Techniques of Carving and Shaping the Bulbs of Zhangzhou Narcissus Flowers
This article will introduce the relevant information about the Zhangzhou narcissus, the carving and shaping techniques of narcissus bulbs, and more details will be provided by the editor.
We will introduce the unique carving techniques of Zhangzhou narcissus in order of carving:
1. Selection of flower heads:
(1) Determining the shape and selecting flower heads: This refers to choosing narcissus heads after determining a certain shape. This is generally done by masters who have mastered the art of narcissus carving. For competitions or exhibitions, there is a need for specific shapes, so flower heads with basic shapes need to be chosen to carve satisfactory works. For example, if you want to create a festive flower basket, you must choose flower heads with symmetrical buds, otherwise where will the handle of the flower basket come from. If you want to create mandarin ducks playing in the water, you need to choose buds with small spherical feet, with appropriate sizes. After carving, you can cultivate matching shapes. For the shape of "Peach Blossoms and Plum Blossoms Competing for Spring", you need to choose two bulbs, one large and one small, growing together on a bulb plate, the large one being the peach and the small one being the plum. Without these basic shapes, even the best carving techniques will find it difficult to create lifelike works. As an old saying goes, "Even a clever woman cannot cook a meal without rice." The basic elements are: imagine the basic outline of the work you want to create, and let the bulbs or their structure match the basic outline. Just like painters, they always outline the shape with a few strokes at the beginning, and then elaborate on the details. The subsequent carving and shaping are the elaboration of the details, and the combination of the two can achieve an accurate outline and rich details. Only then can a work perfectly express the artistic conception the creator wants to convey, and it can be a work with life.
(2) Determining the shape based on the flower heads: This is encountered when enjoying the narcissus at home. You only have a few narcissus bulbs sent by distant relatives or bought from the flower market. At this time, you cannot create any work you want. However, the principle is still the same, observe the narcissus bulbs you have, and imagine what their basic outline looks like. In fact, the carving of narcissus is so magical, similar to painting traditional Chinese painting, it emphasizes artistic conception, whether it is figures or landscapes, it does not seek to be true to life, but the spirit is more important. Everything is between likeness and unlikeness, which is the charm of narcissus carving art. Specific examples of flower head selection are: symmetrical bulb feet are suitable for carving into flower baskets, dragon heads, and double snakes coming out of the water. Asymmetrical ones can imitate birds, beasts, and landscape potted landscapes. Let your imagination run wild, and you will find the right shape. If you really can't think of it, just carve out a crab claw narcissus, place it naturally, and use an appropriate pot to hold it, and it will also be a good natural landscape.
2. Tools for carving narcissus:
As the saying goes, "If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools." A good narcissus carving knife makes the process of carving narcissus flowers easy and smooth. The tools used for carving narcissus flowers vary from place to place, but they are more or less the same. Generally, the traditional carving knives in Zhangzhou, Fujian can be divided into:
(1) Main cutting knife: 18 cm long, with a handle of 10 cm and a blade of 8 cm. The knife is shaped like a long triangle, with a maximum width of 1.5 cm, a straight blade, and a back thickness of 3 mm. It is used for starting the knife and opening the lid, and it is the most basic narcissus carving knife. Some masters can complete all the carving tasks with just this one knife.
(2) Oblique carving knife: It is the main tool for fine carving and engraving, used for peeling, scraping, scraping, shoveling, and shaping.
(3) Right-angle digging knife: Generally made by carvers themselves, using a 2~3 mm thick steel plate to make a sharp right angle, used for digging holes and making holes, very convenient for carving shapes like teapots and gourds.
(4) Small scissors: The best choice is medical-grade stainless steel small scissors. The blade is thin and long, with a pointed and curved small pair of scissors. They are used for trimming leaves and scales, and are used in conjunction with carving. During water cultivation, they are used to trim moldy scales, leaves, roots, and flower buds.
(5) Tweezers: A pointed and a curved one, medical-grade stainless steel tweezers are the best choice. They are used to clean up碎片 left over from carving, to arrange leaves, flower stems, and flower buds, and to assist in deep carving and cotton wrapping and cleaning.
