May 15th, 2025
I had an interesting email from Steven S. and wanted to share my reply.
Does everyone use patterns? Like WTH I’ve never used a pattern in my life, and I can’t understand why I would? Is that why everyone does more or less the identical projects? I’m very confused. I thought we are making art? Not copying… S.
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Hi Steven,
Thanks for writing. Your question does have many answers that are well worthy of noting.
Not everyone who takes up a hobby, craft, or art form is able to create their own patterns or designs.
For example, the ability to make perfect embroidery stitches using needle and thread, matching the background fabric with the thread count, and maintaining a perfect tension and spacing to those stitches throughout the work is a very different skill than being able to draw the outlines and establish the shading of a pattern. In this sample the use of a pattern as the foundation for those embroidery stitches is just another tool of the craft as a pair of scissors, or a needle threader. The pattern becomes a map which guides the work.
Not everyone thinks in two-dimensions versus three-dimensional work.
When you explore the hobby/craft of wood carving you will note that some people enjoy creating 3-D dudes, while others prefer the 2-D work of relief carving. They can ‘imagine’ or ‘visualize’ where the cuts will turn an area, drop its depth, or cut it free from the main piece of wood. But those skills and abilities do not mean they can create the original drawing of a basswood cowboy, sketch it out, note where they may need to add wood for extended portions of the sculpture as an arm that is holding the gun, and determine how they will attach that modeled arm. Following the pattern of another wood carver means they can make the wood carving with the natural skills that they do have while allowing someone else to work out the technical point of the design.
Not every crafter wants to create a ‘new work of art’.
I will use myself in this example. I love the fully detailed, physically correct, feather by feather duck carvings that portray a wonderful copy of nature that is done in competition level duck carving. But I have never done one. I know I am capable of that type of work, but I have no desire to spend 500 to 1500 hours making just one carving. I also am not interested in the stress that would come from such careful measuring, cutting, and shaping each and every feather.
Wood carving, for me, is my relax time; it’s my time to kick -back and just enjoy the process of putting knife to wood. Using a premade pattern means that someone else has done all the measuring and detailing work while I get to have the fun of the actual carving.
While creating a new work of art, original and one of a kind, is a great goal for some, the larger portion of people that enjoy a craft simply want to learn the techniques, skills, and basic steps to that craft. For them, taking the extra time to research, design, and draw out their own pattern is time where they are not enjoying their craft. This is where step-by-step tutorials are important. They, as patterns, are a learning tool that helps guide a crafter in learning new ways of working within their hobby.
Another excellent reason for using patterns is to explore all of the different art styles and craft varieties in your craft. As a beginner you may not yet know if you will enjoy wood carving Santas, want to work furniture accents, or will find your niche as a relief carver. Using and following other carver’s patterns, instructions, and work give you a chance to experiment while limiting your chances of ‘novice’ failure and deciding on where you want to be in your craft.
Please remember that there are many levels of arts and craft from rec room novice to fine artist, many reasons that people do arts and crafts from just wanting something to do in their spare time to professional career level artist, and that each artist or crafter does have a limited set of art skills where they may be very advanced in their particular craft they may not have the visual art skills to work the original pattern drawing.
Using someone else’s pattern is not cheating. Patterns are nothing more than a tool in any artist’s kit that allow you to work on a far greater number of ideas than you may have been able to do without those patterns.
I think it is wonderful that you are an artist that can create their own patterns, made specifically for your art. I expect that as you share your work on the internet you will find that others will email you asking if you have that pattern available to share. Your unique work will inspire others, and, Yes!, others will want to copy your work so that they can create that new work with the skills they do have.
I hope this helps explain why working with patterns is a positive experience for those that may not have your drawing skills.
Lora
Newest Articles by Lora S. Irish
Let’s explore how easy it is to create new, circular Celtic Knot Work patterns by creating circular grids. Includes free Celtic Motif Patterns and Celtic Circular Patterns.
This is a five part series that will be expanding over the next few days.
Part 1, How to create and divide your circle grid
Part 2, Sample Circular and Square Grids, ready to print and use in your pattern work
Part 3, How to convert a linear pattern into a circular design
Part 4, Four free circular Celtic Patterns
Part 5, Sample single Celtic pattern motifs to trace
This new tutorial compliments Lora’s newest pattern bundle pack, Celtic Patterns Bundle, available on our pattern website, ArtDesignsStudio.com
Wood Carving Spoons Free Tutorial and Projects
Spoon carving is a wonderful beginning carving project, and a delightful canvas for advanced wood carvers. Every aspect of a wooden spoon can be changed, altered, and decorated.
You will need just a few wood carving chisels and gouges, a bench knife, some sandpaper, and mineral oil to give your spoon a final, food-safe finish.
This large apple butter paddle spoon was carved from 1″ thick basswood. The extra thickness gave more than enough room to add a pottery bird relief carving to the inside of the spoon bowl.
Learn more: Wood Carving Navigation Page
The Art of Spoon Carving by Lora S. Irish
Spoon, Fork, and Ladle Styles for Wood Carving
Wood Carving a Basic Wooden Spoon
Wood Carving Spoons Free Tutorial and Project
Wood Carving Spoons Free Projects
The Art of Spoon Carving by Lora S. Irish
Pyrography & Wood Burning Navigation Page
Fundamentals and Techniques of Pyrography
- The Basic Wood Burning Tool
- Basic Wood Burning Strokes
- Wood Burning Technique Samples
- Step by Step Instructions Project
- Coloring Wood Burned Projects
- Wood Burning Sepia Values
- Wood Burning Animal Fur and Hair
- Mapping Your Pyrography Patterns, Flamingo
- Pyrography Practice Boards for Wood Burning
- Simple Shading in Pyrography, Daisy Pattern
- Tonal Value Sepia Worksheet
Listing of just a few free online tutorials, both here at LSIrish.com and on other forums and message boards.
