Materials

• Basswood, 1 1/4″ (3.2cm) thick: 2 1/2″ x 3″ (6.4cm x 7.6cm)

• Tree limb slice, 3/4″ (1.9cm) thick: 2″ (5.1cm)-dia. 

• Toothpick

• Acrylic paints, such as Liquitex: burnt umber, Mars black, Payne’s grey, raw sienna, titanium white

• Clear finish (for base)

• Glue

Tools

• Carving knife

• Small gouge

• Woodburner with nibs: assorted

• Paintbrushes: assorted

• Drill with bit: 1/16″ (2mm)-dia.

Don Dearolf painted for several years before taking up carving in 1994 after his brother Dave took him to the Lancaster County Woodcarvers Show. Don loved to carve and share patterns, blanks, and rough outs with others.

Painting a Jaguar

Mix equal parts apricot, golden brown, and white to make gold paint. Dilute the paint 50 percent with  water and paint the gold areas. Mix white paint 1:1 with water and paint the white areas. While the paint is still wet, use a circular motion to blend the two colors where they meet. You may need to dilute the paint further to make the colors easier to blend. Allow the piece to dry thoroughly before painting the rest of the carving.

Iris: Mix gold with a touch of nutmeg brown;
thin slightly with water

Nose: Mix gold with khaki; thin slightly with water.
Grade to black at edges.

Markings: Black; thin slightly with water

Ears: Black; thin heavily with water

Rosettes on sides and back of head: nutmeg brown;
thin heavily with water

Painting a Black Panther

Thin dark charcoal gray paint 1:1 with water. Paint the entire carving and let dry.

Iris: Mix gold with a touch of nutmeg brown;
thin slightly with water

Nose: Pinkish brown darkening to black

Markings: Black; thin slightly with water

Using a Natural Finish

I carved this panther from butternut, applied a walnut stain, and finished it with Danish oil. To make the eye stand out, paint the pupil black and add a white highlight dot.

MATERIALS

• Basswood or butternut, 7/8″ (2.2cm) thick: 3″ x 4″ (7.6cm x 10.2cm)

•  Acrylic paint, such as Plaid Apple Barrel: black, white, khaki, apricot, golden brown, nutmeg brown, pink; black panther only: charcoal gray

• Danish oil (optional)

• Stain: walnut (optional)

TOOLS

• Detail knife with a 7/8″ (22mm)-long blade, such as a Notto

• Veiner: 1/16″ (2mm) such as Dockyard (optional)

•Paintbrush: #2 round, such as Loew-Cornell

Don Self began whittling Boy Scout neckerchief slides in 1987. After retiring from a career in geology, Don returned to his native Alabama, where he joined the Tannehill Wood Carvers Club. He enjoys creating human and animal caricatures, and particularly relishes the challenge of converting an outrageous mental image into a 3-D wooden sculpture. Don typically works in basswood, painting each sculpture with acrylics, but he also enjoys working in butternut, cypress, and water oak, where the figure of the wood takes center stage.

Carving

Cut the basic shapes with a band or scroll saw and carve the cats with your tools of choice. I use small palm gouges and a detail knife to work the pieces into shape and carve the details. I don’t sand the pieces, preferring to leave the carving marks to enhance the folk-art feel.

Finishing

I finish my carvings in a four-step process. First, seal the carving by applying a thin layer of boiled linseed oil thinned to a 1:1 mix with mineral spirits. Let the mixture soak in for a bit, and then wipe off the excess with a clean cotton rag. Let the carving dry overnight. Next, apply acrylic paints thinned slightly with water. Layer the paints, shading with darker tones. When the paint is dry, seal it with high-quality fast-drying satin polyurethane. Apply the polyurethane as thinly as possible, but work it into all of the crevices. Let the carving dry overnight. Finally, antique the carving with oil-based gel wood stain. Slather the gel stain on, and then immediately wipe it off with a cotton rag. Let the carving dry overnight.

