I Tried Wood Carving For 7 Days (as a beginner)

I spent 7 days learning how to wood carve as a complete beginner. My goal was to create 3 different projects, each one more complicated than the last, pushing my skills and my patience, and even making a new friend along the way. By the end, I'll know if this is a hobby I actually enjoy. And maybe you'll know if this is something worth trying yourself. Let's begin. For my first ever wood carving project, I wanted to start with something very simple. Not with a block of wood, but with something that already existed. I got this bowl from a second hand shop and I thought it would be perfect to practice on. The idea was just to add some texture, inspired by these pieces. A simple carved pattern to give it a new life. I started by drawing a guideline around the bowl with a pencil so I have a path to follow. Then I realized I needed a way to hold the bowl steady so I quickly rigged up a little bench hook to keep it in place. Now for the carving tools, I got this carving starter kit, which I hope to use for all 3 projects in this video. Starting out, it was a bit awkward. Just learning how to use this curve shaped carving tool and how much pressure to apply. The wood itself felt pretty dry and was chipping a bit, so I thought maybe I could spray some water on it, hoping it would carve smoother. And no, that did not help at all. Maybe I didn't soak it long enough. But that's what this channel is all about, learning and experimenting. As I kept carving, I noticed it was easier in some areas than others. Turns out it makes a huge difference whether you're going with the grain or against it. When I needed to carve lower on the bowl, I had to get creative and adjust my setup to angle it higher. That's when I started to really understand how much pressure affects each cut. A little too much and it chips. The right amount and it feels almost smooth. At this point, I was actually able to get in the zone and just carve. I'm glad I started with a project like this, simple, forgiving and not overwhelming, compared to the next two projects coming up. While I was carving away, I started thinking about why I wanted to do this in the first place. Back in my 30 day art series, when I tried block printing, I was really intrigued by the idea of carving. The subtractive process, instead of just adding paint or layers on top of a surface, there's something really therapeutic about it. Just carving lines and watching a texture pattern slowly appear. In the end, it's not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty good for my first wood carving project. For my next wood carving project, I wanted to up the difficulty level and test my newly learned techniques and abilities. This time, starting from scratch with a block of walnut wood. I started by sketching an outline of this fun half spoon, half spatula shaped utensil. At first, I thought I could just start carving the block, but I realized it would take way too long doing it this way. So I brought it outside to do a rough cut with a saw. And while I was outside, I made a new little friend. Looks like Ratatouille was shopping for a new utensil for his kitchen. Now carving the center was actually quite tricky at first. Because just like the bowl, picking up a new tool always comes with a learning curve. Figuring out the right angles and the right amount of pressure. But after some flying wood chips and some awkward cuts, I was able to get a hang of it. What surprised me was how addictive and satisfying the carving process became. During breaks, I found myself eager to just get back into carving the spoon. This whole process helped me to notice the small details, and appreciate how much work goes into these handmade pieces that I usually take for granted. But I wasn't done challenging myself after finishing the spoon. I wanted to push myself one step further and try something a little more ambitious. Which led me to carving a real sculpture. Before we dive into the last carving, I want to share how I pick things up faster than just figuring out on my own. I've been watching wood carving lessons on Skillshare, who is also sponsoring today's video. Skillshare has classes from amazing creatives across all fields. These are the carving classes I watched, and they gave me a solid foundation to get started and actually apply the techniques right away. It made the learning curve way less intimidating. What I love about Skillshare is you're not limited to one subject. There are thousands of other creative classes too. Categories like art and illustration, animation, photography, graphic design, productivity, and so much more. Whether you want to try a new hobby, improve a skill, or even build a creative career, you can learn directly from talented people at your own pace. The first 500 people to use the link in my descriptions or scan the QR code will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare. So check it out today, and now let's get back into the final wood carving. For this final piece, I started with a larger piece of basswood. After doing a bit of research, I came to the conclusion that basswood is much softer and easier for beginners. Or so I thought. I cut it down to size outside, and believe it or not, I ran into Ratatouille again. He must have heard the spoon was done and wanted to take it back with him. Now after gluing the pieces together into a block, I sketched out my design. And to really understand the shape, I used a 3D model I found online so I could rotate it and see every angle that needed to be cut. Guess I didn't learn my lesson the first time with the spoon because I thought I could just start carving it by hand right away. But that would have taken way too long. So I brought it to the shop and used a bandsaw to roughly cut out the body shape. Those cuts helped me get a better base to work from, but I could already tell at this point that this piece was going to be much harder than the bowl and the spoon combined. This time, I wasn't just dealing with a simple flat surface. I had to think about curves, volumes, and proportions. And at some point, I was really doubting if I could even pull this off. I realized I didn't cut enough the first time, and had to cut away some larger sections with a bandsaw. I even got the hacksaw out to shave bits and pieces of the underbelly. And at this point, the shape of the whale started to emerge. Once I saw that, my confidence came back and the whale started to come together. But of course, this process wasn't perfect. At some point, I slipped and cut myself. Thankfully, not too bad. The gloves definitely helped. But then came the sanding, which I am not a fan of. And I guess I never had been a fan of it even since my 30 art series days. The sanding took me a full day, and I was ready to throw in a towel at multiple points throughout that process. But looking back, you can really see the difference between the sanded side and the raw carving side. Finally, it was time for the details. The belly lines, the curves. This is what the sculpture needed to feel more complete. And originally, my plan was to stain it and be done with it. But one thing I'm trying to live by is treating every project as an experiment. So I decided to add some color and paint the whale. Also trying out this splattering technique with a toothbrush. And at the end, I decided to switch out that basswood base with a walnut base instead. The same wood as the spoon. And I think it pulled everything together beautifully. From testing techniques on a pre-made bowl to carving a simple spoon to a sculpted whale, all these pieces came out really nice. And I'm proud that I'm able to try something new. Will I do more wood carving? Yes, definitely. But only if I can find a way to avoid the sanding part. And once again, I'm reminded that every piece doesn't need to be perfect. Each one is just another opportunity to learn and enjoy the process. And I think that's what actually keeps me to come back for more projects. Subscribe for more content where I try new pieces, new mediums, and techniques. I'll see you in the next video.