Carving

Carving is a huge subject and one that I still consider myself very much a beginner in, people spend lifetimes developing the skills to do amazing works of art. My advice to anyone who is starting off is simply to carve what makes you happy, keep your expectations realistic and learn from the many mistakes you will definitely make.  Beginners courses are an excellent idea or a trip to visit a local club if you are lucky enough to have one, they will be able to advise you much better than me and my brief overview below.

Carving roughly comes in three styles:

1) In the round - A fully 3D style often seen for bird carving etc:

2) Relief Carving - A 2D picture made on a plank of wood then carved in levels and undercut to give a more 3D effect.

3) Chip Carving - Small generally triangular chips of wood removed in a complex pattern.

The tools needed for carving come in every size, shape and budget imaginable! Each style above will have its own specialist tools but in many cases you can make do with either a few basics or something you might already have. When you buy your tools you will need to think about what style you will mostly do, what sort of woods you will use, how much storage space you have and budget. If you are short on space and only carve soft woods then palm chisels would probably be fine but if your carving large pieces of Oak then full size chisels will be needed. There are many brands available and some are better than others, I have used loads and have found it is well worth spending a few extra pounds now rather than buying cheap knockoff versions that you will regret later.  Don't instantly buy a large set of chisels, you will find that out of say 18 types of chisel you end up using only 10, buying individually may save you a lot of money.

All woods can be carved but some are better than others and each will have its own challenges and little tweaks needed in your style. My go to timber is called Jelutong, a soft wood very pale in colour and easy to both carve and use for pyrography work. I use this as it is cheap, easy to work and available at my local timber merchants. I have had to adapt my style over what the average carving book would advise as Jelutong can be quite delicate and splitty if cut in the wrong direction, this is something I have learnt and you gradually get a feel for. Lime (Bass wood in USA), Sapele, Oak, Butternut and Walnut are some other woods you can use with good results however cost and availability vary area to area, an internet order may be needed.

Finishes for wood include the normal paints and varnishes to oils, waxes, acrylic paints, watercolours, stains, and burning. These all have different effects depending on the wood you use and it is often interesting seeing how they react (test on offcuts before the finished piece), its just a matter of trial and error!