Stone sculpture tutorial: limestone carving by french artist Frederic Chevarin 

Absolutely Amazing. A beautiful and timeless work of art which will stand forever.

Working with hand tools over a longer period one obtains deeper experiences and a superior sculpture. Its more about the journey.

Thank you, Frederic. This video help me to see how I might go from an idea to an object made in marble. I think your finished object is very beautiful, indeed. Thanks again.

That is beautiful. Well done.

Yes @plentyoflife. Have fun with it and shapes will appear. Clay is a fantastic medium to start with.

This is beautiful. Wow

Thanks for the comments. About the design, I had been commissioned this piece because my client had a sail, so the idea was already clear. Then I worked on the idea of lightness and movement with a clay model. I did a few sketches to get a picture of the sail before using clay though. The dimension of the image was done with the focus of my digital camera not a web cam. Frederic

Hi, to polish, we use sand discs with a polisher. The hardest is to get an even finish without bumps and valleys. It takes a lot of time. I do mine by hand first to get a very good surface to then polish with a mixture of hand and machine finish. If you can't get the machine everywhere, well, it is a hand polishing you have to do. Good luck

@ronin478 Hi, thanks for your comment Mitch, it was my first commission two years ago, I did enjoy doing the film even if it took me a long time to get the structure right. There is nothing bette than carving, welcome back. Post the pictures of what you'll be doing if you have time. Frederic

Hi @TRC0408, thanks for the comment. it is a vanity diamond disc with a continuous rim so that the cut is precise and there is no bolt behind the disc but an M14 attachment to screw to the grinder. Frederic

For millennia, and until relatively recently, stone masons and stone sculptors used pumice instead of sandpaper. The more successful sculptors also used apprentices and journeymen to work the pumice.

Hi @ShadowSlayer103, it is a boat with its sail, the hull and the waves. It is easier to recognize when you have the actual sculpture in front of you. No offense at all, it is very difficult to imagine a piece when there are complex lines, the photos never give a clear picture of what it is. Take care Frederic

mistanix, I use a vanity diamond disc with a M14 attachment, it is continuous rim so that it doesn't jump as much as a segmented disc which is for concrete. You can find it as a 5inch diametre or a 9inch one. they last forever if it is a good quality one. For more info, google "freelists stone" it is great. Good luck

Very nice work! What kind of disc are you using on your grinder to cut through the stone? Certainly looks like it makes the roughing out process a little faster. Thanks

Frederic, did you take the guard off the angle grinder ? If you did does it give more flexibility ? Your tutorials are wonderful ...thank you !!!

What kind of blades are you using on your 4 1/2" and 7" angle grinder?

Hi, It depends on the size, material and difficulty. How long is a piece of string? My pieces sell for thousands of pounds, mainly because of the time I spend on any of them ...

You sand from coarse to fine grits, always. Depending on the stone, 80, 120, 180, 220, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000 & abrasive pastes.The last ones are not always necessary it depends on the type of stone you work with.

@p1etra5anta wow I watched it again and it is really beautiful. How long did it take you to make this? and did you go to school for art?

@Miguelsr1rst, you have to check that the Art Institute mean marble or stone for sculpture. It is quite possible you might do so many aother things that what you really want to do. Usually, art school don't spend much or no time carving stone. And it is quite possible that they wont let you touch marble at all. I don't teach but I started marble with just an angle grinder. Then I carried on with other tools. But it takes time to discover stone and what you 'r able to do as well... Good luck

@BurningEmber1234 it took me about 15hrs to carve the sculpture and 18hrs to make the film. I am a self taught artist but also I have been shown the way by an italian master Vaco Montecchi, Helaine Blumenfeld, and other artists. I started by watching stone cutters and spending 2weeks working with them in France, Normandy. Have a look at my website frederic-chevarindotcom there is a section about that and even more Frederic

it is very nice,i love it

beautiful work btw what kind of disc is on your angle grinder? I have a monster of a grinder but I cant find a good cutting disk

Thanks very much indeed for your compliment. Frederic

it is art, a sculpture to be in a good home...

Hi, thanks for the comment mavinova. It is a limestone from Caen Normandy (France) in the video, you've seen alternatively diamond disc, pneumatic chisel, rasps and sand paper, nothing special. Frederic

@AerdnaZaze Thanks for the comment. Working in stone is quite different from wood. No grain to follow, no flexibility of the material, it is cold also but once you get the hang of it you'll love it. Good luck for your new experience.

I meant the old way of sanding. What did the ancient stone masons used? Did they use sand paper and if so what grit range did they had to work with? If not sand paper what kind of rocks did they use to sand the stone? Thanks for the previous answer but not exactly what I am looking for.

Well, I liked the stone to be left as natural as possible, without anything else after the light polishing done with sandpaper. Some artist would coat it with a stone enhancer, wax or even paint it. It's a matter of taste I suppose.

It is a sail in limestone. My first commission.

As you live in the States, there must be some stone masons or stone merchants somewhere. It depends where you live exactly. If there are stone buildings, there are stonemasons, then there are stones to source...

If only Michaelangelo could have owned such machinery! ...

Thank you very much Lee Adams

Same to me. Use a fan to redirect the dust so that it doesn't accumulate too much on your mask. You can suck the air or push the air with a big fan. See my tutorial on my website (frederic-chevarindotcom), there is an article about it. Good luck

@BurningEmber1234 thanks, it is a sail with the hull, and the waives. Hope it makes sense. It is might be difficult to understand what it is exactly without having it in from of you. Frederic

very nice

@p1etra5anta Thanks! Any ideas where I could purchase this type of disc and attachment for my grinder? Cheers

@loyalrammy Thank you for your comment. Please have a look at my other films. You might like them as well ;-) Frederic

I don't know what it is but its pretty :)

What is the old way of sanding it? highest grit? If you know...

thank you

Hi Miguelsr1st, I've been working with marble for 7years, before it was limestone. Start with limestone by cutting a perfect cube, a ball, a cylender. Take woodworking tools i.e. chisels to start with and then you can start carving. The most important is to get used to the tools and the stone, slowly but carefully. To respect the line, and practice gently on simple forms at first. Have a look at my tuorial at frederic-chevarindotcom to help you & find a good book on stone carving. Take care F.

p1etra5anta where do u buy stone, i have been looking allover but just cant find it

@TRC0408 I bought it from stonetools.co.uk, you can download the catalogue and they are very good people to buy from, you can even call them, they can give you a piece of advice in case you need it. You'll see different blades. The one I got from them is not on the catalogue any more. They are on page 58 from their catalogue. Frederic

So it is a beautiful abstract art piece but not a representation of any functional object like a boat or an ash tray. Is that it?

@p1etra5anta Thank you very much! I'll give them a try. take care

thanks, the disks I have been using just fills the air with marble dust, until I cannot see through the glass of my gas mask lol!

Its a sharks top fin sticking out of the water.

@p1etra5anta that is really cool Your pretty awesome XDDD also I will definitely take a look. :)

Hey, I work in sculpture.

he's good

Look nice but I do not know what it is

@uni000ver000sal Art*

@BurningEmber1234 That is if you are snorting somethin...

@uni000ver000sal hmmm yeah no...if you think you have yo snort something to appreciate are then your head must be broken. Have a nice day :)

Why not just use a robot to make it?

Meh.