What should I try carving first as a beginner?
What should I carve to practice my skills as a beginner?-Beginner’s First Carving Tasks
What's a good carving project for a beginner?
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 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 I could probably cut something with it. To make a long story short, it was the beginning of my journey in the world of carving. I didn't carve wood that day, though. I found a white brick and started chiseling. I really didn't have any idea what I was carving. I just enjoyed the process. At the end of the day, I could see a human face in that brick. I don't remember if 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 didn't know anything about different kinds of wood or wood carving. How are chip carving and relief carving different? All those fancy words made little sense to me. I had no knowledge of the basic principles 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.On my father's side, the family has a rich history of fine woodworkers and furniture makers. One of my great-grandfathers was a craftsman 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 remembered the melodies her father sang. 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 actually a whittling knife; it was a pocket knife from the USSR. Pocket knives are good 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 can create something beautiful.
At that time, I didn't know woodcarving would play such a crucial role in my life. Now, I create pieces for collectors globally and private residences. I didn't think woodcarving could be so gratifying.
What should I carve to practice my skills as a beginner?
As a beginner, what should I carve?
First, ask yourself what you find more appealing: 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 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
My first carving project: what should I do?
Think about another key question. What carving style appeals to me? However, this isn't the only question to ask. Another question to ask is: what tools are at your disposal? Do you have basic wood carving tools or only a knife? Some folks only have a chainsaw :). You can do a chainsaw carving but with a chainsaw, you can't carve a spoon.
I advise experimenting with various carving styles. Once more, what hand tools do you own? If you only possess a chip carving knife, you can't do spoon carving, 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 oil for your carving tools: if there’s not enough, like those with ADHD, your focus can either get stuck or suddenly become very sharp.
WOODCARVING – What should I carve to practice my skills as a beginner?-Beginner’s First Carving Tasks
Here is a List of some ideas:
- Crafting wooden spoons
- Old European Knife Carving
- Relief Carving
- Carving in the round
- Bird and Fish Carving