WOODCARVING – What should I try carving as a beginner to get started?-Basic First-Time Carving Plans

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What is a good first carving project for a beginner?

What should I try carving as a beginner to get started?-Basic First-Time Carving Plans

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For a beginner, what carving should I try first?

Getting started in wood carving is not that difficult. 

Every summer I stayed with my grandparents in a small Russian village by the Volga river. I remember when I was six. I sneaked into my grandfather's workshop and found a woodworking chisel. I didn't know what the tool was, but I knew it had a sharp edge and I could probably 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 started to chisel. I didn't know what I was carving. I just enjoyed doing it. 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 beginning of my lifelong journey as a carver.

After that, I tried to work with a piece of wood and liked it a lot more than brick. I made the decision. I will carve wood and no longer the brick!

I knew nothing about types of wood or about different types of wood carving. What the difference is between chip carving and relief carving? The jargon was all very confusing to me. 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.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 Granny shared memories of her childhood in her dad's woodworking shop.

She remembered the melodies her father sang. He sang songs while working with wood.My grandfather gave me my first chisel, and my grandmother gave me my first whittling knife. It was really a pocket knife from the USSR, not a whittling knife. 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.

I didn't realize back then that woodcarving would become so important to me. Today, I carve for collectors worldwide and private residences. I had no clue woodcarving could be this rewarding.

What should I try carving as a beginner to get started?

I'm new to carving, what should I start with?

Consider what you prefer: 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 functions by the ongoing interaction of opposites—earth and fire, sun and moon, male and female, dark and light. 

(Based on Robert Greene, Mastery)

 

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My first carving project: what should I do?

Reflect on another significant question. What is my favorite carving style? Though, this isn't the only question to think about. Another question to think about is: what tools do you own? Do you own basic wood carving tools or just a knife? Some might only have a chainsaw :). You can carve with a chainsaw, but not a spoon.

I advise experimenting with various carving styles. Think about it, what hand tools do you have? With just a chip carving knife, spoon carving isn't possible, but other carvings are.

 

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: if there’s not enough, just like people with ADHD, your focus can either freeze or suddenly become very intense.

WOODCARVING – What should I try carving as a beginner to get started?-Basic First-Time Carving Plans

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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WOODCARVING - What should I try carving as a beginner to get started?-Easy Initial Carving ActivitiesOverviewWOODCARVING - What should I try carving as a beginner to get started?-Simple Woodcarving for Beginners
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