What should I carve as a beginner?

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

Join School of Wood Carving


 

What's a good carving project for a beginner?

Starting with wood carving isn't tough. 

Each summer, I visited my grandparents in a tiny Russian village near the Volga river. I remember being six years old. I snuck 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 guessed I could cut something with it. To make a long story short, it was the start of my journey in carving. I didn't carve wood that day, though. I found a white brick and started chiseling. I had no clue what I was carving. I just liked the process. 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 didn't understand anything about wood types or carving styles. What sets chip carving apart from relief carving? Those specialized words didn't make much sense to me. I had no knowledge of the basic principles of wood carving.

I was 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 obviously, 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 shared stories about her childhood in her dad's woodworking shop.

She remembered her father's songs. He was singing while working with wood.My first chisel came from my grandfather, and my first whittling knife came from my grandmother. It was actually a pocket knife made in the USSR, not a real whittling knife. Pocket knives are good for basic carving. Those two tools were all I had for carving. I didn't have any gouge or power tools. Not even a real chip carving knife. A simple pocket knife is enough to make something beautiful.

Back then, I didn't know woodcarving would be so significant in my life. Today, I carve for collectors around the globe and private homes. I didn't realize woodcarving could be so rewarding.

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

What carving project is best for a beginner?

Consider what you prefer: 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 runs on the continuous interaction of opposites—earth and fire, sun and moon, male and female, dark and light. 

(Based on Robert Greene, Mastery)

 

Join School of Wood Carving

My first carving project: what should I do?

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

I recommend trying different styles. So, what hand tools do you possess? If you only possess a chip carving knife, you can't do spoon carving, but you can still carve other things.

 

Dopamine works like transmission fluid: if there’s not enough, as is the case in people with ADHD, attention can’t easily be shifted or can only be shifted all the way into high gear.

(John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman, Spark)

Dopamine in woodcarving is like oil for your carving tools: if there’s not enough, just like people with ADHD, your focus can either freeze or suddenly become very intense.

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

Here is a List of some ideas:

• Hand-carving spoons
• Old European Knife Carving
• Relief Carving
• Carving in the round
• Bird and Fish Carving

Join School of Wood Carving