Drawing from the ancient art of Asian brush painting, Craig Vandall Stevens introduces a unique form of chip carving to the hobbyist. With clean flowing lines the knife creates delicate images in wood, relying on the play of the grain and light to bring the images to life. These make beautiful wall hangings on their own, or can be used as a decoration on plates boxes, and screens. Craig goes step-by-step through the carving, beginning with an introduction to the tools and the wood. Two projects are included with clear color photographs and concise descriptions of the carving technique. The pattterns are included as is a gallery of variations and applications.

Working as a part time wood carver at the Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Larry Green often has the opportunity to demonstrate carving to visitors from around the nation. hardly a day goes by without at least one visitor asking, "Why carve shoes?" The main reason, according to Larry, is the challenge of transforming a block of wood into a boot or shoe, giving it a unique design, character and personality. The shoes become works of art to which most people can relate. With step-by-step, color illustrated instructions, Larry gets the reader started on the "right foot." Five boot and shoe projects are described in detail, including a baby shoe, a work book, a cowboy boot, a "Storm" boot, and a ski boot. A gallery includes several other styles, including the Old Lady in the Shoe's shoe.

Following the success of their first book, Sculpting Traditional Bowls, Rip and Tammi Mann bring this new book to those who love this ancient craft. With step-by-step, fully illustrated instructions they lead the craftsperson to a beautiful handhewn octagonal bowl. In the gallery are a variety of contemporary bowls that can be made using the same techniques, though some will require the skill that comes from experience. They include octagonal bowls, bowls in the shapes of states, and bowls with natural exteriors. Rip and Tammi use only hand tools, the bowl adze, a bowl shave and a carver's hook. They begin with a blank and conclude with an oil finish process that makes the bowls beautiful and perfectly safe for use with food. Each step is illustrated in color, with a complete description of design and technique concerns. Both the beginner and the experienced woodworker will enjoy the creation of these functional, beautiful pieces.

Here's a heavenly project, filled with delightful, though sometimes impish, angels. Al Streetman's reputation as a caricature carver and teacher has grown with his increasing library of books. Here he provides enough patterns for a heavenly host, with step-by-step instructions about carving, painting, and antiquing. This is the perfect book for the new carver looking for the wisdom of experience and for the veteran carver seeking some new ideas and techniques. The results are angels that are at home any time of the year, but especially at the Christmas holiday. They make perfect gifts and, for those who sell their craft, they draw people to the table in droves. This is a book that will be much used and long loved. Enjoy!

This new book by Pam Gresham explores the wealth of design motifs developed by the German immigrants to Pennsylvania. These Pennsylvania "Dutch" designs are perfect for the medium of chip carving. Flowing lines combine with geometrical forms to create delightful and challenging patterns for the chip carver. Pam applies a variety the designs to a "Wilkom" plaque and a beautiful bible box. She leads the reader step-by-step through the process of chip carving each of these creations. In addition there is a gallery where the Pennsylvania Dutch designs are applied to other objects with wonderful results. For chip carvers who are familiar with Pam's other books, this is a welcome addition. For those new to chip carving, this new book will inspire and guide you through the process of this delightful craft.

The 1985 and 1986 Ward Foundation World Championship Carving Competition bird sculptures are documented in this large and profusely illustrated volume. The Best in World title is bestowed each year to bird carvings in the Decorative Lifesize, Floating Pairs, and Miniatures categories. This book beautifully presents the winners and competition entries through color photography and a supporting text that identifies and personalizes the artist-carvers. While wildfowl art has grown to be an enormously popular field in the last ten years, the competition for Best in World has become keen and supports professional, amateur and novice categories. The results of a year-long effort to compete for this title are truly staggering. You will see inspired and original art, and the underlying reverence for nature's art that these people share.

Step-by-step instructions for carving an amusing golfing figure from wood, painting it, and displaying it. Full of original personality and a spark of wit, the design will delight all who encounter it. Other patterns make up a foursome, with a color gallery illustrating all.

Wherever you are in America you see the influence of the Cape Cod sign. The incised carved letters glistening with gold leaf make a warm invitation to home or business. The decorative carved shells or scrolls reveal the carver's art. Among the most respected and talented carvers is Paul White of E. Sandwich, Massachusetts. He has received national recognition in both the carving and sign-making worlds, and has taught hundreds of students over the years. In this wonderful new book he takes the reader step-by-step through the process of carving a quarterboard, beginning with the layout of the letters and pattern, and continuing through the gilding. A complete alphabet is included so you can create your own sign. There is also a gallery to help the carver develop his or her own design. Each step is illustrated in full color, with concise instructions that make this an invaluable book for both the novice and experienced carver.

The 16th century bronze plaques from the kingdom of Benin are among the most recognized masterpieces of African art, and yet many details of their commission and installation in the palace in Benin City, Nigeria, are little understood. The Benin Plaques, A 16th Century Imperial Monument is a detailed analysis of a corpus of nearly 850 bronze plaques that were installed in the court of the Benin kingdom at the moment of its greatest political power and geographic reach. By examining European accounts, Benin oral histories, and the physical evidence of the extant plaques, Gunsch is the first to propose an installation pattern for the series.