Painting Guide

Dark Cat

• Base for body: dark chocolate (1)

• Stripe detail: black (1): striping detail

• Facial details, stripe highlights: antique white (2)

• Inside of ears: flesh (3)

Orange Cat

• Base for body: antique gold (1)

• Lowlights for body: Jack o’ lantern orange (1)

• Stripe details: rookwood red (1)

• Facial details and paws: antique white (3)

• Nose, inside of ears: flesh (2)

1 Americana

2 Apple Barrel

3 Ceramcoat

MATERIALS

• Basswood, 3/4″ (1.9cm) thick: dark cat, 1-5/8″ x 1 7/8″ (4.1cm x 4.8cm)

• Basswood, 3/4″ (1.9cm) thick: orange cat, 1-1/2″ x 2-1/4″ (3.8cm x 5.7cm)

• Acrylic paints: see Painting Guide above

• Boiled linseed oil

• Mineral spirits

• Fast-drying satin polyurethane

• Oil-based gel wood stain: antique oak, colonial, or old oak

• Cotton rags

TOOLS

• Knives: carving, detail

• Gouges: assorted small

• Saws: band or scroll

• Pencil

• Paintbrushes: assorted

Getting Started

Brace your middle finger on the side of the basswood block to sketch a centerline all the way around the top, front, bottom, and back faces. Then sketch on the main details from the front view pattern: the overall shape and the positioning of the face and feet.

Step 1

Slice around the front view. Start by slicing to the sides of the head. Position your knife near the top of the wings and slice upward. Continue this on both sides, angling each cut until all waste around the front view pattern is gone. Repeat toward the bottom.

Step 2

Slice around the side view. Sketch the side view pattern onto the wood. To help keep things even, sketch this pattern on the opposite side as well, making sure to make it face the same way. Then, similar to the previous step, slice all the way around it. Stop-cut above the feet and to separate the beak from the body to form V-shaped cuts across these areas.

Step 3

Round off the corners. Using slices as bold as you are comfortable with, remove the corners all the way around the owl. You will have to slice up from about halfway to round the head and down from a similar point to round the bottom half.

Step 4

Separate the feet from the body. Deepen the separation between feet and body and round the corners of this protruding shelf with stop cuts that angle slightly downward toward each end. At this point, you can still leave the feet thicker than they will be at the end for added strength during the carving process.

Step 5

Define the face. Use the tip of your knife to incise a curved line from the corners of where the eyes will be down to the tip of the beak on both sides. Then remove some wood underneath those incisions by slicing upward to meet them. If the face appears completely flat from the side, round its edges a bit.

Step 6

Bring out the beak. Make a series of small stop cuts to separate the beak from the surrounding feathers. After this step, the outline of the beak will appear diamond-shaped.

Step 7

Separate the feet from each other. Stop-cut between the feet, slicing across the grain and removing the V-shaped section that results. Then take off the inner corners of the feet with another two pairs of stop cuts.

Step 8

Suggest the wings. Slice straight into the wood from the side of the owl with nearly the full edge of your knife. Then remove a V-shaped section of wood between the wing and belly by slicing in to meet that cut from the belly. Repeat on the other side.

Step 9

Cut between the ear tufts. Make two stop cuts on top of the head to denote the inward faces of the ear tufts. Then slice across the end grain to remove the wood between them.

Step 10

Shape the sides of the ear tufts. To complete the look of the ear tufts, make the sides of them concave. Slice in from the side of the top of the head and curve the knife back out of the wood to achieve this. Repeat on both sides. Perform similar cuts in front of the ear tufts to make them stand straight up.

 Step 11

Ruffle the belly feathers. Texture the belly with some small and systematic sweeping cuts. I orchestrated these cuts to all have about the same angle, slanted down toward the center, on both sides so that they are placed somewhat symmetrical overall. This angle also helps these cuts stay clean and not tear out the grain.

 Step 12

Add the finishing touches. Work around the owl and make final adjustments to remove unwanted bumps and ensure everything is in order. Some owls have a clear distinction between the head and the body, and I represented that here via a V-shaped cut that arcs under the face. Brush with an oil finish and let dry.

