birch bark is birch bark, which is a unique natural material. Lovely birch - decoration of Russian forests, the personification of youth and chastity

Among the endless vast world of plants on Earth, only birch has a snow-white bark.

Birch bark has a peculiar structure. Its surface layer is highlighted in white.

It is followed by the thinnest, numerous yellowish layers that make up the so-called birch bark - a durable, flexible material that does not give in to decay, a unique natural formation.

These properties made birch bark one of the most vital materials for humans. They drove black tar from birch bark, got along with light boats, roofing for huts,

weaved sandals and waders, jackets and caps, bottles and inkpots, horns and pipes that caress the ear.

In specially made tues and boxes, liquid substances were stored - milk, sour cream, cedar oil, various animal fat, honey, salted fish and much more.

A birch bark canteen is like a thermos: sour cream does not sour in them, the fish does not freeze in winter, and does not deteriorate in the heat.

All these products could be stored indefinitely because birch bark has excellent bactericidal properties. It is no coincidence that the air in a birch forest is several times more sterile than in an operating room. The seams in the products were sealed so tightly that they did not let moisture through.

Bags, clothes, shoes were made from specially processed birch bark.
which in their qualities are not inferior to leather products.
In ancient times in Russia, birch bark was used in large quantities
for writing. The writings of the ancient Novgorodians have been well preserved to this day - birch bark letters that brought to us pictures of the life of that distant time.

Birch bark is one of the most poetic materials of folk decorative
applied arts. Like clothes, it reliably protects the tree
from various adversities. In the spring, on bright sunny days, snow-white
the bark reflects the scorching rays of the luminary. Autumn birch bark "cloak"
protects the trunk from moisture, putrefactive microbes,
in winter - from bitter frosts.

The craftsmen of many provinces were engaged in the production of products from birch bark. Carved birch bark was used to decorate art products.

Each large center for the production of birch bark products developed their own methods of decorating things, in which patterns, ornaments with images of birds and plants were often used.

The master performs all kinds of birch bark products with the finest carving and embossing, in combination they are harmonious. Skillfully varying patterns, he makes each object seem to sound in its own way.

Birch bark is a very warm material. Even in a cold room, it is warm to the touch, because it has a lot of positive energy.

Very often we hear from women who have been working on a computer for a long time that a rim made of birch bark relieves fatigue, and often normalizes pressure.

Each product is unique.

Products made of birch bark are very beautiful - their soft charm with a touch of Russian antiquity makes people gravitate towards such items with all their hearts ...

Slotted carving on birch bark. Master Class

Many people who start working with birch bark are wondering: how to make a slotted thread

First, we need a joint knife and a feather knife as the main knives. These are the main knives and we will use them the most. Professional craftsmen usually use only a feather knife at all.

We also need a set of chisels for wood carving.

Since I used to study woodcarving at Tatyanka, I have such a set of chisels in stock.

We also need an awl. The main thing in working with birch bark is to prevent the awl from scratching it, so give yourself a couple to work with birch bark and blunt / round off a little.

We need first-class, high-quality birch bark for the slotted carving. With a jamb knife, it is necessary to remove all growths and stratify the birch bark, removing the white layer. As we remember, birch bark is compressed layers of the thinnest outer bark, so delamination will pass easily.

Getting started

The first thing we need to do is prepare the drawing that we will cut out. To do this, it is enough to print the necessary drawing on the printer, attach it to the birch bark and with an awl (which is why you need a rounded awl), carefully circle the drawing, not pressing hard on the drawing, so that the outline remains on the birch bark.

One of the favorite materials of the craftsmen was birch bark. Baskets, salt shakers, boxes, shoes (sandals, feet) were woven from it. Of the combined products (wood and bark), the most common was a tues, consisting of a layer birch bark and skolotnya (birch bark cylinder).

Birch bark has antiseptic properties, which allows you to store food in a birch bark dish for a long time. In addition to utilitarian items in the peasant hut, there were toys made of birch bark - wicker balls, rattles (shuffles), "birch bark" figures. Simple musical instruments - horns and pipes - were also made from birch bark. Pots, glass bottles, handles of tools were wrapped with birch bark ribbon.

Birch bark crafts, once widespread throughout the country, have survived in the northern, northeastern regions of the European part of Russia, in the Volga region and Siberia. Elm bark bodies are made only in the Bryansk region (Maloye Polpino). Unfortunately, at the present time the trade is not so widespread, and the bodies are made only by individual craftsmen.

If you have been to the forest, then, most likely, you have seen a rotten birch stump at least once. If you kick it, it will crumble into dust, but the birch bark will remain strong. Birch bark is durable and does not decay, and people have long understood this. In the huts, it was placed under the lower crown of the hut so that moisture would not penetrate into the house. Birch bark was used to create moisture resistant footwear, sheathing of birch bark boats, and the manufacture of tues, which kept their contents cold even in the heat. One of the historical sources is the well-known birch bark letters, which have brought us samples of ancient Russian writing. Birch was used as paper due to its elasticity.
Birch bark products used in everyday life were often decorated with a cut pattern. The city where more than in all other places they were engaged in carving on birch bark was Veliky Ustyug.
Birch bark is easy to process, even using simple tools, you can perform various decorative work.

