Quick Whittles E-Book

Sara Barraclough

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 85

Beschreibung

Get started in caricature carving with this party of beginner-friendly whittling projects! An excellent place to try your hand at carving adorable caricatures and learn how to capture their unique traits – from exaggerated facial features to expressive, googly eyes – Quick Whittles offers 16 portable projects you can carve in one sitting or even on-the-go. Featuring detailed guidance that breaks down complex techniques into simple and achievable steps, every easy wood carving project includes step-by-step instructions, coordinating photography, painting and finishing tips, and full-size patterns. From a PB&J-inspired whimsy and a folk art Santa ornament to a friendly narwhal, cute caterpillar, turtle wheelie toy, and even a face inside of a golf ball, each project conveys a charming emotion and personality that's sure to delight and offer satisfied smiles upon their completion. Also included is an insightful opening section with overviews on carving basics, such how to hold the knife, make basic cuts, work with the grain, safely sharpen your knife, and how to paint your finished project. 

Leseprobe

Dedication

People come into our lives in all sorts of disguises. So here’s to my friend, who showed up disguised as the baldest, saltiest, sarcastic-est, scariest, rather intimidating, but really awesome carver of a guy named after a cowboy hat, Dave. For not only teaching me an incredible amount about how to become a better carver, but also about how to become a better human.

In a world where you can be anything . . . be kind. Because kind people are my kind of people.

© 2022 by Sara Barraclough and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Quick Whittles is an original work, first published in 2022 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

Project Team

Acquisition editor: Kaylee Schofield

Editor: Colleen Dorsey

Designer: Chris Morrison

Project photography: Mike Mihalo

Step-by-step and other photography: Sara Barraclough

Specific images: here safety glasses by Photo Melon (Shutterstock.com); cover and here wood shavings by FabrikaSimf (Shutterstock.com)

Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0279-8

eISBN 978-1-6374-1075-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021951251

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], with 9781497102798 Quick Whittles in the subject line.

Introduction

I am really excited to share this new group of projects with you! My hope is that there will be a takeaway for anyone and everyone to help build sand expand their skills and ideas. One of my favorite parts about carving is giving expression and life to the piece. Learning how to convey emotion in an inanimate project isn’t always easy, and it takes practice, so don’t get discouraged!

I have always loved the cartoonish or caricature style of art, which has carried into my preferred carving style. There is (in my opinion) a greater level of freedom in how much or how far you can stretch the expressions and “silliness” of the subject. This book is geared toward helping you become familiar with conveying expression and adding extra elements to your carving. These projects are intended to be stepping-stones, to help build an arsenal of sorts that you can apply to future carves and projects. Try swapping expressions from one carve to the next, change up the paint, and just have fun.

I wanted to provide a variety of different styles for eyes and mouths in these projects, and also convey a twist or new way of approaching ordinary subjects. These aspects will hopefully help you in your carving journey to learn how to make the ordinary just a little more “extra.” So think of the projects in this book as a blueprint or road map, not rules written in stone. As you learn some of the basics, you can start to stray from the path and put your own thumbprint on the projects.

With all of that said, approach this book with a lighthearted sense of humor and fun. Enjoy the process, and when you hit a roadblock . . . just wing it.

—Sara

Table of Contents

Getting Started

Tools and Materials

Basic Cuts

Safety

Sharpening and Tool Maintenance

Painting and Finishing

Projects

Raining Cats & Dogs Links

Peanut Butter & Jelly Whimsey

A Rather Moody Caterpillar

Cutie Cockroach

Mr. Beaver

Pointy Snowman

Roly-Poly Santa

Boycotting Bedtime Girl

Not-So-Scary Monster

Clyde the Cuddly Bear

Happy Hippo

Curious Narwhal

Mountain Goat

Stylish Piggy

Ready-for-Rain Duck

Ladybug Wheelie

Patterns

About the Author

Getting Started

Keep in mind that the more you put into carving, the more you get out of it. There are a lot of resources out there to help you learn and grow your carving skills, but there is no one comprehensive guide to carving. The things I have covered in this section are the essentials and the tools and techniques that I have found to work, but that doesn’t mean anything is the only way, the only tool, the only brand, etc. If you don’t have a particular tool or the exact item that I have listed, use what you have and adapt it to the project!

