Detailed explanation of the seven most common jade carving techniques

Jade carving technique 1: round carving

Round sculpture is a technique of carving a work in all directions, just like carving it into a three-dimensional image. Viewers can appreciate the different scenery of the work from different angles. Moreover, the works carved in the round are more vivid, lively and lifelike. For example, portraits, busts, group portraits, animals and plants, etc. are all lifelike.

The emphasis of round sculpture is on shaping according to the situation, that is, it can be created according to the natural shape, texture, color and other aesthetic qualities of the jade raw materials; or in another case, an idea is first had, and then suitable materials are selected for carving.

In both cases, the emphasis is on making the carved works natural, lifelike, and rich in connotation. The carving methods of round sculptures can be realistic, decorative, or abstract. The carving categories can also include pendants, ornaments, or handles. There are many varieties and everything available.

Jade carving technique 2: relief

Relief is a product that combines painting and sculpture. It is a semi-three-dimensional carving technique that expresses layers on a plane, allowing viewers to only see one or two sides.

Relief is a raised image carved on a plane, and according to the thickness of the protrusion, relief can be divided into deep relief, shallow relief and thin relief. The three carving methods present different effects, but they all require a certain sense of volume and ups and downs, and a hierarchical relationship of ups and downs.

Jade carving technique three: hollow carving

Hollow carving is a carving technique that combines transparency and solidity. It is to hollow out certain parts to express the three-dimensional spatial layering of the work.

Hollow carving is relatively difficult and requires very high skills from the sculptor; and the requirements for the jade raw materials are also relatively high. The raw materials must not have any cracks or sand grids, and the texture must be tough, otherwise it will easily break.

Jade carving technique 4: openwork

Openwork carving is very similar to hollow carving, but they are different. Openwork carving refers to retaining the protruding part of the raw material in the carving work, and then only partially hollowing out the back part.

Both openwork and hollow carving have the ability to penetrate, but hollow carving is a 360-degree all-round carving, while openwork carving is only on the front or back sides. Hollow carving belongs to the round carving technique, while openwork carving is an extension of the relief carving technique.

The back of the openwork can be presented in the form of an insert screen. There are single-sided openwork and double-sided openwork: single-sided openwork only carves the front side, while double-sided openwork carves both the front and the back side.

Jade carving technique 5: Line carving

Line carving refers to the carving technique of using lines to carve out patterns. It can also be called line carving, silk carving or yin and yang carving.

Generally, line carving is used to depict small patterns or texts. It only draws the lines without removing the base. It is a decorative auxiliary technique for relief. Line carving generally carves things like people’s hair, fish scales, waves, etc.

Jade carving technique 6: Yin carving

Yin carving is also known as sunken carving. It is a carving technique in which part of the jade material is sunken, and the text or pattern is lower than the surface of the material.

Yin carving requires skilled and accurate techniques, and demands a high level of skill from the sculptor. It requires particular attention to knife skills and lines, and must have the effects of yin and yang, and depth.

Intaglio carving has very high requirements for jade raw materials. Only jade with a particularly fine structure and a particularly smooth surface is suitable for the intaglio carving technique.

Jade carving technique seven: color carving

Colorful carving is a carving technique that cleverly conceives the multiple natural colors on a piece of material to carve out exquisite works, that is, a technique that makes clever use of colors.

Colorful carving can turn waste into treasure and decay into something magical. Often, some materials that seem hopeless have a high collection value after being carved with colorful carvings, but this also requires the sculptor to have unique ingenuity and wild imagination.

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