(A basic description of the carvings, materials and methods and pictures of the carvings)

Famous Quotes regarding squirrel carving:

“..The best way to carve an elephant is to take a piece of stone and cut out everything that doesn’t look like an elephant…”(quoted from some old guy)

“..hmmm…something’s not right…there, I’l cut that out….OUCH!!!…” (quoted from the author)

There are several types of carvings: Chip, Low Relief, High Relief, and 3D (in-the-round) carving.

The squirrel carvings are done in-the-round, simply because they are statues.  Other carvings shown are combinations of the different types, for the most part.

As a short tutorial, basic carving requires attention to detail and how the features of the carving relate to one another as other features change.   You can be carving a figure, paying deep attention to the arms and legs, only to realize, too late, that its head is smaller than its hands.   At this point, you either start over, begin a massive gluing process, or redefine your subject (“This is a carving of a hapless squirrel caught in a head-shrinking machine” - perhaps believable if your life is centered around fantasy squirrels, but not for normal people).

In addition, a woodcarver must pay particular attention to the lay of the grain, the imperfections in the wood and differing wood strengths and densities as you progress.   Nature grows trees by a random process, and many things can occur.   Internal splits, knots, pocketknife carvings by some lovestruck teen, survey nails, barbed wire and Druid spirits can inhabit the material.

3D CARVING  The process of planning a 3D squirrel is simple.   First, a front drawing is made and transferred to a side, then back and other side drawing.   These are cut out, lined up and traced on the wood block.   Once carving begins, however, the tracings disappear (they’ve been carved away!) and retracing has to be done.   When several of these re-tracings and re-carvings are done, it becomes time to throw the tracings away and start imagining the carving as you think it should look.

THE MATERIAL  Bass Wood.   Simple as that.   No other wood has the fineness, softness, stability, lack of outstanding grain and overall ease of carving. It sounds and even smells good when you carve it.