{"id":2967,"date":"2022-04-01T15:55:45","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T12:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodiswood.com\/?p=2967"},"modified":"2022-04-01T19:43:01","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T16:43:01","slug":"15-tips-every-woodcarver-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodiswood.com\/15-tips-every-woodcarver-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Tips Every Woodcarver Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Whether you are an expert or a novice woodcarver, there is always space to improve and get better at this niche woodworking hobby. This article aims to give you 15 valuable tips that every woodcarver should know about. So, here are some great woodcarving tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Don\u2019t Carve Away Large Chunks of Wood at Once<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of what you\u2019re working on, start carving carefully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we say don\u2019t carve away large chunks of wood at wood, we don\u2019t mean the additional wood surrounding your figure drawing. For example, if you\u2019re working on a spoon, go ahead and get rid of the additional wood surrounding the sketch of the spoon you\u2019ve drawn on your wood blank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, once you\u2019ve gotten rid of the excess and are starting with the actual carving, it\u2019s always best to start small. This applies no matter whether you\u2019re a beginner at carving or have been carving for decades, this piece of advice holds true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a beginner, you may have been told there\u2019s no such thing as taking off too much wood. However, logic should tell you that\u2019s not the case \u2013 if you take off too much wood, you\u2019ll soon find you don\u2019t have enough material left to complete your piece. By starting small, you reduce this from happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, carving small slices reduces the risk of mistakes that will lead to you scrapping the entire project. You\u2019re unlikely to push your knife in too deep or accidentally cut off a section of your sketch that you didn\u2019t intend to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while taking your time and staying slow and steady may lead to your project taking longer to complete, the math shows that it\u2019s worth it \u2013 you won\u2019t have to spend additional time redoing it because you made a mistake that could not be fixed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Learn Proportions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This piece of advice holds no matter whether you want to specialize in carving humans, animals, or objects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting your proportions right helps make your projects more believable. This doesn\u2019t just apply to carvers who want to work on realistic pieces but also to those who are working on a more unique style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you watch an animated television show or movie, you\u2019ll notice the characters \u2013 though often utterly unrealistic \u2013 are usually proportionate. Their eyes are lined up, their arms are the same length, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is because proportion helps things look more attractive to our eyes. This is true no matter whether we\u2019re looking at another person or simply a random object in the room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider a baseball, for example. When you picture a baseball, you likely instinctively know what the proportions of the red stitching are. You know where it needs to be placed, roughly how thick it should be, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone hands you a baseball that\u2019s clearly off-proportion, you\u2019ll notice \u2013 and you\u2019ll almost certainly find that the replacement is not as aesthetic as the original. Again, this is because of how our mind sees proportions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.      Follow the Rule of Three for Human Figures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking to try your hand at carving human figures, always keep the Rule of Three in your mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rule of Three essentially explains how you can start to sketch your figure on your wood blank:<\/p>\n\n\n\n