What should I carve as a beginner?

What is a good carving project for a beginner?-Basic Carving Ideas for Starters

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What's a good carving project for a beginner?

Starting wood carving is pretty easy. 

Every summer, I spent time with my grandparents in a small village by the Volga river in Russia. I remember when I was six years old. I sneaked into my grandfather's workshop and saw 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. 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 to chisel away. I really didn't have any idea what I was carving. I just enjoyed the process. At the end of the day, I could identify a human face in that brick. I don't remember what I felt, joy or frustration, but I know now it was the start of my lifelong journey as a carver.

Following that, I used wood and liked it way more than brick. I decided. Wood carving is for me, no more brick!

I was unaware of the various types of wood and wood carving techniques. How do chip carving and relief carving differ? I found all those fancy terms very confusing. I did not know any wood carving basics.

I felt very fortunate with both sides of my family. My grandfather owned a small shop and a couple of workbenches, and I could spend time with him and watch him work. For him, his shop was a “hiding place” from his wife, my grandmother. But naturally, she knew where to find him.The other side of my family, my father's side, is known for their skill in woodworking and furniture making. A great-grandfather of mine was a furniture maker for a royal house in Saint Petersburg, Russia.My Grandmother told me stories of her childhood in her father's woodworking shop.

She remembered the songs of her father. 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.

What is a good carving project for a beginner?

What is a good carving project for a beginner?

Ask yourself first what is more appealing to you: a spoon or relief carvings. Often, beginners don't see the big difference between carving a wooden spoon and carving a 3-dimensional sculpture with a gouge and a mallet. This is also called carving in the round.

Nature itself functions by the ongoing interaction of opposites—earth and fire, sun and moon, male and female, dark and light. 

(Based on Robert Greene, Mastery)

 

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What should I do for my first carving project?

Ask another important question. What style of carving do I like? But that's not the only question you need to ask. Another question to ask is: what tools are at your disposal? Do you have basic wood carving tools or just a knife? Some of you have only a chainsaw :). You can do a chainsaw carving but with a chainsaw, you can't carve a spoon.

My recommendation is to try various styles. Once more, what hand tools do you own? If all you have is a chip carving knife, you can't carve a spoon, but you can carve other items.

 

Dopamine functions like transmission fluid: when there’s too little, like in people with ADHD, it’s tough to shift attention or it goes straight to high gear.

(John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman, Spark)

Dopamine in woodcarving is like oil for your carving tools: without enough, like people with ADHD, your focus can get stuck or suddenly become intensely focused.

WOODCARVING – What is a good carving project for a beginner?-Basic Carving Ideas for Starters

Here is a List of some ideas:

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

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