The first post features the supply list, wood preparation instructions, and in-depth instructions on how to center and trace a wood carving pattern to a round-top basswood board.
The free pattern is also posted today, June 5th, 2024. So please stop by the project page, and please share on your favorite social media outlet.
Pages: Learn how to wood carve your own Ice Fishing Decoy, a free wood carving project by Lora S Irish. Folk art fish decoys can become much more than realistic wood carvings of minnows and fishing bait. This gallery of wood carvings by Lora Irish offers more samples of what you could do with your own whittled fish decoy.
E-Project: Learn folk art ice fishing decoy carving with this in-depth step-by-step project taught by Lora S. Irish. This sixty page e-book includes an introduction to the history of ice fishing decoys, the six basic carving cuts needed to create these fun fish, and two complete projects. Complete your decoy with the painting steps and by creating a simple wire hanger. 60 pages of instructions, patterns, and ideas included are 20 small decoys patterns with fin variations, 4 long minnow decoy patterns, and 21 large full-sized decoy patterns accompanied by full-colored photos of the carved samples. Comes in Adobe Reader .pdf format!
I have found over the years that I often have the desire to create something new far after I have run out of space to display the work. I literally have dozens of banker boxes filled with finished projects, tucked away under my work table or in a closet, that are simply stored away. Yet not having space for another pyrography, wood carving, or craft project does not stop me from wanting to create new ideas.
So I have come up with a small solution to my addiction to pyrography wood burning – a Pyrography Junk Journal!
Small wood pieces can be hot glued to my watercolor paper pages to add too my junk journal.
I cut the front and back of my junk journal from scrap, vegetable-dyed leather, then used a leather punch to create the holes for the clip rings. Of course I worked a leather burning on my cover. My journal measures 6 1/2″ x 8″. Next I cut blank pages from heavy weight water color paper. These pages measure 6″ x 7 1/2″. Aligning the left side of the watercolor paper pages to the leather cover I marked the clip ring holes on the pages and cut them with my leather punch.
I wanted to test sample a new set of watercolor pencils that I will be using to add hue to my larger projects. This journal page let me check how well they covered and how transparent the were to allow the sepia shading to show without investing the time into a larger, in-depth work. A fun starting page for my junk journal.
I can work a pyrography wood burning pattern directly on the watercolor paper pages or I can use those pages to mount other media as small basswood squares, chip board shapes, paper mache squares, or leather scraps.
Fun, random, geometric shapes are great when you just want to spend an evening pyrography doodling.
Quick, easy, and so ready to fill with new free pyrography project patterns, experimental texture practice boards, and test sample for the next large pyrography burning!
In-depth tutorial coming soon!
I am working on posting over the weekend – March 29, 2024 Discover how easy and fun it is to cut and glue gourd together to create new shapes. In this free online project we will explore the basic steps needed to make your own crafty bird gourds.
Any natural fiber material can easily be collage to the surface of your gourd using archival white water-based glue. This fun bird house uses paper coffee filters, cotton cheese cloth, burlap, garden twine, and cotton cord to create a riot of texture. When the collage work is dry we will use oil pastels to brightly color the high ridges of the texture.
10” high, 8” diameter, 23” circumference kettle gourd
Crafting with Gourds
Lora S Irish
Available at Amazon.com
Crafting with Gourds
Building, Painting, and Embellishing Birdhouses, Flowerpots, Wind Chimes, and More (Fox Chapel Publishing) 14 Step-by-Step Projects for Natural, Seasonal Décor from Lora S. Irish Paperback – October 8, 2018Transform ordinary gourds into extraordinary art!14 step-by-step projects with bright, beautiful project photography
Learn to make delightful wind chimes, birdhouses, pitchers, flower pots & decorative figures
Covers a variety of color media, including colored pencils, watercolor, acrylics, oils, pastels, gel pens, & more
Explains all the gourd basics including selection, cleaning, cutting, shaping, surface prep, transferring designs, & finishing
Crafting with Gourds will teach you an amazing array of techniques for creating unique and attractive décor! This complete artist’s guide to gourd crafting provides useful tips & techniques on a wide range of color media, from craft acrylics and artist’s oils to pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, gel pens, and more.
Braided Raffia Gourd Rim
This step-by-step Autumn Bird Nest Gourd project focuses on a simple braided raffia rim that you can use for your gourd art.
Free online gourd art projects
Wood Spirit Gourd Mask
Some hot glue, copper foil, electric wires, vintage and damaged jewelry pieces, some thick cotton yarn, and a pair of old glasses quickly turned a practice gourd scrap into an Urban Warrior Gourd Art Mask.
Wood Spirit Gourd Pencil Jar
This Wood Spirit Colored Pencil Gourd is worked along the same technique as our free online gourd art project, Wood Spirit Gourd Mask, an in depth tutorial that will take you through all of the steps to create your own acrylic paint and colored pencil face painting.
What happens when you unite the joy of gourd art crafting, the joy of bright and vibrant colors, and the joy of music? You create this joyous gourd banjo with copper wire strings.
An extra large kettle gourd with some damage around the stem area inspired this fun gourd musical instrument project. While I did not take step-by-step photos … I was too involved in the fun of creation to remember … I will share four easy ‘secrets’ that made the construction quick and accurate.
Wildlife Elk Patterns
Mushroom Spirits
Architectural Icons
