Carving is both a skill and an art. Why an individual carver decide how they are going to carve a piece explains why there is such variety in finished piece. Knowing what you want to accomplish in you carvings will help with the technique you use to get the work finished.

Woodcarving is more the Journey than the Destination

What does every carver do upon finishing a carving project? Look forward to beginning another carving project. The real joy for the woodcarver is in the actual carving process rather than the finished carving. The destination of a finished carving may be as a gift, a competition entry, a commission sale or a dust collector on the shelf.

On the Philosophical Side of Woodcarving There is always a tendency of becoming philosophical when writing about one's hobby, craft or artistic attempts, especially for me in the art of wood sculpting or carving because it is so much a part of my life. It entwines many of my thoughts and influences big decisions. A person is bound to get good at something that he or she feels passionate about. Thoughts from a Professional Woodcarver I was blessed in my early years of woodcarving. I worked side-by-side with my father for almost six years. We lived in Nazi-occupied Holland, and became well known as the father-daughter woodcarving team.

Essential knowledge for a Professional Finish

You've spent months getting each carved detail just right. Now it's time to finish the piece and bring it to life with color. Many carvers find themselves hesitant to take the next step. To develop a suitable comfort level, you need to spend equal time learning and practicing both carving and finishing techniques.

Carving on the Right Side of Your Brain

Larger shapes are broken down into squares, circles and triangles that they can more easily draw. They put these shapes together and then do some fine tuning to get a final drawing.

Human Anatomy (Simplified)

When carving human figures, whether realistic or caricature, a knowledge of some human anatomy is essential. Although the study of human anatomy can get deep and involved, I have neither the space nor the expertise to get that far into it on this page. I have however tried to provide a few simple drawings and some suggested guidelines that I think may be of help to some of you.