MATERIALS

• Basswood: 2-1/2″ (6.4cm) thick: 1-1/4″ (3.2cm) square

• Pencil

• Finish, such as Danish oil

TOOLS

• Whittling knife

• Paintbrush

James Ray Miller started carving at the age of 11 after being inspired by family members who dabbled in woodworking. A software developer by trade, James enjoys the creative challenge of simplifying and abstracting forms in unique ways. For more of his work, visit Facebook.com/jrm.woodcarving.

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Getting Started

Transfer the patterns for the bird and base to the blanks. Use a piece of carbon or graphite paper. Cut the bird side view first using a band saw. Tape the pieces back together with clear packaging tape, and then cut out the top view. Separate and discard the scrap pieces from the cutout. Then cut the base.

Sketch a centerline starting at the beak, moving up and over the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. Draw the main landmarks, such as the head, beak, wings, and feet. Refer to the pattern, using a measuring scale or calipers for accuracy.

Step 1

Rough-shape the bird. Using a cone-shaped carbide-point bit, follow the lines you just made, thinning the neck and back areas to distinguish the wings and head from the torso. Switch to a tapered ruby bit. Round the head, moving from the beak to the crown. The crown should be noticeably smaller in circumference than the neck area. Make a small valley on either side of the head where the eyes will go, moving back from the brows to the nape of the neck until the valleys almost meet. Thin and round the tail.

Step 2

Separate the wing parts. Use the same bit. Contour the head, cheeks, and beak. Add round wells for the eyes. Sand the entire bird with 220-grit sandpaper or 240-grit Abranet®.

Step 3

Draw feathers onto the wing parts and tail. Refer to the pattern. Then lay a cylinder-shaped blue ceramic stone on its side and cut individual feathers into each wing and on the top and bottom of the tail.

Step 4

Fill out the feather texture. Lay a tapered cylinder-shaped white ceramic stone on its side and carve individual feathers on the cheeks, breast area, sides, and back of the bird. With the same stone, round each feather, and then carve the barbs. Add feather splits.

Step 5

Draw and carve the individual head feathers. Use a narrow, pointed ruby bit. Start at the beak and increase the feather size as you work toward the back.

Step 6

Round off and break the sharp corners of each feather. Use a sanding stick with a band of 220-grit sandpaper. Texture the head feathers with the tapered cylinder-shaped white ceramic stone.

Step 7

Burn the wing and tail feather texture. Use a bent shader tip in a woodburner. Don’t forget to add in the feather quills during this step.

Step 8

Burn in the barbs. Use the point of a skew tip. Add feather splits where desired. Note: To keep the burner tip clean and sharp, lay a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface. Then lay the burner tip at a sharp angle and run it across the sandpaper to remove any grit or grime.

Step 9

Set in the eyes. Make sure that the eye sockets are big enough to accommodate 3/16″ (5mm)-dia. brown eyes. The eyes should sit far enough into the socket that when looking at the bird’s head from above, you see just a bit of each one. Using a dental tool, place some epoxy putty in the eye sockets to hold the eyes in place. Then form a small ribbon of epoxy and place it around the eyes to form the eye rings. Work the epoxy around the eyes and blend it into the wood as feathers.

Step 10

Shape the feet. Note: Wear eye protection when performing this step. Cut six pieces of 1/32″ (1mm)-dia. brass rod into 1″ (2.5cm) lengths. Bend a radius on one end of each piece to form a nail shape, and then pound the nail flat. Hold the straight end of the brass rod with small locking pliers. Grind the nail to shape using a ball-shaped fluted carbide cutter bit. Bend the toes to shape after grinding.

Step 11

Attach the feet. Drill six holes 1/16″ (2mm) in diameter by 9/32″ (7mm) deep in the bottom of the bird; refer to the pattern. Cut 1/16″ (2mm)-deep grooves from the outer body to the holes. Place a small amount of cyanoacrylate (CA) glue on the toe shafts and insert the toes into the holes. Drill a 3/16″ (5mm)-deep hole in the bottom center of the bird to accommodate a 1/8″ (3mm)-dia. wood dowel.

Step 12

Draw the bark lines. Sketch a circle 1/4″ (6mm) in from the edge. Add spokes at regular intervals going out toward the edge, and then carve along these lines using the tapered ruby bit. Make random vertical cuts all around the outside of the base to simulate bark texture. Drill a 3/16″ (5mm)-deep hole in the center of the base for the wood dowel.

