Step-by-step wood carving patterns for beginners

TIPS&TRICKS

Author Christopher Padilla Reading 17 min Views 1.9k. Published by November 22, 2022

Are you still thinking of wood carving as a new hobby, but can’t dare start it? If so, stop hesitating and try it right now! Wood carving is not as complicated as you can think. This awesome hobby is not a great way to express your creativity, but also a good job calming down.

All that you need for a good start is to get the basic wood carving tools and some beginner wood carving projects. Here, we are to share several step-by-step woods carving patterns for beginners.

Contents

1. How do you make a wood carving step by step?
2. How do you transfer patterns to wood carving?
3. What is the easiest thing to carve in wood?
4. What carving tools and other items do you need?
5. Pencil/pen/marker
6. Protective gloves
7. Power tools (optional)
8. What is the easiest wood to carve by hand?
9. What are the best beginner wood carving projects?
10. Wooden spoon
11. Wooden bowl
12. Wooden cat
13. Step-by-step guide
14. Wooden gnome
15. Wooden rabbit
16. Wooden wizard
17. Wooden flower
18. Wood spirit
19. Wooden chopsticks
20. Willow whistle
21. Step-by-step guide
22. Wooden heart
23. Where to use wood carving projects?
24. Final thoughts

Here are some more tools that you need when working on your whittling projects:

Pencil/pen/marker

To transfer your wood carving patterns to the wood chunk, you need a pencil, a pen, or a marker. If you use a printed sample, transfer it to the wood with a help of transfer paper. If you are good at drawing, just do it yourself.

Protective gloves

As carving wood always includes some risk of damage and injury, don’t forget to wear protective gloves before you start working.

Power tools (optional)

As well as the hand tools, you can use electric tools for carving. Some wood carving patterns require certain tools and nozzles to perform the desired shapes.

Tools Used in Relief Wood Carving

Different wood carving techniques require different specialty tool requirements. For a beginner starting, it is difficult to know which tools you will be using. In this case, I recommend getting yourself a basic tool kit that features different tools. As you grow in the craft, you can add to the tools you find more useful.

For a beginner, I strongly recommend the Schaaf Wood Carving Tools 12-pc Chisel Set with Canvas Case.

Budget-Friendly$119.95

Though cheaper than our top pick, this Schaaf Chisel set is great for those looking to get started on a budget. It comes with 12 pieces that are well-made, razor-sharp, and hold an edge. It's hard to beat this chisel set at the price.

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Transferring a Pattern to a Carving Blank

You can trace or transfer your pattern to a carving blank in several ways.

First, you can use graphite paper, which is lightweight and has a waxed graphite coating on one side. The graphite side is placed on the wood when tracing out the pattern. This will result in tracing with medium-gray colored lines. Graphite paper is available in different sizes and can be reused several times.

Second, you can use carbon paper. This has long been used to make copies of typed or written documents. It comes in either dark blue or black color. The trace makes heavy, dark, and bold lines when carbon paper is used. Carbon paper is great for long-term projects because the traced lines hardly fade or rub off after time.

The third method of transferring a pattern is using pencil rubbing. Use a soft number 2 to number six pencil over the back of the pattern. The darker you color the back of the pattern, the darker the trace on the wood will be. Once you are done coloring the back of the pattern, trace it to your wood blank. This method is great because you can erase the back pencil shading and use the pattern for some pyrography work.