Free, online seminar links:
Cross-Crafting Seminar Introduction
Cross-Crafting Seminar Supply List
Cross-Crafting Seminar Free Patterns
Cross-Crafting Seminar, Scroll Saw Basics
Cross-Crafting Seminar, Setting Up Your Scroll Saw
Cross-Crafting Seminar, Scroll Sawing the Wood Spirit Face
Cross-Crafting Seminar, Wood Burning the Wood Spirit Face
Cross-Crafting Seminar, Colored Pencils for the Wood Spirit Face
Posted here at LSIrish.com
Whittle Tiki Chess Set – Wood Carving
This beginner’s wood carving project will guide you through the cutting strokes that create those wonderfully expressive Tiki faces. Includes the free patterns to make your own chess set.
Basics to Painting – Painting your Wood Carving and Wood Burning
Have fun exploring the numerous techniques you can use to add coloring to your wood burnings, wood carvings, and scroll saw projects.
Postage Stamp Pyrography – Pyrography and wood burning
Have a little fun tonight working through how easy it is to wood burning Celtic interlocking lines and knots.
Relief Canada Goose Carving Seminar – Relief wood carving, pyrography, and painting
Explore the basic techniques used in relief wood carving, including working in layers and levels, undercutting, and smoothing the background. Then add fine detailing using your wood burning tool. Finish this step-by-step project by creating realistic coloring using the dry brushing technique.
Whittle Fish Seminar – Wood carving
Ice fishing decoys are quick, easy, and extremely fun to carve. All you need is a bench knife, a few pieces of basswood, some scrap leather or copper sheeting, and some imagination. Since these are primitive art, anything goes when carving fish decoys.
Chip Carving Seminar – Chip Carving, wood carving
Chip carving is a specialty area in wood carving. With the use of a short-bladed chip carving knife, small triangular cuts create intrigue motifs and designs. Includes a full-sized sampler pattern.
Celtic Dragon Plaque – Relief wood carving
This is an entry-level carving project for both relief carving and for working the interlocking patterns of the Celtic Knot
Wood Spirit Carving – Wood carving, cane and walking stick carving
Carving a human face into your next walking stick or cane is quite easy when you follow the step-by-step cuts shown in Carving the Planes of the Human Face.
Twistie Snake Carving – Wood carving, cane and walking stick carving
Not all of us are blessed to have a backyard wood lot where we can cultivate sassafras trees and honeysuckle vines for twistie stick canes. So in this in-depth tutorial learn how to carve that twisted stick pattern using a bench knife, a few small gouges, and basswood.
Pyrography Doodles – Pyrography and wood burning
If you have the burning desire to try your hand at the zen doodle craze or modern tribal tattoo look, you will want to read through this step-by-step wood burning project that uses textures, line designs, and fill patterns to create the finished mushroom design.
Pyrography Steps to Portrait Burning – Wood burning and pyrography
Learn how to create realistic shadows and highlights in the human face in your next wood burning project.
Cougar Pyrography Project – Wood burning and pyrography
Learn how to create the fine fur in an animal portrait that incorporates realistic shading and shape to the animal’s face.
Ceremonial Mask Pyrography – Pyrography and wood burning
This step-by-step project uses lots and lots of photos to guide you through an in-depth design created for first-time wood burners.
Pyrography Leather Burning – Leather burning and leather pyrography
Want to try your hand at leather burning? Then this tutorial is just what you are looking for. Includes not only the step-by-step photo instructions but also includes the binding steps for making your own leather artist journal.
Posted on Other Message Boards or Forums
Please note that the following free L S Irish seminars and in-depth projects were posted by me, before we opened LSIrish.com, and are hosted on another forum. I am not responsible for this forum nor a member of this forum at this time.
Please note that you will need to sign-up as a member of this forum to have access to the photos included in each of the tutorials.
If you have questions about these projects please contact me directly, here at LSIrish.com or on my Facebook account, as I can not reply to you on this forum. If you do reply of any of these free tutorial, it will bring these threads to the front of the message board where other members may answer you.
Relief Carving Wood Spirit Grape Man WIP – Over 250 detailed, close-up photos with step-by-step instructions of relief carving the wood spirit, green man face. This thread has had over 69,000 views!
Levels in Relief – Learn how to break you carving pattern into levels for easy carving. This project will teach you how to identify the sky, background, mid-ground, and foreground of any design.
Burning your carvings – Pyrography can be an important technique for your wood carving. So learn how to use your wood burner to clean-up fine wood fibers, add detailing, and even add fine shaping to your next wood carving project.
African Mask Low Relief Carving – The African Mask project focuses on how to establish the levels of a relief wood carving during the rough-out stage of work.
Irish Pyrography Seminar – This in-depth pyrography project shows over 250 detailed, close-up photos, step-by-step instructions, and in-depth explanations of texturing, shadings, and fine line work used to create the Advertising Barn landscape.
Walnut Hollow Versa-Tool – Looking for that first wood burning tool, then take a few moments and read through this tutorial for an in-depth review of the Walnut Hollow Versa-Tool used to wood burn a Toucan Family.
Winter Birdhouse Wood Burning Tutorial – This in-depth, step-by-step project focuses on a winter bird house wood burning scene. The project takes you from the initial tracing of the design to the final coloring steps.