Tom Wolfe goes back to basics. With easy to follow, step-by-step instructions, Tom helps the novice carver bring life to a block of wood. With a single knife Tom carves a relining country figure and teaches the basic methods of woodcarving. Each cut is illustrated with a full-color photograph, an important visual aid to learning this fun craft. These projects are simple and fun. The new carver will find that the mysteries of this art quickly disappear and that they can quickly learn the skills they need to create a nice piece of art.

Tall tales, local legends, and personal ruminations are transformed into folk figures by Frank Russell. Follow his detailed instructions with photographs and project plans to create nine delightful folk figures in wood. Accompanying the stories and projects are comprehensive instructions for carving small details of hands, feet, clothing and shoes. Frank introduces the reader to the power tools, techniques, and painting schemes required to create these characters in wood. Many hours of challenges and enjoyment for carvers at all skill levels are to be found in this text.

The patterns of the Southwest have delighted tourists and art lovers for hundreds of years. In this new book by Pam Gresham they are incorporated into the art of chip carving, a marriage that works beautifully! Pam gives the carver many patterns and ideas, while helping them carry out the techniques of layout and execution. The intricacy of the geometric patterns are pleasing to the eye and give the carver a real sense of accomplishment. Each step is illustrated with a color photograph, every project is accompanied by accurate drawings to assist you in laying out the pattern. A gallery of finished projects gives the carver some idea of the limitless possibilities.

Few decorative crafts can claim to be more ancient than stone carving, with the earliest carved objects being dated well into prehistory. The greatest monuments to human civilization, from the temples of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the great cathedrals of Medieval Europe, are richly ornamented with decorative relief and sculpture carved in stone. Alan Micklethwaite, a stone carver with many years' experience in the conservation of historic monuments and sculpture, introduces the reader to the techniques and methodology of restoration stone carving, from simple relief to complex sculpture in the round, set against a sound conservation philosophy. The book provides a thorough understanding of stone as a material and describes its use in sculpture and the agents of its decay, as well as the method by which disfigured carvings can be forensically reconstructed, resulting in the re-emergence of beautifully carved historic architectural sculpture. The book is intended as a detailed introduction to restoration stone carving, and is aimed at those who are learning to carve stone or have an interest in pursuing a career in the conservation of stone sculpture and ancient monuments. While having a depth of detail which will allow it to serve as a reference manual for the professional, it will also inspire the beginner and fuel the interest of those who harbour a desire to pursue traditional crafts.

Literally a classroom-in-a-book, this engaging volume enables virtually anyone with a band saw, rotary power tool and a few of the most common cutting burrs to bring birds, fish, and even penguins to life beautifully! Professional artist-woodcarver Gene Larson demonstrates in words and pictures why he concentrates on simplicity of form, and how even a beginner can use a block of wood the way a sculptor would use a piece of marble. With a unique ability to reduce a complicated subject to its most basic components, Gene provides step-by-step guidance (from the wood block up) on the creation of shapes that have the look and "feel" of great works of art. Beginning with the selection of the right wood, stressing the simplicity that conveys and impression of so much more, and ending with a proper finish. Gene shows you how to create works he calls "sketches in wood." You and your friends will surely call them works of art.

Join the thousands of paperfolders woldwide who enjoy this marvelous pastime.

With clear, concise instructions and 345 detailed photos, Ron Hampton takes the reader through every step required to turn and finish wooden works of art on the mini-lathe. Eight separate projects are turned and finished here, including a cherry goblet, several mushrooms, a turquoise bowl inlay, potpourri pot, leather Indian pot, stone bowl, Hawaiian bowl, and an ornamental bird house. A gallery of other designs is provided for inspiration. Every tool required is listed and explained along with a variety of tool rests. Tool sharpening techniques are discussed and valuable safety tips are provided. This book is perfect for the beginning and intermediate wood turner and will provide valuable ideas for those more advanced.

Tom Wolfe brings together two of his great loves in this new book: the love of wood carving and the love of a good cigar. While there is much ado about cigars today, Tom has been an aficionado for many years. Now he brings his carving skill to that all important piece of equipment for the serious cigar smoker, the humidor. From a caricature Texas Troubadour Humidor to a simply elegant decoy humidor, Tom opens a new range of carving for both novice and experienced carvers. The results are useful objects that catch the eye and the imagination. They will look good on the mantel, and even better on the carver's table at the local carving show. An amply illustrated gallery and many patterns make this book a vital addition to your carving book collection.

Step-by-step instructions show woodturners how to make small decorative magnets, bolo tie slides with matching earrings, switch knobs that attach to lamps, and handy little brushes. Dick illustrates techniques for holding your work piece, the use of concentric and offset inlays, and how to add embellishments like beads, contours, chatterwork, and captive rings. These are small projects that are big on fun and flair.

