Customer Reviews

Direct Stone Sculpture: A Guide to Technique and Creativity

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has aroused in me a great deal of enthuiasm for the process of shaping stone and the creation of art forms out of stone. Liebson is an authority on the subject and he writes extremely well. Manufacturers and suppliers of tools and stone are listed in an index. A list of recommended tools is provided as well as a fairly comprehensive description of how to best utilize these tools. The photographs are interesting and informative. An inspirational book. Of the three books on stone sculpture which I've read, this is by far the best.

Every sculptor should own this book, and it's really the only one you need. Meilach's volume makes a good supplement, but really that's all it is; Liebson's book easily stands on it's own as the standard reference.

Why? Almost the entire book is devoted to the craft and mechanics of carving stone. Liebson looks like someone's dad, and writes like it, too -- this book eschews all discussion of "art" in favor of simple, practical advice on "how to do it." From selecting a stone and tools to using and caring for those tools to finishing, polishing, mounting, and displaying your sculpture, even to gaining exhibitions and marketing your work, Liebson covers absolutely everything you need to know to get started, and to keep going. I've been carving for over five years now, and I still refer constantly to this book.

After reading the two previous reviews, I purchased this book on sculpture and was surprised to find that "soapstone" carving was dismissed from the very beginning of the book. Liebson makes clear that he does not even allow "soapstone" in his classroom--on the grounds that (his opinion)it is dangerous to the sculpter's health, and also crumbles when worked.
Since I am new to sculpture, this was disappointing because "soapstone" was the only material I had worked with, and hoped this book was going to give me some valuable advise. Beyond Liebson's dismisal of "soapstone" the book is everything that those other reviews said it was. Tools, methods and merchandising are all covered with ample illustrations. I hope to take full advantage of Liebson's valuable lessons once I have graduated up to limestone and the like.
A.B.

I am very picky at buying books because of the high shipping costs to South America, sometimes as high as the cost of a book.
I purchased Direct Stone Sculpture because it was well praised at an art forum by highly renowned artists. After reading the book, I must say that I fully agree with them. It is worth reading and enjoying the photographs of many works. It teaches carving and use of carving tools.
I am not only learning to sculpt but also appreciating art made by great "stoners" at the Sculpture Gallery of the book.
The book has many photographs of the carving process, and shows detailed views of many hand and power tools that I found useful.
I think this book should have a special place at any home library even at non carvers' shelves.
HR, Bolivia

The author understands the medium of stone well and brings the techniques to life in a way that one can visualize, reproduce and gain the desired skills. The photo illustration works well with the material. However, I rated this book as three stars instead of five because of the publishers formatting (or lack there of.) Photo groups, necessary for following along were not labeled and quite often out of order visually or even on the wrong page. It was a distraction that could have easily been fixed if it had been proof read and/or laid out a little more carefully. Also, all of the photos in the book are black and white. Normally this is not a problem, but to see some of the detail and processes described, a color section may have been warranted.

Since there are few good books on the subject of direct carving in stone, I would recommend it, but with some mild hesitation and a disclaimer. From the standpoint of conveying information, it was a good book, kudos to the author. However, I don't like sloppiness and would more readily recommend a higher quality book if one existed.

The valuable part of this book is the step-by-step instruction in carving and finishing. It is detailed and easy to follow. The discussion of tools is also good, going into specifics that are hard to find elsewhere. Liebson also writes reasonably well and organizes his book cleanly.

The big drawback to this book is that it ignores the techniques that Liebson himself doesn't use: not only does it leave out indirect carving (copying from a model), but also omitted is any discussion of how to carve details with a chisel. The sculptures photographed for the book, including half a dozen of Liebson's own, tend to be abstract and employ only large, simple forms. They all eschew the kind of fine details that are essential to most of the world's stone-carving traditions, such as the floral decadence of a Corinthian capital or the lettering on a tombstone. Liebson's choice not to cover this--or even to mention it--is a discouraging flaw in an otherwise decent book.

As an utter beginner, 10-15 years ago, I purchased this book. It told me where to get rocks, tools, workbench - all of which I was able to mail-order (since he also gives addresses). I did so, and started carving on a piece of lovely pink alabaster, with only this book as a guide. I couldn't find ANY local instruction. And I did pretty well, using just this book. Go for it!

This is an excellent book on the techniques and mental process involved in learning to "direct" carve stone. You will see many examples and styles of carvings and a very through and well planned course showing how to select your stone which tools to buy and how to use them. This book contains everything you need to get started in stone.

This book is wonderful for the beginner or experienced person working with stone. I highly recommend this book.

The book is designed for medium carvers, who would like to try a hammer and chisel carving of marble. This book is not designed for beginners. Hence the dismissal of soft stone like talc/soapstone. If you are thinking of carving marble this book is very useful and has many valid points and interesting reading.