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.

This pattern book provides over 100 woodcarving patterns and accompanying illustrations for 72 birds, animals, and fish. Each pattern has been used successfully by both Russell and his students to carve stunning figures in wood. While the patterns are the primary focus, general carving instructions for birds, animals, and fish are provided. Guidelines for enhancing the figures produced from these patterns include accurate glass eye placement, construction of wire birds' feet, and texturing techniques. Illustrations detail directional growth for fur, feather shading, and other fine attributes on the many subjects. This is an essential reference for every woodcarver with a passion for wildlife.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bamboo, bemoaned by many as a runaway weed, is treasured in many cultures around the world for its strength, durability, and versatility. This book illustrates ways in which any person capable of using a saw, rasp, screwdriver, and chisel can set about to create beautiful furnishings and useful accessories for the home. Patience, practice, and the application of sharp tools, hot glue, and accurate measurements, promise to enable you to make your own creations. Illustrations and basic instructions for bamboo tables, chairs and seats, bedroom furniture, hall racks and stands, cabinets and bookcases, window blinds, and many other articles are provided, along with a thorough primer on the tools and techniques for working this fast-growing grass. Many designs are inspired by Asian models, very popular in today's decor.

Debbie Barr captures the lighter side of women's daily lives in her carvings, lives filled with triumphs and travails. Debbie takes her readers step-by-step through the process of transforming a block of basswood into a lively caricature with concise instructions, sound advice, and over 250 color illustrations. Once the carving is complete, instructions are also provided for painting the figure. Eight patterns accompany the text. A photographic gallery rounds out the presentation, displaying additional figures sure to provide inspiration and insight to every carver. This book will present satisfying challenges to beginners and will be a joy to the more advanced carvers.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Carving is an area of woodworking that has wide appeal and can start as simply as whittling figures with a pocket knife. Since the cost of entry is so low, many people are willing to give it a try. But some people are put off by the conflicting information about what tools to buy, how to sharpen them, and by the bewildering range of carving styles. This book, with its common-sense approach to tools and sharpening, and its broad survey of the many styles is the perfect introduction for the novice carver. The projects will help the beginner become familiar with the tools and learn skills while trying a variety of carving styles to see which suits him best. The projects range from the traditional to the contemporary and reflect the tastes of today's woodcarvers.

In her book, Sue Waters guides you through the rural landscapes and scenery she knows and loves so well. All of the wood burning tools and techniques necessary to create engaging rural landscapes are detailed within. Working through the five projects provided, you will learn techniques for creating realistic representations of barns with their intricate wood siding, stone walls, rolling meadows and mountainous landscapes. Techniques for even the smallest details of pottery, glass, leaves and grass are included. Full color photographs and step-by-step instructions make exploring and creating these landscapes a joy, even for the novice wood burner. Once you have successfully completed these wood burning projects, you will have the necessary skills and confidence to further explore the rich and varied opportunities for art presented in rural scenes on your own.

Starting with commercially available wooden eggs, Mary Finn shows how to transform them into all kinds of delightful characters, each with a unique personality. Using detailed, step by step instructions and color photography, this book shows how to create both "big headed" and regularly proportioned egg people, carve whole figures or partial figures, and add legs or go without. A list of ten basic steps is applied to each of four projects: a Santa carving, a man in a business suit, a butterfly-catching lady, and an ice hockey player. You will learn how to orient the egg, establish the basic outline, complete details such as eyes, hair, and clothing, and paint the finished project. Carving egg people is the ideal project for people with limited access to saws or other large equipment as well as for those who want an enjoyable "take-along" carving project.