3. Basic steps of narcissus flower carving:
(1) Purifying the flower bulb: Remove the root-protecting mud, use a bamboo board to remove dead roots and rotten impurities, be careful not to hurt the bulbs, and remove the dried outer scales of the flower bulb to make it easier to cut.
(2) Cutting scales: In the past, it was called opening the lid, which is to cut off about half of the bulb longitudinally, exposing the bud. The method is to cut an arc line 1 cm above the root plate with a cutting knife, and then use a carving knife to peel off the scales layer by layer along the line until all the buds are exposed. The technique is to press the scale with your forefinger when the knife is inserted, and bring the scale out together when it is withdrawn. Only half of the bulb needs to be cut.
(3) Loosening the scales: To facilitate carving the leaves and flower stems, cut off the scales between the buds.
(4) Peeling the bracts: Starting from the end of the bud bract, open the bract and then peel it down along the base.
(5) Trimming the leaf margins: According to the requirements of the shape, determine the position and width of the leaf trimming, first make a cut at the leaf end, and then peel it down along the leaf margin to the base. The leaves should be carefully peeled, and avoid damaging the flower buds.
(6) Carving the flower stems: According to the needs of the shape, determine the amount and direction of the flower stem to be cut, and carve from the stem end to the base. If you need to carve to the bulb root, you can also use a pointed triangular knife to insert through the bulb root along the thin skin of the flower stem. If carving in November or December, the flower stem has not yet grown, it is difficult to carve accurately, and it may scratch the tender flower stem, so you can soak the bulb in water to extend the germination and wait for the flower stem to swell before carving.
(7) Carving lateral buds: Lateral buds are mostly on both sides of the mother bulb, some with flowers, some without. Depending on the intended shape, they can be left uncarved to serve as the handle of a flower basket or the head of a bird, or slightly carved and left to serve as the tail of a rooster or goldfish, or carved like the above to form a crab claw shape and create other shapes.
(8) Trimming the cut surface: Trim all the incisions to make them neat and beautiful, and also to prevent碎片 from rotting and polluting the flower bulb.
(9) Special carving techniques:
1. Vertical carving: Use the carving knife to carve vertically downwards from the bulb, generally used when cultivating a large number of water plants, such carving only relieves the constraint of the bulb on the buds, promoting growth and shortening and strengthening. When it starts to grow, it looks a bit like a penguin, so it is called "Penguin Narcissus."
2. Oblique carving: Oblique carving is basically the same as "Penguin Narcissus", and is also used by those who cultivate a large number of water plants or do not want to spend much labor. The method is to make a cut on both sides of the bulb from top to bottom, allowing the flower buds to grow smoothly.
3. Digging cups: Remove the upper half of the narcissus bulb, leaving the flower bud, and keep the outer two scales, hollowing out the inner scales to form a cup shape. The flower buds are carved according to the above methods, and after growth, they look like silver cups with flowers.
4. Hollowing out: To preserve the basic shape of the bulb, the outer part of the bulb is not damaged, and a special tool is used to hollow out the inner scales, releasing the flower buds, allowing the flowers to accompany the bulb. This technique is used in "Peach Blossoms and Plum Blossoms Competing for Spring", "Gourd Presenting Auspiciousness", and so on.
4. Water cultivation of carved narcissus flowers:
There is a saying about the carving process of narcissus flowers, "Three parts carving, seven parts cultivation", indicating that cultivation is more important than carving. The water cultivation of narcissus flowers, also known as immersion cultivation, is described below:
(1) Soaking: After the narcissus bulb is carved, it can be soaked in water after drying slightly. However, sometimes in order to have a uniform blooming period and due to insufficient labor, the carved narcissus flowers are also placed in water together after a few days. Once the narcissus flowers are placed in water, the blooming process cannot be stopped. If you want a uniform blooming period, you need to place them in water at the same time. The best water quality for soaking is natural spring water, and in urban areas, drinking mineral water can be used for small-scale water cultivation. Tap water contains bleach, so it should be placed aside for a day before use. (If you want to dwarf the plants, this is also the time: Soak the "Narcissus Dwarf Health Essence" according to the instructions and use it as the soaking solution for narcissus flowers. Dwarfing agents are generally provided by dealers). After carving, the narcissus bulb is soaked and washed for two days. During soaking, place the carved side of the flower head down in the water, and use a heavy object to lightly press the flower head to prevent it from floating. After soaking for a day, remove the flower head and wash off the sticky liquid one by one. When washing, you can hold the flower head with your hand and gently tap the water with the carved side down, or use tap water with appropriate pressure to rinse until the sticky liquid is washed off. At the same time, remove any remaining mud, dead roots, and dry scales from the flower head; then change the water and soak the flower head again. On the second day of soaking, if there is still sticky liquid flowing from the flower head, repeat this method to wash it clean. The purpose of soaking and washing is to prevent the flower head from rotting and discoloring. The transparent sticky liquid in the narcissus bulb contains certain nutrients and is easily invaded by fungi, causing rotting. If the sticky liquid is not washed clean, it will stick to the carved flower head and, when exposed to sunlight, it will turn brown and black.
