Carving a lattice and acanthus pattern on an emu egg shell

Step 6 Begin carving the acanthus

The acanthus columns are now begun. They will be the thickest part of the egg after it is carved. By carving these first the shell remains as strong as possible while it is handled. I first carve with a #2 carbide ball burr. All the rough-out as well as the majority of the detail is done with this bit.