"Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object."
The study of creating art and functional objects by carving wood.
Types of wood: Understanding the different types of wood and their characteristics is crucial when it comes to wood carving. Some woods are harder or softer than others, and some are more prone to splitting or cracking.
Grain orientation: Understanding the orientation of the wood's grain can impact the carving process. Grain orientation can affect the strength of the wood, the depth of the cuts that can be made, and the quality of the finished carving.
Carving tools: There are a variety of tools used in wood carving, including knives, chisels, gouges, and saws. It's essential to understand the purpose of each tool and how to use them correctly.
Safety: Safety is a crucial aspect of wood carving. Understanding how to safely hold and handle tools, how to sharpen blades, and how to secure workpieces to prevent slippage or movement is critical.
Design: Developing an understanding of design principles, such as composition, proportion, balance, and symmetry, play a big part in creating successful wood carvings.
Carving techniques: There are various techniques used in wood carving, such as relief carving, chip carving, and carving in the round. Understanding the different techniques and how to employ them can help achieve various effects and results.
Finishing: After carving, the workpiece must be finished to achieve the desired effect. Understanding the different types of finish, such as paints, stains, waxes, and varnishes, is essential to creating the final product.
Maintenance: Keeping tools in good condition through proper cleaning, sharpening, and storage techniques is vital to maintaining their performance and longevity.
History: Understanding the history of wood carving can provide insights into various styles, techniques, and cultural practices, which can be an excellent source of inspiration for contemporary carvings.
Decorative Arts: Understanding decorative arts principles can help create beautiful and intricate carved designs in furniture, jewelry, and other household items.
Traditional woodworking skills: Learning traditional woodworking skills, such as joinery and laminating, can be an excellent added bonus in the journey towards becoming a skilled woodcarver.
Carving from natural forms: Carving from natural forms can provide inspiration for creating intricate, beautiful, and unique carvings. Understanding how to work with the natural shapes and forms of the wood can lead to wonderful and creative expressions of art.
Sculpting: Many wood carvers also incorporate sculpting techniques into their work when creating more realistic and lifelike figures or animals. It is essential to understand how to sculpt using various tools and techniques.
Advanced techniques: Advanced techniques such as chip-carving, scroll-sawing and inlaying can be quite intricate, and understanding the nuances of these techniques can lead to exceptional art.
Relief Carving: A type of carving where the design or image is carved out of a flat surface, leaving the background intact.
Chip Carving: A type of carving where small chips of wood are removed to create intricate geometric designs or patterns.
Whittling: G: A type of carving where a small knife is used to cut away small pieces of wood to create simple shapes, figures or objects.
Spoon Carving: A type of carving where wooden spoons are created using a carving knife or a spoon gouge.
Caricature Carving: A type of carving where figures or objects are created with exaggerated or humorous features.
Bark Carving: A type of carving where designs or figures are carved into the bark of trees.
Sculptural Carving: A type of carving where sculptural forms are created by removing large sections of wood to create a 3-dimensional object or figure.
Green Wood Carving: A type of carving where fresh, unseasoned wood is used and carved into spoons, bowls or other functional or decorative items.
Pyrography: A type of carving where designs or images are burned into wood using a heated tool.
Intarsia: A type of carving where different colored woods are cut and pieced together to create a decorative picture or mosaic.
Woodturning: A type of carving where a lathe is used to rotate a piece of wood while it is carved with various cutting tools to create bowls, vases or other round shapes.
Letter Carving: A type of carving where letters or words are carved into wood to create signs, plaques or other decorative items.
Chainsaw Carving: A type of carving where a chainsaw is used to remove large portions of wood to create sculptural forms or figures.
Marquetry: A type of carving where thin veneers of wood are cut and pieced together to create intricate designs or images.
Gourd Carving: A type of carving where designs or images are carved into the surface of gourds to create decorative objects or containers.
"The making of sculpture in wood has been extremely widely practised, but does not survive undamaged as well as the other main materials like stone and bronze, as it is vulnerable to decay, insect damage, and fire."
"Therefore, it forms an important hidden element in the art history of many cultures."
"Many of the most important sculptures of China and Japan, in particular, are in wood, and so are the great majority of African sculpture and that of Oceania and other regions."
"Wood is light and can take very fine detail so it is highly suitable for masks and other sculpture intended to be worn or carried."
"It is also much easier to work on than stone and can be carved more thinly and precisely due to its fibrous strength."
"Some of the finest extant examples of early European wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Germany, Russia, Italy, and France."
"Typical themes of that era were Christian iconography."
"Many complete examples remain from the 16th and 17th century, where oak was the preferred medium."
"The oldest wood carved sculpture, the Shigir Idol carved from larch, is around 12,000 years old."
"But does not survive undamaged as well as the other main materials like stone and bronze, as it is vulnerable to decay, insect damage, and fire."
"Outdoor wood sculptures do not last long in most parts of the world."
"Wood is light and can take very fine detail...and can be carved more thinly and precisely due to its fibrous strength."
"Many of the most important sculptures of China and Japan...are in wood, and so are the great majority of African sculpture and that of Oceania and other regions."
"Therefore, it forms an important hidden element in the art history of many cultures."
"...resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object."
"Wood is light and can take very fine detail so it is highly suitable for masks and other sculpture intended to be worn or carried."
"The making of sculpture in wood has been extremely widely practised, but does not survive undamaged as well as the other main materials like stone and bronze..."
"Some of the finest extant examples of early European wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Germany, Russia, Italy, and France, where the typical themes of that era were Christian iconography."
"The oldest wood carved sculpture, the Shigir Idol carved from larch, is around 12,000 years old."