What you need

• Your desired wood
• Hatchet
• Pencil
• High-quality chisel
• Mallet
• V-carving tool
• Wood stain or paint

You can always choose to use wood that you can find anywhere and bring it home or you can always buy one. You need to start by removing the loose stringy remnants of the bark. Once you will do this one then you will see the white sapwood that can be filled with insect holes.

Some carvers do want to keep theses house as they will add to the overall look. You can use a sharp hatchet to remove the softer sapwood. If you have any tools that can do a better job then you can opt to use it as well.

Once you are able to remove the sapwood then what will remain is a solid wood where you can start carving your own wood spirit. You need to see to it that you will be familiar with the wood that you are working on before you start carving.

Remember that every wood is always different from one another as it will have its own features and qualities. You have to use the qualities that they have to your advantage.

Introduction

The wood spirit face is a favorite wood carving theme. His wild, flowing hair, his long twisted beard, and his exaggerated nose make him an excellent beginner’s carving project. It may be hard to conceive that the human face is a beginner’s level project, but as we work through the simple steps to create the planes of the face, you will discover how simple and adaptable this style of wood carving is.

I am working my wood spirit face as a cane or walking stick topper, as shown in the sample stick to your right. The wood spirit face is carved using a basswood practice stick – 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ x 6″ – then attached to the staff of the stick using a hardwood dowel or all-thread pipe.

Discover the carving tools, bench knives, sanding supplies, and other items you will want in your Beginner’s Wood Carving Tool Kit

This step-by-step free wood carving project is a practice piece. Do not work this project as a ‘finished project’ tutorial, it is meant as a learning, experimenting, and exploring endeavor so that you come away being able to carve any type of Wood Spirit face. Approach this project with the idea of learning the planes of the face, learning how to establish the facial features, and learning how you can adjust this wood carving technique to create your own unique Wood Spirits.

How to Carve a Wood Spirit

Wood spirits are the ones that are believed to rule the forest. They are said it be very elusive and are also rarely seen. If you walk in the forest though, some people will be able to feel the presence. This can happen especially during the night.

The wood spirit is a preceptor of goodwill but can always pour out its wrath on people that have black hearts. An individual who has a good heart though will get the chance to see them.

Once you are able to see a wood support then you will be blessed with good fortune and happiness. If you want to see a wood spirit though, you can always make your own and carve it on wood. If you want to know how then read on this article.

Carving your wood spirit

Step #1

The first thing that you need to do is to draw the brow and approximate the hairline. This one will function as your general guide regardless if there will be a slight movement on your carving in the latter part. You also need to mark the brow and the nice. You can also start to make cuts on the nose.

Image credit: carvingmagazine.com

Step #2

From the position of the brow and the bottom of the nose, you can now slowly develop the face. There are people that can do this without a pattern but if you are still starting out then having one can greatly help. If you are familiar with the features of the face then carving one in the wood will always come naturally.

You should do some practice though once you are still not familiar with it or you can always use a pattern. If you are working on a large wood then you also will need high-quality chisels and mallet.

Image credit: Carving Magazine

Step #3

When you are roughing out the wood spirit using your tools, you always need to step back and look at ever progress that you are making. This will help you determine if everything is going as planned. You can also make adjustments ahead of time once you will be checking in your press once in a while.

Image credit: carvingmagazine.com

Step #4

Once you are able to establish the basic profile then you can now add the details. Do the details on the eyes and the nose. You can start to carve the details using a V-tool. You need to remember nit to make straight cuts using this tool.

Image credit: Carving Services

Doing the finishing touches

Once you are already satisfied with the outcome of your carving then it is now time to do the final touches. You can apply paint, stain or simply use a clear coat to seal your work. Some individuals do love to use paint since they will be able to add more details with the help of different colors.