Carving without a plan

Sometimes it's good to grab some scrap wood and just whittle away. Here I took an irregular chunk of scrap, and wound up with five faces (two on one side, three on the other.)

Hand-carved Coffee Scoop

Here's a quick and fun carving. I needed a coffee scoop, so I made one from some scrap basswood. No finish was called for, so the scoop is ready to go!

Whittlin' on Instagram!

Wonderful Whittlin' is now on Instagram. Check out @wonderfulwhittlin for more photos of carvings big and small, with lots of "work in progress" shots, woodcarving knives, and more!

Here's a sample of some of my recent posts:

 

Hand Cramps from Carving? Here's some stretches:

Steve Tomlin of Steve Tomlin Crafts posted some great and helpful advice on stretching your hand muscles. Avoid injury, extend your carving time, and be safe!

A Carved Toy Horse for a Baby Girl

My friends just had a baby girl named Freya! On her birthday I got right to work on her first toy horse.

To honor Freya's mom and her vegan lifestyle, I finished this horse in a few light coats of Danish oil, let it dry thoroughly, then buffed it with a cotton cloth. I decided to forgo the usual coating of shellac, since shellac is an animal product. Still, a little elbow grease gave the horse a nicely buffed finish and a natural look.

Finally, I burned a simple Nordic rune onto the hip area, representing Freya's name.

Hand-carved Wedding Favors

In an effort to give our wedding and reception a personal touch, I decided, with my bride-to-be, to carve wooden hearts for all of our guests.  Even a smaller-sized wedding can have quite a few guests. Our count was around 70, or just under, which still calls for a lot of whittling.

I used all kinds of wood, from cedar to pine, basswood and poplar, and even mahogany. Some I finished with oils and shellac, some I left natural. All the hearts were marked with our wedding date using a wood burner.

Wedding Lovespoon!

We got married!

For our recent wedding, I made my bride a hand-carved lovespoon. Using poplar, I made a heart-shaped bowl, and several symbols of our love and commitment to each other. I used a woodburner to apply the date of the wedding to the reverse side.

 

D&D Adventuring Party: treasure chest

Between show prep and carving other projects, I have yet to finish the third figure in the Adventuring Party project (the cleric.) in the meantime, here's a gilded treasure chest complete with an iron padlock. A nice prop for the adventurers! 

Hand carved Dala horses in basswood

Though I'm American and not Swedish, I have a great respect for Swedish craft, especially the Dalahast. Known to English-speakers as the Dala horse, with its classic, sturdy, yet beautiful design, it's always a pleasure to carve.

These horses are my version of the traditional Dalahast, left unpainted. I carved lines to highlight the horses' manes and tails, but the rest is up to the imagination. 

Cthulhu idol in black and gold

In between carving sessions on my Adventurers project, I've been making a few of these Cthulhu idols. This one is finished in black acrylic paint and dry brushed with gold.

Unplugged Shop

A reminder for those who know, and an invitation to those who might not: Unpluggedshop.com is a great collection of woodworking blogs. From carving to cabinetry, luthiers to lumbermen, tools and materials, there's dozens of excellent blogs that regularly update.

Check it out, and add a few blogs to your RSS feed!

A simple heart w/a tiny shamrock

It's always fun to make something quickly. Clear out the cobwebs, and take a break from larger projects. This heart was carved from a small bit of scrap basswood, too small for much else. 

D&D Adventuring Party- The Thief (completed!)

The Thief is done! With a gold coin in hand, and a sly look in his eye, The Thief is the newest member of the group.  Where The Fighter uses force, a thief relies on stealth, cunning, and skill. 

These two will compliment each other well, but the party is not yet compete. Magic users, both arcane and divine, will form the support element of this successful group of adventurers.

Next in the Adventuring Party: The Cleric

D&D Adventuring Party- The Thief

The Thief figure is just about carved! The figure features the grinning Thief, gold coin in one hand, hidden dagger in the other. His belt holds two pouches, an empty knife scabbard, and a coiled rope. 

Next I'll carve the facial features, then give it some color with acrylic paint.

D&D Adventuring party-progress

The first figure in my group of dungeon-delving heroes is done! The Fighter is the core member of any adventuring party. He's the front line, the sword and shield protecting the less martial characters. 

This fighter wears grey armor under "bachelor button blue" robes, and a crimson cape to better find him on the battlefield. His shield device is a diving swallow, inspired by the neck label on a bottle of Powers Irish whiskey. 

All figures in this project will wear matching gold cloak clasps w/emerald gems. The Fighter wears his on his left breast. 

Up next: The Thief!

Mini-Mage with knife, all carved and painted!

This little carving is all done! A tiny wizard, his ritual knife in hand, ready to cast out evil or carve a baked ham. 

Cinco de Mayo plaque

Here's this year's Cinco de Mayo gift for our friends at John's Tex Mex Eatery, in Rochester. I started with a craft store plaque, with the idea of a coat-of-arms. I think it came out pretty well.

Dungeon Delving Dudes

This little wizard has me thinking about a little carving project: The Adventuring Party. In classic tabletop Dungeons & Dragons form, I think I'll start with a group of four. Wizard, Fighter, Cleric, and Thief (aka rogue, for the "newer editions)

Cthulu mini-idol, hand carved in basswood

H.P. Lovecraft is second only to Poe as America's greatest writer of horror. In his story The Call of Cthulu, mankind faces a maddening truth of ultimate destruction in the form of nightmare beings from beyond time and space. The herald of these beings is the dread Cthulu.

In this and other stories, HPL describes the appearance of idols to Cthulu, found among doomsday cultists or clutched in the hands of the dead. I carved this with these stories in mind.

Mustache Mixing Spoons

Some mustache mixing spoons. Perfect for any mustache recipie!