After the flower head is lifted, it is best to spray it with clean water again, and touch the wounded area with your fingers (as the sticky liquid is transparent and not easily noticeable). If there is still sticky liquid, wash it off with your hand. After washing, the flower head, which has been soaked in water for two days, has absorbed enough moisture and stimulated the root points to germinate. To protect the roots of the flower head from turning yellow in the sun, promote rapid root growth, and guide root development, use cotton (degummed cotton, commonly known as medicinal cotton) or gauze (degummed gauze) to cover the bulb plate below the cut of the bulb, and let the cotton or gauze hang down into the water to absorb water for root absorption and insulation.
Some shapes, such as "Jade Elephant Carrying Treasures", require the flower head to be placed upside down for water cultivation, and the cotton should cover the concave part of the upper bulb plate, wrapping the roots into the water; if the shape focuses on the bulb, such as "Peach Blossoms and Plum Blossoms Competing for Spring", a thin cotton or gauze can be used to cover the upper part to avoid discoloration from sunlight.
(2) Potting: After the narcissus bulb is carved, soaked, washed, and wrapped in cotton, it needs to be potted for water cultivation. For a large number of carvings, you can first use a coarse pot for water cultivation, or use a larger pot or tray. Nowadays, many commercial water cultivation uses a 10 cm wide wooden board to make a square frame, covered with a plastic film, which can be large or small according to needs, and then transferred to a fine pot on the desk or case (C-S) when the narcissus is about to bloom. For a small number, you can directly pot it in a fine pot for water cultivation. The choice of pot should be coordinated with the shape, meeting the requirement of "matching the pot harmoniously". For example, a flower basket shape should use a round or flower-shaped narcissus pot, and a double phoenix facing the sun should use a square or oval one; if the root system is the main focus of observation, it should be placed in a transparent long cylinder or leaned against a rockery. In short, the choice of pot should be coordinated with the shape.
(3) Placement: Generally, the placement method for potted narcissus flower heads is to use the upside-down and upright positions. The so-called "upside-down" is to place the wounded side facing up and the roots facing forward, while "upright" is to place the wounded side facing forward and the roots facing down, which is also "right-side up". Upside-down is suitable for shapes like "Crab Claw Narcissus", while upright is suitable for shapes like "Jade Pot Spring".
For special shapes, you can use the "upside-down" and "upside-down" methods for potting. "Upside-down" is to place the leaves downward and the roots downward, with the roots facing upward, such as the shape of "Jade Elephant Carrying Treasures", mainly highlighting the bulb and lateral bulbs with an upside-down shape, while "upside-down" is to place the wounded side downward and the intact side of the bulb upward, such as the "Crab Walking Sideways" shape, with the complete and round bulb surface facing up, symbolizing the "iron armor" of the crab, while the flower stem and leaves curl and spread around, resembling crab claws.
However, if the wounded side is immersed in water, you should prevent the flower stem and bulb from rotting. The method is to elevate the flower head above the water level, allowing only the roots to hang down and absorb water. If necessary, the flower head can be disinfected with medication after carving.
After the narcissus flowers are carved and potted, the management is very important. Since the bulb has been carved, the leaves, flower stems, and bulbs are all injured, and the incisions have a large evaporation capacity and are prone to infection. In addition, the new roots need to grow, so they need insulation. Initially, it can be placed in a cool and shady place for 2-3 days, with the plants frequently sprayed with water. When the incisions heal and new roots grow, they can be moved to a sunny place to fully carry out photosynthesis, turning