Articles by: admin

2007 Santa Carving Contest – Grand Prize Winner

2007 Santa Carving Contest – Grand Prize Winner

Judges Notes: Mark Aker’s Santa succeeds at telling a story. You can almost hear the snow crunching under Santa’s boots as he hauls his freshly-cut tree in from the woods. Mark’s confidence in his skills shows in this carving; the clean, deliberate cuts make the simple lines of the overall design […]

by February 21, 2010 Best Carving Design Contest Archive

2008 Santa Carving Contest – All Entries

Congratulation Winners! With more than 100 carvings entered in this year’s Santa Carving Contest, judging was a difficult task indeed. It’s interesting to see how carvers took inspiration from last year’s entries. We definitely saw improvement in the pieces from carvers who participate every year. Get ready for next year […]

by February 21, 2010 Best Carving Design Contest Archive
2008 Santa Carving Contest – Honorable Mentions

2008 Santa Carving Contest – Honorable Mentions

With more than 100 carvings entered in this year’s Santa Carving Contest, judging was a difficult task indeed. It’s interesting to see how carvers took inspiration from last year’s entries. We definitely saw improvement in the pieces from carvers who participate every year. The following are this year’s honorable mentions: […]

by February 21, 2010 Best Carving Design Contest Archive
2008 Santa Carving Contest – People’s Choice Award

2008 Santa Carving Contest – People’s Choice Award

David Boone’s elaborate scene captures Santa sharing the joy of Christmas with God’s creatures. David’s carving received the most votes in Woodcarving Illustrated’s online People’s Choice Award. Nearly 3,800 votes were submitted over a two-week period. The piece measures 18″ tall by 19″ wide by 12″ deep. David carved the […]

by February 21, 2010 Best Carving Design Contest Archive
2008 Santa Carving Contest – Grand Prize Winner

2008 Santa Carving Contest – Grand Prize Winner

Judges Notes: Hyung Jun Yong’s Santa wowed the judges with its wonderful facial expression. The carving is highlighted with clean deliberate cuts. The overall design is novel, but believable. Hyung Jun’s easy style is reminiscent of early Emil Janel flat-plane carvings. The ability to capture the essence of Santa with […]

by February 21, 2010 Best Carving Design Contest Archive

The Dream Weaver

There’s much to learn from professional woodcarver Ian Norbury, whose carvings are in collections all over the world. “I don’t sell woodcarvings,” Ian Norbury declares emphatically. A quizzical statement from a man who has been a professional woodcarver for over 25 years, until he completes the thought: “I sell dreams […]

by February 7, 2010 Features
Extreme Pumpkin Carving

Extreme Pumpkin Carving

This October, showcase your carving skills with something special for Halloween Here are ten hot tips for people using woodcarving tools to relief-carve a pumpkin: 1. For most pumpkin carvings, select a tall, elongated pumpkin because it is easier to develop the pitch of the face in the horizontal plane. […]

by February 7, 2010 Fall Carving, Patterns & Projects

Soff Jaws™

There are literally hundreds of ways to clamp a carving—and nearly as much a variety in prices. But Soft Jaws™ converts an ordinary shop vice into a very useful carving vice for a variety of projects. The shop vise is one of the most widely owned tools in workshops throughout […]

by February 5, 2010 Product Reviews

Branson: A Carver’s Paradise

Ozark tradition of carving makes this Missouri hot spot a great vacation destination Branson has been called the “New Nashville” because of all the country music shows held there. With 100 shows, three full blown amusement parks, and a host of water parks and go cart tracks, there are many […]

by February 5, 2010 Features

Art of Chainsaw Carving

Most people think of a chainsaw as a tool for cutting limbs and trees, but artists have been using them to create sculpture for years. Today, carvers use chainsaws to sculpt everything from garden decorations to furniture and priceless works of art. Whether you’ve been thinking about getting involved in […]

by February 5, 2010 Features