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.

Carving the Flower

Transfer the pattern to the wood with graphite paper. I always advise transferring the pattern with graphite paper rather than gluing the pattern. This way you can see if you are removing or cracking away wood that isn’t supposed to be removed.

As you carve the flower, hold the blade at approximately a 65° angle to the wood. When making tight or small curved cuts, raise the angled blade up so it’s more on its tip, reducing the amount of metal in the wood. Don’t cut deeper than necessary to remove the chips. Keep the “vein” lines narrow so they don’t overpower the carving. If desired, add a scalloped border on the back side of the ornament.

Finishing the Flower

Spray both sides of the ornament with three coats of polyurethane, such as Minwax. If desired, paint the outer edge and add a message on the back. Apply a light brown finishing wax, such as Briwax, to both sides of the ornament to emphasize the carved areas while preserving a natural appearance.

MATERIALS

• Wood, such as basswood, 3/8″ (10mm) thick: 5″ square (12.7cm)

• Graphite transfer paper

• Spray polyurethane, such as Minwax

• Paint

• Colored wax, such as Briwax: light brown

TOOLS

• Chip-carving knives

Wayne Barton Wayne is the founder of The Alpine School of Woodcarving, Ltd. He has written several books and teaches seminars around the country. For more information, visit his website at www.chipcarving.com.

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.

Connecticut artist Carol Wallace’s interest in painting and drawing barns began during her early years. She was born and raised in Bucks County, Pa., an area known for its idyllic rural landscape, rustic barns, stone houses, covered bridges, and quiet back roads. Her scenes of Americana are crafted out of a passion for preserving American history and culture. See more of her work at carolwallace.com.

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Materials

• Basswood, 1 7/8″ (4.8cm) square: birdhouse, 8 3/4″ (22.2cm) high 
• Wooden dowel, 3/16″ (4.8mm)-dia.:, perch 1 1/2″ (3.8cm) long
• Acrylic paints, such as Jo Sonja’s®: brown, white
• Boiled linseed oil (BLO)
• Turpentine
• Newspaper

Tools

• Carving knife
• Band saw
• V-tools: 1/8″ (3mm), 3/16″ (5mm), 1/4″ (6mm) 60°
• Gouge: 1/4″ (6mm)
• Woodburner
• Drill with bits: 3/16″ (4.8mm), 5/16″ (7.9mm)-dia.
• Paintbrushes: assorted

Bruce Ankeny lives in Blue Earth, Minn., with his loving wife of 45 years, Bonnie. Bruce attended a local woodcarvers’ exhibition in 1982 and was immediately impressed with a hillbilly chess set carved by John Sabin. Bruce dove right in, becoming the youngest member of the Blue Earth Royal Chiselers and eventually finding his niche in caricature carving. See more of Bruce’s work on facebook.com/bruce.ankeny and Instagram @ankenybruce, or email him at bruce.ankenywoodcarver@gmail.com.