Tools and Materials

As the projects in this book are geared toward whittling, the tool list is fairly short. When you boil it down to the absolute essentials, the only thing you truly need is wood and a sharp knife. With that said (and as is the case with just about every other skill that involves tools), there are tools that will make your journey in carving a little easier, as well as tools that will allow you to add different features to your carvings. The more you carve, the more this will make sense. Nevertheless, there is A LOT to be learned by figuring out how to do most of the work with just a knife.

Wood

North American basswood (comparable to linden or limewood in Europe) is the most commonly used wood among caricature carvers. It is a very clean wood with tight grain and is considered a “soft” wood. It generally doesn’t contain a lot of knots or figure, which yields a very clean finished product. Keep in mind that not all basswood is created equal, so paying a little more for quality material is definitely worth it. All projects in this book were carved from basswood.

Note: For the purposes of this book and to keep things simple, the projects were all carved with a knife. However, there are places where a V-tool or gouge would make things a little easier. So, if you have a tool that you feel would be easier or more appropriate on a project, use it!

Knives

For the projects in this book, it isn’t necessary to switch back and forth between a detail knife and a roughout knife. Carving (and whittling) does not require a huge arsenal of different knives and gouges. You can carve any project with just one carving knife. There is a variety of different knife handle shapes and blade lengths out there. There is no set rule for what blade to use for what cut. The most important thing is that you use a knife you are comfortable with.

Choosing a carving knife is purely a personal preference. Handle shape is something to consider depending on the size of your hand and your desired grip position. Being a petite female, I prefer a slimmer, smaller handle that doesn’t have any finger grooves. I also like blades that have a little flex in them—meaning the blade will bend depending on the force you apply. Some people don’t like any flex in the blade. You should figure out what works best for you and your carving style. And yes, you have a carving style—even if you haven’t figured out what it is yet! That part takes time, long after the blisters turn to calluses.

Knives come in a variety of handle shapes and blade lengths and shapes. It is important to find one that is comfortable for you to hold.

Drills

In order to add special features to certain projects, you may need to drill.

For the wheelie project, pre-purchased wooden axle and wheel sets have axles that are 1/4″ (0.6cm) in diameter. Therefore, you will need a 1/4 ″ (0.6cm) drill bit. There have been times that I had to sand the axle or run a file inside the drilled hole to get a good fit with the axle. This just depends on the quality control of the axles and wheels.

A drill press can help you drill perfectly straight holes for axles, but a hand drill will also work.

It is possible to drill the holes for the axles using a hand drill, as long as the drill bit goes straight in, but a drill press works more accurately in getting a straight hole.

A micro hand drill is a perfect choice for inserting the antennae wires in the caterpillar and cockroach projects, as well as any other little wire details you might come up with on your own! You can find these drills for less than $10 online, and they typically come with a little container of tiny drill bits. Hold the bit and the end of the wire you will be using between your thumb and index finger to see if they are relatively the same size. If you are still unsure if a bit is the correct size, drill into a scrap piece of wood and see if the wire fits into the hole.

A micro hand drill, with its corresponding mini bits, is ideal for small, precise work.

Band Saw

The projects in this book include band saw cutout patterns to make the roughing out stage a bit easier. However, you can definitely complete these projects if you do not have access to a band saw. It is entirely possible to rough out by hand and complete the projects without first cutting out the rough shape—it’s just more time-consuming. When I first started carving, I did not have a band saw, and I am very thankful that I learned the hard and slow way of roughing out a shape. So, don’t throw this book out just because you see a band saw mentioned! Keep at it with your knife, and if whittling and carving is something you want to continue pursuing long term, then down the road you can invest in a band saw.

A band saw is completely optional.

Sanding

A small round file and/or sandpaper in various grits will come in handy, especially in the wheelie project, for removing fuzzies from tight corners. These should not, however, be used to sand off knife marks. A carving should look, well, carved.

Sanding tools will let you clean up your carving.

Measuring and Marking

It’s always a good idea to keep a ruler in your carving bag. You’ll also want a pencil