Sleeping dog - a carved box

A drawing for this box was well composed. It is a real situation – a dog sleeps on a grass. Figure of the dog is at the centre of attention (not only because it is in the centre of the cover; it is the fact that a figure (of a human, animal etc), a detail, something, that stands out against a background, attracts smb’s attention; that’s why these elements should be carved properly and cleanly; but! A background should be carved properly and cleanly too!). Here the background is made up of a grass (the sides of the box are covered with grass). I should observe that the drawing of a box is oversimplified (yeah, an artist, especially a craftsman, who earns his living by handicraft (and especially in Russia where handmade is not appreciated) is forced to oversimplify a drawing for making products cheaper) but now I’m talking about woodcarving as an art, that’s mean that a woodcarver should do his best). The dog is realistic, the grass is conventional. That’s the problem. You shouldn’t mix these styles together because they are not immiscible (only a very good master can unite them). The drawing will be better if the grass will be more realistic and if all elements will be in scale (forefront, background).
Background is composed with three elements: smooth leaf, featherlike leaf and branch with rounded leaves (use gouges # 6, 17 and a knife for carving them). For carving a dog use the same tools and a «V» gouge (for carving hair). Use mordant, air brush and beeswax for finishing.