What should I carve as a beginner?
What should I carve if I’m new to this hobby?-Woodcarving Projects for New Carvers
If I were a beginner, what would be the best carving to do?
It's not hard to begin wood carving.
Each summer, I visited my grandparents in a tiny Russian village near the Volga river. I remember when I was six. 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. 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 really had no idea what I was carving. I just enjoyed it. 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.
Afterward, I worked with wood and enjoyed it more than brick. I decided. I'll carve wood, not brick anymore!
I was clueless about wood types and wood carving methods. What the difference is between chip carving and relief carving? All those technical words were hard for me to understand. I didn't know any 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 Granny told me tales from when she was a kid in her father's woodworking shop.
She recalled the songs her father used to sing. He sang while he worked with the wood.I got my first chisel from my grandfather, and my first whittling knife from my grandmother. It wasn't really a whittling knife; it was a pocket knife from the USSR. Pocket knives work well for basic carving. Those two tools were my carving tools. I didn't have a gouge or any power tools. Not even a proper chip carving knife. A simple pocket knife is enough to make 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 should I carve if I’m new to this hobby?
What is a good carving project for a beginner?
Consider what you prefer: a spoon or relief carvings. Sometimes a beginner doesn't realize how big the difference is between carving a wooden spoon and carving some 3-dimensional sculpture with a gouge and a mallet. 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)
Join School of Wood Carving
I'm starting my first carving project. What should I do?
Ponder another vital question. What carving style do I enjoy? But that's not the only question you need to ask. Another question to think about is: what tools do you own? Do you have basic wood carving tools or only a knife? Some people only have a chainsaw :). You can carve with a chainsaw, but not a spoon.
I recommend trying different styles. Remember, what hand tools do you have? If all you have is a chip carving knife, you can't carve a spoon, but you can carve other items.
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: if there’s not enough, just like people with ADHD, your focus can either freeze or suddenly become very intense.
WOODCARVING – What should I carve if I’m new to this hobby?-Woodcarving Projects for New Carvers
Here is a List of some ideas:
- Creating spoons from wood
- Old European Knife Carving
- Relief Carving
- Carving in the round
- Bird and Fish Carving
I’m a woodworker who loves carving. I make fancy carvings for a high end client worldwide. I also teach wood carving. I started the School of Wood Carving, a non-profit to help people learn.
The school’s website has over 3,000 how-to videos. Great for beginners and pros! I’m from Russia but have lived in the USA a long time. Like wood? Join us at the School of Wood Carving. We’d love to have you!