The Archive
Every article, free, from the bench.
Sharpening, relief, acanthus, and which wood behaves and which one fights you. Nothing here is locked, because a man who cannot buy tuition this year still deserves to learn how to put an edge on a #7 gouge.
Wood carving is shaping wood with hand tools: gouges, chisels, and knives. It runs from simple cuts to relief panels and architectural ornament. This archive holds free articles on tools, technique, wood choice, and design, written by master carver Alexander Grabovetskiy, International Woodcarver of the Year.
Latest from the bench
Why Your Carved Acanthus Scroll Looks Wrong
A carved acanthus scroll that looks wrong is almost always a stem problem. Ralph Wornum wrote the law down in 1860, and Raphael's own shop broke it in the Vatican. Ten minutes with dividers puts it right.
Updated
135 articles in the archive · page 1 of 12
August 1, 2026
Why Your Carved Acanthus Scroll Looks Wrong
A carved acanthus scroll that looks wrong is almost always a stem problem. Ralph Wornum wrote the law down in 1860, and Raphael's own shop broke it in the Vatican. Ten minutes with dividers puts it right.
August 1, 2026
Greek vs Roman Acanthus Leaf. How to Tell Styles Apart
An 1871 journal mapped every acanthus style a carver meets. I walk through its plates, Greek to Baroque, and show what your gouge should do about each one.
July 30, 2026
How Can I Learn to Carve Acanthus Leaves in Wood?
Acanthus leaf carving is the craft of cutting the classical leaf of Greek and Roman ornament into wood with gouges. Five leaf parts, seven tools, a basswood board, and eight steps take a beginner to a clean first leaf.
July 29, 2026
Acanthus wood carving: draw the leaf before you touch the gouge
Acanthus carving is a drawing problem first. Here are the four rules for building the leaf, taken from I. Page's 1886 guide, and what they change about the way you carve one.
July 28, 2026
How to Lay Out a Carving With Dividers, Not a Ruler
Proportional layout is sizing a carving by stepping off one module with dividers instead of measuring inches. Seven whole-number ratios, three circle sections, and the tools that do it, from the classical shop tradition.
July 27, 2026
Why Tilman Riemenschneider Left His Limewood Unpainted
Tilman Riemenschneider was one of the first masters to finish limewood without paint. Conservators have shown the surface was never raw wood. It carried a thin tinted glaze, with the eyes and lips painted straight onto the bare limewood underneath.
Everything above is free and stays free. The courses are where I put your hands on the gouge and watch what they do.
See what is inside →
July 25, 2026
Principles of Design in Wood Carving
Design comes before the gouge, always. 10 laws decide whether a carving reads right or reads wrong, and they cover movement, the golden ratio, four golden points, two diagonals, hero and antagonist, grow or fall, space, no repeated sizes, Fibonacci, arabesque and rhythm. My name is Alexander Grabovetskiy, and I have carved wood all my life, so what follows is the order I actually work in at the bench.
July 24, 2026
Who teaches Grinling Gibbons style wood carving?
How I teach Grinling Gibbons style wood carving I teach Grinling Gibbons style wood carving in my own carving school, and I want to be straight with you about what this work asks of a person. Plenty of people can carve a simple flower in an afternoon. This is different. My name is Alexander Grabovetskiy, and when you come to my bench, we work the old way, with hand tools, real wood, and the patience to do it right.
July 23, 2026
Are there video lessons for advanced wood carving techniques?
Yes, there are video lessons for advanced wood carving techniques, and they are the best way to learn high-level skills without standing in a freezing workshop.
In depthOctober 25, 2024
Stabilizing Thin Wood Carvings
Stabilizing Thin Wood Carvings The Problem with Fragile Wood It can be difficult to work with thin wood. Thin wood can …
- In depth
October 9, 2024
Why Carving is Honestly One of the Best Ideas That Could Cross Your Mind
Why Carving is Honestly One of the Best Ideas That Could Cross Your Mind Alright, so you're probably here thinking about …
Ever held a piece of basswood, then set the chisel back down because you did not know where to begin?
Would you rather understand why a curve works than copy one and hope?
Your hands are almost certainly fine. What stops most people is the design, and design comes before the gouge. Alexander marks the golden cut, 62 and 38, before the first chip comes off the board.
Shall we carve?Alexander Grabovetskiy carves architectural ornament and restores classical work. International Woodcarver of the Year. He was six when he took a chisel to a brick. His first gouge, years later, was a nail.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn wood carving?
Most people carve something they are proud of within a few months. Relief takes years, and sharpening takes the longest of all.
What wood should a beginner buy?
Basswood. It cuts clean in every direction and forgives a dull edge. Do not start on a construction 2x4, it will fight you and kill your tools.
What tools do I need to start?
One #7 gouge, a mallet, and a strop. That is the whole list for your first month.
Do I need to draw before I carve?
Yes. Design comes before the gouge. The golden cut, 62 and 38, is where Alexander marks a board before the first chip comes off it.