What can I start carving as a beginner?

What is a simple carving project I can do with no experience?-Basic Carve Projects for Beginners

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As a beginner, what carving should I start with?

Getting started in wood carving is not that difficult. 

Each summer, I visited my grandparents in a tiny Russian village near the Volga river. I recall being six. I snuck inside my grandfather's workshop, and I found one 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 carving journey. I didn't carve wood that day. I found a white brick and started to chisel. I had no clue what I was carving. I just liked the process. At the end of the day, I could identify a human face in that brick. I don't really remember what I felt, joy or frustration, but I know now it was the start of my lifelong journey as a carver.

Then, I worked with wood and preferred it over brick. I decided. I'll carve wood, not brick!

I had no idea about the types of wood or the different styles of wood carving. What's the difference between chip carving and relief carving? The jargon was all very confusing to me. I didn't know any basics of wood carving.

I was really lucky with both sides of my family. My grandpa had a little shop and a few workbenches, and I could hang out with him and see how he did things. To him, his shop was a “hiding spot” from his wife, my grandma. But of course, she knew where to find him.Other side of my family. Father's side had a history of fine woodworkers and furniture makers. One of my great-grandfathers was one of the furniture makers for a royal house in Saint Petersburg, Russia.My Grandmother told me stories of her childhood in her father's woodworking shop.

She remembered her father's songs. He sang while working with wood.My grandfather gave me my first chisel, and my grandmother gave me my first whittling knife. Actually, it was a pocket knife from the USSR, not a whittling knife. Pocket knives are good for simple carving. Those were my carving tools. I didn't have a gouge or any power tools. Not even a real chip carving knife. A basic pocket knife is enough to create something beautiful.

Back then, I had no idea that woodcarving would become a major part of my life. Nowadays, I carve for collectors globally and private homes. I never knew woodcarving could be so fulfilling.

What is a simple carving project I can do with no experience?

What should I carve as a beginner?

First, ask yourself what you find more appealing: a spoon or relief carvings. Beginners sometimes don't notice how different it is to carve a wooden spoon compared to carving a 3-dimensional sculpture with a gouge and a mallet. This is also called 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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Any tips for my first carving project?

Think about another key question. What carving style appeals to me? Yet, this isn't the only question to consider. Another question is: what tools do you have? Do you have basic carving tools or only a knife? Some people only have a chainsaw :). You can carve with a chainsaw, but not a spoon.

I advise experimenting with various carving styles. Once more, what hand tools do you own? If you only have a chip carving knife, spoon carving is out, but you can still carve other things.

 

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 the oil for your carving tools: if there’s not enough, similar to individuals with ADHD, your focus can either get stuck or suddenly jump to intense concentration.

WOODCARVING – What is a simple carving project I can do with no experience?-Basic Carve Projects for Beginners

Here is a List of some ideas:

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

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