Introduces carving tools, materials, and techniques, and offers advice on carving animals, flowers, buildings, masks, portraits, and relief figures.

Whether you're a woodcarver expanding your talents, a seasoned carver refining your skills, or a beginner newly introduced to this fulfilling craft, this is the only carving book you need. Brimming with expert instruction and 8 attractive step-by-step woodcarving projects, you'll learn all the classic carving styles and techniques along with the fundamentals of wood and tool selection, sharpening, creating a workspace, and finishing your completed work. Also included is a complete chapter on power carving.

Full-color, illustrated instructions for learning chip carving, showing how to create borders, rosettes, and lettering.

Includes how-to information.

Book of projects designed to give beginners the experience of work in a wide number of carving styles.

Fun and easy to learn, soap carving is an enjoyable craft for both adults and kids. This comprehensive guide teaches everything from basic carving methods to sophisticated techniques for accomplished artists. Twenty-six projects include simple carvings for beginners as well as complex soap sculptures.

The first step into a new craft can be overwhelming: Where to start? What tools to buy? What projects to begin with? Thanks to author and internationally acclaimed woodcarver Chris Pye, this guide is filled with everything a beginning woodcarver needs to know. Chris Pye's Woodcarving Course & Reference Manual is akin to having a one-on-one course with a master carver. You'll learn what to look for in a workbench, the importance of commissioning your carving tools – there's more to it than just sharpening! – and how to make exacting cuts and execute a variety of techniques. Like any good instructor, Pye includes practice exercises to make you comfortable with the tools and techniques so you can build your skills and carve with confidence. Pye's conversational teaching style will encourage you as you follow the step-by-step instructions and work on a number of motifs, as well as projects for low, high, and pierced relief, and in-the-round. With the help of Chris Pye, you'll learn to carve: four types of molding, a beautiful koi project in three levels of relief carving, a realistic baseball cap in-the-round, and a charming wren in-the-round.