What should I carve as a beginner?

As a beginner, what carving project should I start with?-Basic First-Time Carving Plans

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As a beginner, what carving should I start with?

It's not hard to begin wood carving. 

Every summer, I lived with my grandparents in a small village by the Volga river in Russia. I recall being six years old. I sneaked into my grandfather's workshop and found a woodworking chisel. I didn't know what the tool was, but I saw it had a sharp edge and thought I could cut something with it. To cut a long story short, it was the beginning of my carving journey. I didn't carve wood that day. I found a white brick and started to chisel. I really had no idea what I was carving. I just enjoyed doing it. At the end of the day, I could see a human face in that brick. I don't remember if I felt joy or frustration, but I know now it was the start of my lifelong journey as a carver.

Later, I tried wood and liked it much more than brick. I made up my mind. I will carve wood instead of brick!

I was clueless about wood types and wood carving methods. What's the difference between chip carving and relief carving? I found all those fancy terms very confusing. I had no knowledge of the basic principles of wood carving.

I felt very blessed with both sides of my family. My grandfather had a small shop and a couple of workbenches, and I could spend time with him and watch how he worked. For him, his shop was a “hiding place” from his wife, my grandmother. But she knew where to find him.My family on my father's side has a tradition of excellent woodworkers and furniture makers. One of my great-grandfathers worked as a furniture maker for a royal house in Saint Petersburg, Russia.My Grandma talked about her childhood in her father's woodworking shop.

She remembered her father's songs. He sang songs while working with wood.So, I got my first chisel from my grandfather, but my first whittling knife from my grandmother. Well, it was not really a whittling knife it was a pocket knife made in the USSR. Pocket knives are good for basic carving. Those two tools were my carving tools. I did not have any gouge or any power tools. Not even a real chip carving knife. A simple pocket knife to create something beautiful is enough.

I didn't realize back then that woodcarving would become so important to me. Today, I carve for collectors worldwide and private residences. I had no clue woodcarving could be this rewarding.

As a beginner, what carving project should I start with?

What should I carve if I'm just starting out?

First, ask yourself what you find more appealing: a spoon or relief carvings. Many times, beginners don't understand the big difference between carving a wooden spoon and carving a 3D sculpture with a gouge and a mallet. This is also known as carving in the round.

Nature itself acts through the constant balance of opposites—earth and fire, sun and moon, male and female, dark and light. 

(Based on Robert Greene, Mastery)

 

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Starting my first carving project. What steps should I take?

Ponder another vital question. What carving style do I enjoy? Yet, this isn't the only question to consider. Another question to consider is: what tools do you possess? Do you have basic carving tools or only a knife? Some folks only have a chainsaw :). You can carve with a chainsaw, but not a spoon.

I advise experimenting with various carving styles. So, what hand tools do you possess? If all you have is a chip carving knife, you can't carve a spoon, but you can carve other items.

 

Dopamine operates like transmission fluid: if there’s a shortage, as with ADHD, attention shifting is difficult or jumps right to high gear.

(John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman, Spark)

Dopamine in woodcarving is like oil for your carving tools: if there’s not enough, like those with ADHD, your focus can either get stuck or suddenly become very sharp.

WOODCARVING – As a beginner, what carving project should I start with?-Basic First-Time Carving Plans

Here is a List of some ideas:

• Crafting wooden spoons
• Old European Knife Carving
• Relief Carving
• Carving in the round
• Bird and Fish Carving

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