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| Incised stones were produced using relatively simple techniques. After marking out a design, perhaps with a charcoal wand, the Pictish mason pecked it out in dots with a punch. This made the next stage, chiselling out the continuous groove of the lines, a much faster process. Finally, the grooves were polished smooth with a pebble of suitable shape and hardness. For the more complex and delicate relief sculptures a more sophisticated approach was required. A stone slab would be quarried and dressed, probably using a lump hammer and chisel. The design would be sketched onto the surface, then carved out using various fine chisels and a wooden mallet. Some sort of file may have been used to improve smoothness. |
 Intricately carved details from the Drosten Stone at St Vigeans Museum. |
Given the prestige associated with the fine relief sculptures, it is likely that master masons were in high demand. Some may have travelled the country with their bags of tools. It is not known whether they carried the patterns in their heads, or as templates of some kind. Some of their patrons had access to fine metalwork and manuscripts, possibly quite exotic, that could provide a source of inspiration.