What carving is best for a beginner?
It's not hard to begin wood carving.
Every summer, I stayed with my grandparents in a small village by the Volga river in Russia. I recall when I was six years old. I snuck inside my grandfather's workshop, and I found one woodworking chisel. I didn't know what the tool was, but I knew it had a cutting edge and thought 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 began to chisel away. I really didn't have any idea what I was carving. I simply enjoyed doing it. At the end of the day, I saw a human face in that brick. I don't really remember what I felt, joy or frustration, but I know now it was the starting point 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 unaware of the various types of wood and wood carving techniques. What the difference is between chip carving and relief carving? I found all those fancy terms very confusing. I wasn't familiar with the basics of wood carving.
I was very fortunate with both sides of my family. My grandpa had a small shop and some workbenches, and I could hang out with him and watch how he worked. To him, his shop was a “hiding place” from his wife, my grandma. But she knew where to find him.My father's side of the family has a history of skilled woodworkers and furniture makers. One of my great-grandfathers crafted furniture 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.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.
Back then I didn't know that woodcarving would be one of the most important parts of my life. Now I am carving for collectors around the world and private residences. I did not know that woodcarving could be such a rewarding hobby.
What should I carve if I’m new to this hobby?
What carving project is best for a beginner?
Think about what you like more: a spoon or relief carvings. New carvers often don't realize the huge 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 operates through the steady interplay of opposites—earth and fire, sun and moon, male and female, dark and light.
(Based on Robert Greene, Mastery)
Join School of Wood Carving
I'm starting my first carving project. What should I do?
Consider another crucial question. What carving style do I prefer? But this is not the only question you have to ask yourself. Another question is: what tools are available to you? Do you have basic wood carving tools or only a knife? Some of you might only have a chainsaw :). You can do a chainsaw carving but with a chainsaw, you can't carve a spoon.
My advice would be to experiment with different 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 acts like transmission fluid: without enough of it, as seen in folks with ADHD, switching attention is hard or it jumps straight to high gear.
(John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman, Spark)
Dopamine in woodcarving is like oil for your carving tools: without enough, similar to people with ADHD, your focus can either freeze or suddenly become intensely focused.
WOODCARVING – What should I carve if I’m new to this hobby?-Beginner-Friendly Woodcarving Activities
Here is a List of some ideas:
- Spoon carving
- Old European Knife Carving
- Relief Carving
- Carving in the round
- Bird and Fish Carving