The International Woodcarvers Congress celebrates 50 years in 2016, making it the longest running competitively judged annual woodcarving event in the United States. “It’s the premier woodcarving competition in the country,” said the show’s chairman, Larry Yudis. “When carvers enter this competition, they know they are going head-to-head with the […]
Harley Refsal started carving in 1968, inspired by the wooden folk-art figures he saw while travelling in Norway and Sweden. In researching the Scandinavian style of carving, he found references to Axel Petersson Döderhultarn, a very well-known Swedish carver who originated the rough-hewn, or “flat-plane,” style that Harley admired. Although Döderhultarn […]
Focus By Jon Deck In this age of digital manipulation, the computer can enhance and correct images in many ways. However, there’s no software program that can sharpen an image that is out of focus. The only way to assure a crisp image is to take one. Almost every digital […]
The Guinevere Finishing System by King Arthur Tools claims to be the smallest inflatable sanding drum. What the tool lacks in size it more than makes up for in power. Any carver who sands their piece smooth, either before finishing or burning texture, needs this tool. You can even use the pneumatic […]
Transform an ugly pine plate into a pretty piece of pyrography By Jo Schwartz Pine is great for many craft projects, but it is not ideal for pyrography. Its grain alternates between being very hard and very soft, and becomes sappy in spots when subjected to heat. However, you might […]
The latest special issue of Pyrography is the best one yet. Packed with inspiration, techniques, and projects, you’ll find yourself flipping through all 112 colorful pages over and over. Read about new artists, learn new spins on old techniques, and get some great new design ideas. Even if you’ve never […]
By Leah Goddard Rabbits are undeniably cute and gentle creatures. They are quick and ever alert, which probably has something to do with their low position on the food-chain. This was made most apparent to me one day while I was sitting outside my home, and a rabbit came racing past. […]
By Barry McKenzie With the classically shingled roof and brilliant, stylized chip carving, you might be hesitant to hang this birdhouse outdoors. But returning songbirds will reward your generosity with their cheerful presence. The birdhouse is fairly simple to construct. In fact, over 50 of them were completed by students […]
By Chris Pye Carving in the round means exactly that: carving the subject completely three dimensionally. You can view the carving from any direction. In some ways, in-the-round carving is easier than relief because the perspectives and proportions will be true. Relief carving often needs distortion or perspective to allow […]
By Jim Gledhill Because of the rich Scots/Irish heritage in my Canadian community, I receive many commissions for gift items like Celtic crosses, and lovespoons. To streamline my work, I create hard patterns to use as templates. Once the basic template is created, I can easily personalize the piece or […]
