How did Michelangelo go about carving his statues

Answer: Michelangelo started carving all of them from one side, the same as he had done the St. Matthew, as if he were doing a relief instead of a round figure.

The least finished of Michelangelo's statues, the ones that should therefore tell us most about his carving technique, are the most mysterious ... Michelangelo started carving all of them from one side, the same as he had done the St. Matthew, as if he were doing a relief instead of a round figure.