What should I try carving first as a beginner?

Which carving project would be easy for me as a first-timer?-Basic Carving Plans for Starters

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If I were a beginner, what would be the best carving to do?

Wood carving isn't difficult to get into. 

Every summer, I lived with my grandparents in a small village by the Volga river in Russia. 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 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. I found a white brick and started to chisel away. I really had no idea what I was carving. I just enjoyed it. At the end of the day, I could see a human face in that brick. I don't really 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 had no idea about the types of wood or the different styles of wood carving. What the difference is between chip carving and relief carving? The jargon was all very confusing to me. I did not know any wood carving basics.

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 Grandma talked about her childhood in her father's woodworking shop.

She recalled the songs her father used to sing. He would sing as he worked 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.

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.

Which carving project would be easy for me as a first-timer?

As a beginner, what should I carve?

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 moves through the ongoing exchange of opposites—earth and fire, sun and moon, male and female, dark and light. 

(Based on Robert Greene, Mastery)

 

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What should I do for my first carving project?

Ask another important question. What style of carving do I like? Yet, this isn't the only question to consider. Another question to think about is: what tools do you own? Do you possess basic wood carving tools or just a knife? Some might only have a chainsaw :). Chainsaw carving is possible but not spoon carving.

My recommendation is to try various styles. So, what hand tools do you possess? 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, just like those with ADHD, your focus can either get stuck or suddenly become intensely sharp.

WOODCARVING – Which carving project would be easy for me as a first-timer?-Basic Carving Plans for Starters

Here is a List of some ideas:

• Crafting wooden spoons
• Old European Knife Carving
• Relief Carving
• Carving in the round
• Bird and Fish Carving

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