What should I try carving first as a beginner?

Which carving project would be easy for me as a first-timer?-First-Time Woodcarving Ideas

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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 village by the Volga river in Russia. I remember being 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 knew it had a cutting edge and I could probably 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 see 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.

Later, I tried wood and liked it much more than brick. I made up my mind. I will carve wood instead of brick!

I didn't know anything about different kinds of wood or wood carving. How chip carving differs from relief carving? The jargon was all very confusing to me. I was unaware of the fundamental concepts 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 family on my father's side has a tradition of excellent woodworkers and furniture makers. One of my great-grandfathers worked as a furniture maker for a royal house in Saint Petersburg, Russia.My Grandmother shared stories of her childhood in her father's woodworking shop.

She remembered the songs of her father. 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.

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.

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

What should I carve if I'm just starting out?

Ponder on what attracts you more: a spoon or relief carvings. New carvers often don't realize the huge difference between carving a wooden spoon and carving a 3D sculpture with a gouge and a mallet. This is also known as 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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Starting my first carving project. What steps should I take?

Ponder another vital question. What carving style do I enjoy? However, this isn't the only question to ask. Another question is: what tools are available to you? Do you have basic wood carving tools or just a knife? Some of you might only have a chainsaw :). You can carve with a chainsaw, but not a spoon.

My recommendation is to try various styles. Again, what hand tools do you have? If you only have a chip carving knife, spoon carving is out, but you can still carve other things.

 

Dopamine is like transmission fluid: not enough of it, as in those with ADHD, makes it hard to shift attention or it jumps to 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 – Which carving project would be easy for me as a first-timer?-First-Time Woodcarving Ideas

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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