Wood Carving Books
Instructions and illustrations for carving animals, figures, and more. Tips on tools, techniques, painting, finishing, exhibiting. Excellent for novices. 192 pages.
[Customer Review] Just as the title says this is a good introductory text for the person interested in starting woodcarving. There is not a lot of in-depth information about each type of carving, but there is enough to get you started in the right direction. The discussions are well written at a level that's good for a beginner. I read the entire book in about 3 hours and now starting my first project. Unlike most books, this one doesn't require a progression from project to project.
The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving: With Project Patterns for Line Carving, Relief Carving, Carving in the Round, and Bird Carving
How to Carve Wood: A Book of Projects and Techniques (Fine Woodworking Book)
Woodcarver Richard Butz teaches chapter by chapter whittling, chip carving, wildlife carving, relief carving, lettering, and architectural carving. The reader learns by doing, working through carefully illustrated and progressively more challenging exercises and projects. Butz provides scaled patterns for each project and ends each chapter with a gallery of additional projects using the techniques learned. 224 pages.
How to Carve Wood: A Book of Projects and Techniques (Fine Woodworking Book)
From transferring the carving pattern to preparing the wood and evaluating the various levels of depth, every cut of the carving process is carefully illustrated and explained in this beginner's guide. Carvers will learn which tools are best for which cuts and why; how to create realistic eyes, noses, and other facial features; and how to add texture to their projects. Ten additional projects await once the first whimsical tree spirit is completed, each of which includes three styles of patterns: an outline for cutting the basic shape, a depth pattern indicating the levels of relief, and a shaded pattern indicating texture and shadow.
Relief Carving Wood Spirits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Releasing Faces in Wood (Woodcarving Illustrated Books)
Superb guide to every aspect of the craft: necessary tools and appliances, esthetics of wood carving, comprehensive history of wood carving design, and of course, clear, precise instructions on every technique. 568 pages.
[Customer Review] This is a very worthwhile addition to a woodcarvers' library. I have not read or worked through the entire book yet (it is truly enormous, and I already have most of the skills so it is re-capping them for me) but it is worth 5 stars for the pictures alone - many, many examples of carved furniture through history. Books with that many photos of historical pieces are hard to come by and usually very, very expensive. So for that alone it is worth the price.
Manual of Traditional Wood Carving
Wood Spirits and Green Men: A Design Sourcebook for Woodcarvers and Other Artists
Lora S. Irish is the author of Great Book of Dragon Patterns, Landscapes in Relief, and North American Wildlife Patterns for the Scroll Saw.
The 40 patterns included in this guide for carving green men and wood spirits out of wood are appropriate for carvers of all skill levels.
[Customer Review] I'm not skilled at woodcarving, but I have to tell you...these patterns are so clear, so easy to follow, that they lend themselves to nearly any medium! Clay, lost wax casting models, needlework, woodburning decorations, painting inspirations, even stained glass, which is my business. Bravo, Lora Irish! Thank you for sharing!
Wood Spirits and Green Men: A Design Sourcebook for Woodcarvers and Other Artists
Lettercarving in Wood: A Practical Course
Another excellent book from Chris Pye, all you need to know to start letter carving.
Written in Pye's usual thorough and detailed style, it helps you with selecting tools, how to hold your workpiece, shows different letter styles, both incised and raised lettering etc... This is a very good beginners book.
Lettercarving in Wood: A Practical Course