Quick and easy carving produces a functional display By Shawn Cipa This Santa project provides an ideal way to display your favorite holiday photo. It also makes a great gift for family and friends. The folk-style photo holder is an easy and fun-to-do design that is perfect for beginners, and […]
When using your brushes, NEVER walk away and leave paint in the brush. It’s a good habit to rinse a brush before you lay it down, even if only for a moment. Brush Care Do not reuse the plastic tube used on new brushes; this may bend the bristles beyond […]
These versatile tools have a wide range of carving uses By Roger Schroeder While purists will argue that files, rasps and rifflers, not to mention sandpaper, should never touch a wood carving, don’t sell these tools short. Many projects need a smooth surface, not a flat-plane or faceted one. These […]
Simple mixtures and techniques to create a variety of flesh colors By Lora S. Irish While there are a variety of pre-mixed paints to simulate different skin tones, I prefer to mix my own. That gives me complete control over the colors, highlights, and shadows. It also allows me to […]
Essential knowledge for a professional finish By Vicki Rhodes 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 […]
Modern woodturning masters embellish their work with carving The popularity of artistic woodturning has skyrocketed in the past decade. The modern masters featured in this article have combined turning with carving to create stunning compositions, of which the beautifully turned shape is only the beginning. J. Paul Fennell: Infinite piercing […]
Jim Arnold’s clever chess set designs If not for a hurricane in the late 1990s, Jim Arnold’s career might have taken a different path. During a power outage in his home state of Florida, Jim’s wife pointed out that chisels don’t require electricity. Taking her advice, Jim got started and […]
Woodburned details and dry brushing bring this cute critter to life By Leah Goddard Given the right circumstances, realistic wildlife carvings make great holiday ornaments. I created this squirrel holding a candy cane to combine my interest in realistic wildlife with whimsical situations. Carve this piece out of a solid block […]
Stage your own backwoods battle with patterns for a complete chess set By Mitchell Cartledge Most of my carvings tend to be small so I can move from an idea to a finished piece relatively quickly. After creating a few typical hillbilly caricatures, they took on a life of their […]
Classic geometric designs embellish this useful caddy By Barry McKenzie Learning to convert a variety of patterns into chip-carving patterns will open up a whole new world of opportunities. Nearly any image can be converted into a free-form chip-carving pattern, but quilt patterns are especially well-suited for geometric chip-carved designs. […]