Step 13

Define the rings. Cut around the inside and outside of each bark section with the pointed ruby bit. Add growth rings fanning out from the central dowel hole. Use the same bit.

Step 14

Shape the bark pieces. Break sharp corners and remove rough edges in and around each bark section with a piece of 240-grit Abranet or 220-grit sandpaper. Slightly round the top of each bark section.

Step 15

Add more bark details. Burnish the sections of bark using a ball stylus. The bark should look rough and bumpy. Then glue the dowel in place.

Step 16

Spray the bird and base with clear satin finish. The project will be easier to finish if mounted on a paint stick. Paint the bird, referring often to the Paint Notes on page X. (I use a #6 round brush to apply base coats and a 1/8″ (3mm) angular shading brush for drybrushing and detailing.) Once done, shade all feathers and feather splits by adding just a slight touch of black to the basecoat colors and apply around the bottom of each feather. Scrape the excess paint from the glass eyes with a knife. Do not use sandpaper. Let the paint dry, and then attach the bird to the dowel with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue.

Paint Notes

Cap, bib, beak: Mars black

Breast, cheeks, rump, highlights to feather-edges and toes: titanium white

Side flanks: raw sienna, titanium white (blend into the white areas of the breast and rump with a watery brush)

Back and shoulder area: raw umber, ultramarine blue, titanium white (mix to a brownish grey)

Top of wings, tail: burnt umber, Payne’s gray, ultramarine blue, titanium white (mix to a dark grey)

Toes: burnt umber, Payne’s gray, small amount of titanium white

Base (first coat): yellow oxide, titanium white

Base (second coat): watered-down Payne’s gray and burnt umber (use to darken growth rings and cracks)

Base highlights: drybrush titanium white

Underside of tail and wings: neutral gray

MATERIALS

• Tupelo, 1 3/4″ (4.4cm) thick: 1 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ (4.4cm x 8.3cm)

• Tupelo, 1/2″ (1.3cm) thick: 2 1/2″ (6.4cm) square

• Wood dowel: 1/8″ (3mm)-dia., 5/16″ (8mm) long

• Glass eyes: two, 5mm-dia. brown

• Brass rod: 1/32″ (1mm)-dia., 6″ (15.2cm) long

• Carbon or graphite paper

• Epoxy putty

• Finish: clear satin, such as Deft

• Acrylic paint (see Paint Notes above)

• Glue: cyanoacrylate (CA)

• Sandpaper: 220-grit or 240-grit Abranet

• Tape: clear packaging

TOOLS

• Drill with bits: assorted small

• Knife (optional)

• Band saw

• Graphite pencil

• Measuring scale or calipers

• Rotary tool

• Ruby bits: tapered, pointed

• Blue ceramic stone: cylinder

• Fluted carbide cutter: ball-shaped

• Carbide-point bit: cone-shaped

• White ceramic stone: tapered cylinder

• Stick with 220-grit sandpaper band

• Woodburner with nibs: skew, bent shader

• Ball stylus

• Locking pliers

• Dental tool

• Paintbrushes: #6 round, 1/8″ (3mm) angular shader

Butch Clark lives in rural Darke County, Ohio, with his wife, Janie. He began carving in 1992, specializing in realistic songbirds, and now teaches classes on songbirds and their habitat. Butch is a member and past president of the “Brukner Nature Carvers” woodcarving club in Troy, Ohio. He has won numerous awards at woodcarving shows throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Contact Butch at butch0547@embarqmail.com.

Getting Started

Draw the front-view pattern onto the blank. Cut around the perimeter with a band saw. Then, remove the excess wood with a 3/8″ (10mm) #6 gouge. Trace the side-view pattern onto the blank and use the same gouge to remove the excess.

