Weekend Whittling Projects. Sara Barraclough

      

       Dedication

      To my Grammy and Grampy, my mom, and my little princess.

      To my ancestors who put the love of carving in my blood. And to my fellow carvers who inspire and encourage me every day.

       Sara Barraclough lives in southern Utah with her daughter. She started carving about two years ago to carry on the legacies of her great grandpa and great great grandpa, two Scandinavian master carvers. Find her on Etsy and Instagram @theclevercarver.

      © 2019 by Sara Barraclough and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

      Weekend Whittling Projects is an original work, first published in 2019 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

      Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0103-6

      eISBN 978-1-6076-5929-7

      The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

      To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at FoxChapelPublishing.com.

      We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to

      [email protected].

      For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], with 9781497101036 and Weekend Whittling Projects in the subject line.

       Contents

       Introduction

       Plucky Penguins

       Shrimpy

       Love You Beary Much

       Shelly the Snail

       Introduction

      I am so excited to introduce these four little carving projects! They are designed to be made with just a carving knife and some imagination—no cutouts or power tools, just good ol’ fashioned whittling. There’s plenty of room to add your own flair and personality once you get the general shapes down.

      People who know me know that I carve in my car—A LOT. All of these creatures were created in my car, so all I had were a detail knife and a rough out knife. I like my carvings to be easily transportable, so you can carve one anywhere—from a campsite to a baseball game. Although these are “small” carves, there is plenty of material to take off, so MAKE THOSE CHIPS FLY!

      One of my main goals when carving is to make the end design look nothing like the original block—so don’t be afraid to make deep cuts and take off more material than you might be used to. The projects are meant to be on the “cartoony” side, with exaggerated details and features. With a few strategically placed cuts, you’ll have a myriad of options for little changes and personalization. The #1 goal is to have fun (and maybe impress your friends with a cute little creature)!

       Before You Begin

      I get a lot of questions about painting and antiquing. As a general rule, I water down my paints substantially. It is much easier to add an extra coat of paint than it is to take paint off. Plus, I like to see some of the wood grain when it’s all said and done. I usually follow approximately a 10:1 ratio (10 drops of water to every one healthy drop of acrylic paint).

      I also get many questions on shading/antiquing. I liken it to the peaks and valleys of a mountain range. Mountain peaks are always in the sunlight, so they will look lighter; valleys are shady and dark. The same concept applies to carvings. In the places with deep cuts (under hat brims, arm creases, between pants and shoes, etc.), you want to apply a darker shade of antiquing wax, leaving the high spots alone. Working with the peaks and valleys will add lots of personality and depth to your finished carving.