What carver's Christmas is complete without a nicely carved Santa? In this new book Tom Wolfe leads the carver through the process of creating a beautiful Santa ornament for the tree or to be displayed on a stand. A basic understanding of carving techniques is all that is needed to follow this fully-illustrated step-by-step instructions. As always Tom is happy to offer the tips and wisdom of many years of professional carving. The project covered in the book is a traditional Santa's head along with a sculpted stand from which to hang it. In the back are many other examples, from the saintly Nicholas to a fanciful "Banana Santa." All in all this is book will bring delight to carvers and those who see their work.

In this wonderful new book an old tradition is shared with today's carvers. Helen Gibson, a new author at Schiffer Publishing, teaches woodcarving at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. The patterns for the creche she carves have been part of the tradition of the school for so long that no one is quite sure of their origins. Carving them is a community effort, with different carvers having different specialties. Helen takes the reader step-by-step through the delicate carving process of one of the figures, with clear color photography illustrating each technique. Patterns and complete views for the Mary, Joseph, three Wisemen, three Shepherds, and the baby in the manager are included. Helen started carving when she was in about the fifth grade. She now lives and works at the school in Brasstown, North Carolina.

Beneath the original Venetian glass and rosewood case at La Specola in Florence lies Clemente Susini's Anatomical Venus (c. 1790), a perfect object whose luxuriously bizarre existence challenges belief. It - or, better, she - was conceived of as a means to teach human anatomy without need for constant dissection, which was messy, ethically fraught and subject to quick decay. This life-sized wax woman is adorned with glass eyes and human hair and can be dismembered into dozens of parts revealing, at the final remove, a beatific foetus curled in her womb. Sister models soon appeared throughout Europe, where they not only instructed the specialist students, but also delighted the general public. Deftly crafted dissectable female wax models and slashed beauties of the world's anatomy museums and fairgrounds of the 18th and 19th centuries take centre stage in this disquieting volume. Since their creation in late 18th-century Florence, these wax women have seduced, intrigued and amazed. Today, they also confound, troubling the edges of our neat categorical divides: life and death, science and art, body and soul, effigy and pedagogy, spectacle and education, kitsch and art. Incisive commentary and captivating imagery reveal the evolution of these enigmatic sculptures from wax effigy to fetish figure and the embodiment of the uncanny.

A comprehensive survey of the intriguing misericord carvings, setting them in their religious context and looking at their different themes and motifs. Misericord carvings present a fascinating corpus of medieval art which, in turn, complements our knowledge of life and belief in the late middle ages. Subjects range from the sacred to the profane and from the fantastic to the everyday, seemingly giving equal weight to the scatological and the spiritual alike. Focusing specifically on England - though with cognisance of broader European contexts - this volume offers an analysis of misericords in relation to other cultural artefacts of the period. Through a series of themed "case studies", the book places misericords firmly within the doctrinal and devotional milieu in which they were created and sited, arguing that even the apparently coarse images to be found beneath choir stalls are intimately linked to the devotional life of the medieval English Church. The analysis is complemented by a gazetteer of the most notable instances. Paul Hardwick isProfessor in English, Leeds Trinity University College.

When is a fetish not a fetish? Find out in this celebration of the most misunderstood genre of Southwestern Indian carvings. From Beast Gods to Directional Guardian Spirits, this book explores the magic and mystery behind the charismatic, mostly stone, animal figures (or fetishes) skillfully carved by artists from Southwestern Pueblos. Enthusiasts will delight in the hundreds of full-color photographs. Pictures and text highlight the impressive variety of forms, materials, and traditional and contemporary styles available to collectors. This book discusses the symbolic meanings associated with these figures and explains how they are "borrowed" for use by members of non-Native American cultures. A newly revised price guide is included to help collectors orient themselves to current market values.

Love working with gourds, but hate all the dust? This new book offers an alternative technique. Step-by-step instructions, along with 176 color photographs, show how to chip and chisel a gourd into a decorative piece for the house or outside. Best of all, only basic, simple tools are needed; no electric cords, no noise, no dust. Create a stunning array of bowls, birdhouses, and ornaments. A gallery of 16 color photographs provides ideas for your own creations. Chip-carving on Gourds is a gentle, relaxing handcraft that any beginner or seasoned gourd crafter can learn and enjoy.

A method of study that will allow the beginner to learn the fundamentals of chip carving, and help the more advanced carver to hone their skills. The ordered exercises will build your skill and knowledge of chip carving, beginning with the most basic cuts and following through to the most difficult. This book studies in depth the fundamental techniques of chip carving. It progresses from the easiest to the hardest cuts. It includes designs and projects after each exercise, helping to keep the reader enthusiastic throughout the learning process. This is a book that really gets down to the basics. People want to know exactly how to execute each cut and they need a reference book to turn to when they are having difficulty with a certain type of cut. This is the book!