Carving and Finishing 

Refer to the patterns often as you carve the piece. Be careful not to cut off the top spool for the carving blank; you’ll need this for the ears. I use a detail knife and a small V-tool to define the eye and mouth areas and a 1/8″ (3mm) #11 veiner to create texture inside the ears and on the tail, cheeks, and ruff. Mark the whisker dots in using a woodburner with a writing nib. If you plan to use the writing and skew nibs to burn the fur texture in just a few places rather than all over the body, brush on a pre-stain conditioner, such as Minwax, before you paint to prevent blotchiness. Add a clear gloss acrylic finish to the eyes to make them shine.

Materials

• Basswood, 2 1/2″ (6.4cm) thick: 3 1/4″ x 3 3/4″ (8.3cm x 9.5cm)

• Pre-stain conditioner, such as Minwax

• Acrylic paint: black, burnt sienna, burnt umber, latte, white

• Tung oil: low gloss

• Finish: clear gloss acrylic

• Sandpaper (optional)

Tools

• #6 gouge: 3/8″ (10mm)

• #11 veiner: 1/8″ (3mm)

• V-tool: small

• Detail knife

• Woodburner, variable temperature, with nibs: skew, writing (optional)

• Paintbrushes: soft, round, detail, short-bristled

Desiree Hajny of Blue Hill, Neb., has been a full-time sculptor of wood since 1985. Prior to that, she was a high school art instructor for six years. She has authored seven books and contributed to eight others. Desiree has also been a contributing author to periodicals in the United States and Europe. She was the third recipient of Woodcarving Illustrated’s “Woodcarver of the Year” award. Find more of Desiree’s work at hajny.fineartworld.com.

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The Carousel of Happiness, a restored piece of history, is one of Nederland’s main attractions. The wooden wonder has served the community and visitors from around the world since 2010, providing over one million rides and inspiring even more smiles. The carousel spins 56 handcarved animals to the cheery tunes of a 1913 Wurlitzer organ. Passage to ride with the whimsical menagerie costs just $3—but no one is turned away if they can’t pay. 

The carousel’s story begins in Vietnam. While serving overseas, marine Scott Harrison received a care package from his sister containing socks, food, and a music box that played the melody of Chopin’s “Tristesse.” Holding the small box to his ear, Scott was carried out of the rice paddies to a faraway place. He thought of a beautiful carousel spinning in a mountain meadow. After returning home to Colorado, he began a 26-year-long journey of realizing that vision. When Scott heard of an abandoned carousel frame in Utah, he quickly bought it and brought it to his hometown.

An Asian black bear after a coat of primer. 

During the golden age of carousels in America, thousands of merry-go-rounds peppered the landscape, many featuring handcarved wooden animals. Big names from that era included Charles Looff in Coney Island, Marcus Illions in New York, and Gustav Dentzel in Philadelphia. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, most of the vintage carousels that remained were dismantled and sold separately to collectors, mainly because the parts were more valuable than their sum. Today, carousel art has undergone a small revival, with many of the old frames being restored and populated with newly carved animals. 

Since horses have long been the star of most traditional merry-go-rounds, Scott made a deliberate effort to carve other animals for his. Among the varied creatures featured on the Carousel of Happiness, you’ll find a dolphin, giraffe, peacock, and even an alpaca wearing pink ballet shoes. Each animal has a story, found on the carousel’s website. Scott carved smaller characters to hang from the rafters and decorate the inside of the building that houses the ride. 

When he began, Scott had little woodworking experience. He taught himself how to use knives, chisels, gouges, mallets, and power tools.

A new floor for the attraction was built using the remnants of a yellow pine, which had been cut down in 1890 and used as cribbing for whiskey barrels at a Seagram’s® plant. All the carousel’s original bearings, gears, and metalwork have been restored, as well as the electric motor and controller, to conform to modern standards. Visitors can watch the century-old gears turn from a room above the ride. 

People from all walks of life—children and adults, able-bodied and differently abled (the space next to the carousel’s gorilla is the perfect size for a wheelchair)—are welcome to enjoy Scott’s handcarved creations. Posted just outside the ride’s entrance is a sign that reads “Don’t Delay Joy.” After learning firsthand how precious life is, that’s all Scott asks of his visitors.

For more information, visit carouselofhappiness.org. 

Scott shares a moment with one of his animal carvings.