The most important tool when creating slotted birch bark is a cutter. Punching tools are also needed (Hand tools for punching small holes in various materials) - they are made from sheet steel rolled up in the form of tubes of different diameters. The profiles of such tubes can be made in different shapes: oval, square, triangular, round. The tubes must be driven into wood handles and sharpened on the outside.
Also, engravings and a blunt awl are useful in work. The more different tools there are, the more interesting the drawing will be.

Birch bark harvesting should be planned for late May / early June, it is at this time of the year that the birch bark has a particularly beautiful shade and is easy to remove. Only remove birch bark from already fallen trees!

Peel off the outer white layer with sandpaper and remove the remaining bark from the front (inner) side.
Fresh birch bark exfoliates easily, but dried birch bark will need to be steamed with hot water and separated into layers with a knife.
To make the birch bark straight, put it between two planks and press down with a load.

For processing birch bark, you need a board (preferably linden or aspen). The birch bark is attached to such a board with the help of clerical buttons, and a sheet of thin paper with a pattern applied to it is fixed on top, then the drawing must be circled around the contour with a hard pencil so that the print of the pattern can be seen on the product, later you can circle it with an awl and directly on the birch bark ...

Difficult parts of the design must be cut with a cutter, and punch holes are well suited for small, often repetitive elements. In order to make the pattern even more interesting, engravings are used, they are slightly knocked on with a hammer so that a depression or bulge appears in the birch bark. Carefully, if you are not sure that you will get exactly a deepening, and not a through hole, it is better to practice working with chasing on a test piece of birch bark. Embossings and punches are used to simplify the same elements on the product. Awl is used to depict short lines and dots.

After your work is completed, you need to carefully remove the birch bark from the board and glue it to the background - smooth birch bark, colored foil, etc. For gluing, you need to use wood glue and do it under a press. If during work it loses its color and freshness, then it should be wiped with oil (sunflower or linseed) with a soft sponge or cloth.
The finished product can be used to decorate a pencil case, bookmark, pencil holder, glasses case and many different objects that we meet in everyday life.

So, our master class on making a pattern on birch bark by slotted thread:

Tools

First, we need a joint knife and a feather knife as the main knives. These are the main knives and we will use them the most. Professional craftsmen usually use only a feather knife at all.

We also need a set of chisels for wood carving.

Since I used to study woodcarving at Tatyanka, I have such a set of chisels in stock.

We also need an awl. The main thing in working with birch bark is to prevent the awl from scratching it, so give yourself a couple to work with birch bark and blunt / round off a little.

Getting started

Many different tools can be used to emboss birch bark, but to get a full range of designs, I advise you to use a leather embossing tool.

Here are some examples of leather embossing:

The effect will be the same, except that the birch bark is more fragile, calculate the force when hitting with a hammer :) Practice on an unnecessary piece of birch bark.

The frame around the picture is traced with a metal ruler, this is a proven way to make a straight line.

After that, take some rest.

In order to glue our drawing on the decorated object, we take PVA glue, a sponge for dishes, and apply glue with small light movements, the glue is applied both to the object and to the birch bark, remember you don’t need much glue, otherwise it will flow out of the ornament and then all this will have a rather unpresentable look.

Good luck in your endeavors!

Carving is another way to work with birch bark... Simple and complex compositions can be used as decoration for birch bark products; the complex includes scenes from the life of people, animals and birds, and the simple ones include geometric and floral ornaments. In order for the pattern to be clearly visible on a birch bark product, it is placed or superimposed on a birch bark of a different (darker or lighter) shade. A background of brightly colored paper or even foil is also used.

Birch bark carving tools

The cutter knife is the main tool for carving birch bark. Other tools that are no less important, for example: for marking a drawing, are a ruler, square, compasses, and awl. The whole process of carving on birch bark takes place on a special board so as not to spoil the surface of the table.
The whole process of making birch bark products consists of three stages: making blanks, making an ornament and assembling (connecting a carved pattern with the surface of a birch bark product.

Manufacturing of birch bark blanks for carving

To prepare a workpiece for carving, the birch bark must be very well cleaned on both sides and delaminated (the optimal workpiece thickness is 2mm). If the birch bark is very dry, it can be steamed in hot water. Soak in hot water and keep in water for 3-4 hours. After such a bath, the birch bark should be well disassembled into layers. If, nevertheless, the layer does not stick well from one another, then you can help with a wooden knife. It is convenient and you can not be afraid to damage the birch bark.

Now the birch bark is cut into strips of the desired size.

Making a pattern for carving

Templates are used for drawing. After all, if the pattern is repeated in the ornament, then it is easier to make a template and apply the pattern to the workpiece using the template.

The thread is usually made on a lining flat and sanded board (so as not to tear the birch bark, because it is only 2mm thick). And in general it is convenient.
After applying a pattern to the workpiece, first cut the border, and only then you can proceed to the central part of the pattern.
After the main pattern is cut out, you need to revive our carving - to do the cutting. This means making cuts in the berries, veins on the leaves, and the like.
Carving on birch bark is complemented by engraving and embossing. Carved birch bark must retain its natural color, that is, it is not varnished.

Installation of finished products from birch bark

The finished birch bark strip with a cut pattern is connected to the surface of the product.