Royal Charles's stern decoration is a good choice, Stephan. It has everything one can ask for: 3D shapes, small details, and also some relief pieces. This was my first serious carving, and it still has its proud place among my works. That time, I was inspired by a photo of Lloyd McCaffrey's carving in the first annual edition of Model Shipwright. Unfortunately, that photo was the only resource I had, so there is no exact scale to my carving, and some details are missing, too, unbeknownst to me at that time. I copied the picture from the book and chose the biggest available piece of Boxwood I had, and this gave the size of the carving. I wish I had more details of the original. For me, the chains and the lettering were the most challenging parts. It depends obviously on the quality of the timber, how much detail you can work out.
All the best!
Janos
All the best!
Janos