What should I carve to practice my skills as a beginner?-Beginner’s First Carving Tasks

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For a beginner, what carving should I try first?

Starting with wood carving isn't tough. 

Every summer, I lived with my grandparents in a small village by the Volga river in Russia. I recall when I was six years old. I sneaked into my grandfather's workshop and discovered 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 cut a long story short, it was the beginning of my carving journey. I didn't carve wood that day, though. I found a white brick and began to chisel away. I had no idea what I was carving. I just enjoyed it. By the end of the day, I could identify a human face in that brick. I don't remember if I felt joy or frustration, but I know now it was the beginning 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 had no idea about the types of wood or the different styles of wood carving. How chip carving differs from relief carving? I found all those fancy terms very confusing. I was unaware of the fundamental concepts of wood carving.

I felt 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 she knew where to find him.On my dad's side, there's a long history of talented woodworkers and furniture makers. One of my great-grandfathers made 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 melodies her father sang. 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 should I carve to practice my skills as a beginner?

What should I carve as a beginner?

Think about what you like more: 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 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?

Reflect on another significant question. What is my favorite carving style? But that's not the only question you need to ask. Another question to ask is: what tools are at your disposal? Do you possess basic wood carving tools or just 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 recommendation is to try various styles. Again, what hand tools do you have? If you have only a chip carving knife you can't do “spoon carving”, but it does not mean you can't do something else.

 

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: without enough, like people with ADHD, your focus can get stuck or suddenly become intensely focused.

WOODCARVING – What should I carve to practice my skills as a beginner?-Beginner’s First 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

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