Comments on: Leaf-carving: complicated, high-skill kitsch

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

They say that the leaf carving is done by hand, with no printing or painting involved. Are you sure? Seems like a trivial thing to do with some sort of screen and mild acid or something.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

he needs to do some Kara Walker stuff.
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&client=opera&hs=1Gj&rls=en&q=kara%20walker&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

By: tylerkaraszewski

tylerkaraszewski — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah, it’d obviously be a lot better if the subject matter was infeasible pseudo-victorian steam-powered machines, or video game characters.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

And what, *exactly* ,is wrong with airbrushed van-art?

By: Cowicide

Cowicide — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Unfortunately, most of the subject matter seems to be somewhere on the kitsch scale between sheet-cake inkjet printing and airbrush van-art.

There's some gems in the bunch like here. Maybe they all need more skulls and stuff? ;D

By: TheSpaghettiman

TheSpaghettiman — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I once saw a series of leaf carvings of various communist leaders.

By: lewis stoole

lewis stoole — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

exactly.

By: kib

kib — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The “making procedures” PDF linked on their page outlines the steps but doesn’t exactly go into great detail. I don’t think I’m giving away any artisan secrets when I reveal that Step 4 is “Carve the leaf”.

By: Shelby Davis

Shelby Davis — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Oh. Ew. That rather, um, tarnishes it. But still, I’d love to have some Maxfield Parrish or Beatrix Potter pics or such in this medium.

By: TimDrew

TimDrew — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ultra-fine (carved and /or gilded) leaf calligraphy is a long tradition in Islamic art (from Turkey, I think); there’s some amazing stuff out there (the choice of a leaf as the medium resonates with meaning as well- relating to the universal fractal structures living beings carry within them as a microcosm).

In contrast to the subject matter here (mad carving skills aside, of course).

By: Cowicide

Cowicide — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

There are a great many people who are creative but unskilled. There are a great many people who are skilled but uncreative. There are precious few who are both creative and skilled, and they’re the people we tend to hear about.

And sometimes we hear about these leaf carvers.

By: JamesMason

JamesMason — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Seconding tyler – I find it hard to see a meaningful distinction between this subject matter and naked chicks with monkeys, or anything that is “steampunk”…

By: quitterjunior

quitterjunior — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The gauntlet has been thrown…this leaf shall be shooped (with clever little knives).

By: ZippySpincycle

ZippySpincycle — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wow–the headline nails it. Exceptional effort in the service of the exceptionally banal.

By: Shelby Davis

Shelby Davis — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Say what? You guys, this is beautiful! I really don’t even see how this qualifies as kitsch. Seriously.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

That’s what I thought. Until I followed the link and looked at some of the others.

By: porp

porp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

If you don’t like the Velveteen Rabbit, maybe think of it as an exercise of irony in spending far too much physical dexterity, natural talent, and time in making these – in potentia ephemeral – physical things of no cultural significance.

By: blurgh

blurgh — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sadly, I am no longer able to tell the difference between kitsch and the fine art that boingboing regularly pimps.

By: Andy Rofl

Andy Rofl — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

It’s interesting that they can so easily mass-produce the same image.

By: Egypt Urnash

Egypt Urnash — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I just saw a friend’s design for a sheet-cake picture of Peach domming Mario. Is that kitschy or edgey? Does the fact that it’s for a bachelorette party make it more one or the other?

’cause the leaf you chose to highlight is pretty awesome in a Hillary Knight/Arthur Rackham kind of way.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

It’s art if anyone can do it :)

By: Atrum

Atrum — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Holy. Freaking. Crap. Who even thinks to do something like that?

By: ekkia

ekkia — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Even worse than the Eiffel Tower made with toothpicks.

By: redesigned

redesigned — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Oh no! They carved a picture of Obama from the AP:
http://www.longal-craft.com/uploads/2/4/4/3/2443875/3191621_orig.jpg

Here we go again…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_%22Hope%22_poster

:-)

By: Lobster

Lobster — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

There are a great many people who are creative but unskilled. There are a great many people who are skilled but uncreative. There are precious few who are both creative and skilled, and they’re the people we tend to hear about.

By: isaacb2

isaacb2 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been cutting up comic books for my papercutting art and showing all over SoCal, and I can’t get picked up here… but someone starts cutting bunnies into leaves and that shows up here? Sigh. All I want is to be loved.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Kitsch? I beg to differ. The Velveteen Rabbit is a deeply beloved classic.

By: Pantograph

Pantograph — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You know, for a second I thought that it was a portrait of Pee Wee Herman. Then I realized why they put the Obama picture next to it.

By: Chrs

Chrs — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Man, they do have some not-so-excellent stuff. Recommendation: Needs More Frazetta.

By: duggo42

duggo42 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Indeed.