Daniel G. Riordan

“You have expressed an interest in the process used to carve detailed feathers
on realistic duck decoys. The tools used are the same ones needed to prepare
the carving up to this point: flexible-shaft grinder, stone bits, soft rubber
sanding disc, pencil, and knife. My intention is to explain the ease with which
mastery of this process can be achieved. There are five steps involved: drawing,
outlining, and concaving the feathers, stone carving the quill, and grinding the
barbs. The key to drawing the feathers is research. Good-quality references have
been used in getting the carving to this stage and they will prove invaluable
here. When comfortable with the basic knowledge of placement and types of
feathers, drawing can begin. As with the actual carving, drawing should be
done in a systematic manner. All feathers should be drawn in from front to
back and top to bottom. Drawing should be done lightly so that changes can be
made if necessary. All of the other steps are determined by what is done here,
so the carver must be satisfied before beginning. Outlining creates a lap effect
Copyright”
― Daniel G. Riordan, Technical Report Writing Today