Wood Spirit Carving

Carving the Wood Spirit Face

By L.S. Irish

For carvers, the Wood Spirit is a wonderful theme to use for experimentation with new techniques and image ideas. These delightful little creatures come in an unlimited variety of shapes, styles, and forms. You will find Wood Spirits used as cane handle ornamentation, free standing statues, and even wall hanging.

Wood Spirits combine the human face and nature into one image. Flowing hair may turn into autumn leaves, or a beard may blend into the texture of the tree bark. The physical features of the face become exaggerated. Noses can be long and narrow taking up over three fourths of the facial area or they may be broad and flat, spanning deeply toward the cheek and jaw line. Eye brows can arch high into the forehead and become willow leaves.

The only limitations that can be placed on the creativity within a Wood Spirit is our own imaginations.

As a beginning wood carver this theme is an excellent project with which to practice your new hobby skills.
To start you off in wood spirit carving
we have a free pattern
The Braided Bearded Man

 

Carving the Wood Spirit Face

Wood Spirit General Instructions, Part One

Wood Spirit General Instructions, Part Two

Wood Spirit General Instructions, Part Three

Wood Spirit General Instructions, Part Four

Seven Wood Spirits and Greenmen, at Art Designs Studio, make up this Large Pattern Package. Each is shown as outline patterns for both front facing and profile carving of the face. This package also includes the detailed pencil drawings for each outline pattern. That’s fourteen patterns with fourteen matching drawings! Great for Wood Burning!

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  • I'm starting out carving I use carving knives as I can't get used to chisels can you give me some advice on which wood is best to start I've tried plywood but soon worked out that the layers are hard to judge depth I got oak for my pyrography but that's hard balsa just to thin, so any advice would be greatly appreciated

    • Hi Richard, You should start with basswood which is classified as a hardwood species but is soft and easy to cut. Go to Ebay.com and put in the search string 'carving wood' or 'carving blocks'. As you skills grow you can move onto other carving woods as mahogany, maple, and cedar.