Tiny Whittling: More Than 20 Projects to Make

by Steve Tomashek

Overview

A hip beginner’s guide to one of the world’s most relaxing, inexpensive, and rewarding hobbies, this handbook puts a modern spin on an ancient craft by teaching readers how to whittle whimsical miniature creatures. With just a sharp knife, a little practice, and the tiniest block of wood, anyone can make a charming carving in less than an hour. Led by an award-winning carver and artist, this manual takes readers through the basics, demonstrating how to carve root vegetables in order to minimize the danger of accidents; readers will create a simple turnip bear or a carrot mouse. As confidence builds, readers graduate to wood, and work through step-by-step instructions accompanied by photographs, enjoying increasingly polished results as they refine their technique. It includes easy-to-use templates and sources for tools and materials, readers will learn how to sand, paint, and decorate their tiny carvings, eventually creating a fox, an owl, a horse, a hen, and even a forest or farmyard setting for their miniature menagerie.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613744963
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/01/2012
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	635,122
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Steve Tomashek is an artist, photographer, and master carver of miniatures. He is the author of the website Miniature Menagerie, which features animated films of his whittling and his collection of wooden animals. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

About the Artist 7

Chapter 1 Getting Started 8

Carving Materials 10

Knives & Sharpening 12

Carving Overview 14

From Drawing to Sanding 16

Painting Basics 18

Painting Techniques 20

Chapter 2 Practice Projects 22

Project 1 Carving a Soap Ducky 24

Project 2 Carving a Turnip Bear 28

Project 3 Carving a Carrot Rabbit 32

Chapter 3 Beginner Projects 36

Project 4 Crested Bird 38

Project 5 Songbird 42

Project 6 Woodpecker 46

Chapter 4 Intermediate Projects 50

Project 7 Dog 52

Project 8 Cat 56

Project 9 Snowman 60

Project 10 Easter Bunny 64

Chapter 5 Advanced Projects 68

Project 11 Fox 70

Project 12 Mouse 74

Project 13 Owl 78

Project 14 Squirrel 82

Project 15 Creating a Forest Setting 84

Project 16 Pig 88

Project 17 Cow 92

Project 18 Hen 96

Project 19 Chicks 98

Project 20 Horse 100

Project 21 Creating a Farmyard Setting 104

Further Ideas 108

Resources & Further Information 110

Acknowledgments 111

Index 112

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A comprehensive book on a tiny subject"—Publishers Weekly

"There aren’t many beginner whittling books around, and the fun projects and straightforward instructions make this a good purchase for woodworking collections."—Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

Just the word “whittling”’ conjures images of Jed Clampett whittlin’ on the porch in a Beverly Hillbillies rerun. But this is not your ol’ country boy DIY, as Tomashek, who runs the Web site Miniature Menagerie, takes a new generation through the basics of carving materials and on to more complicated projects, leading the novice through Ivory soap ducks to old ivory piano key creations. Along the way, he shows how to “cheat” on the hard stuff (like using a glued-on grapevine runner for a pig’s tail). The author, fond of polka-dotted animals, explains how to paint those spots, borrowing from aboriginal bark paintings, as well as showing how to make lines and gradations, and how to use scale in both painting and carving, with examples of what to expect from various wood grains. Color photos (350 of them) bring both tiny forest and barnyard to life, and detailed safety tips, plus drawing and sanding instructions right down to making Mr. Fox’s tricky tail round off a comprehensive book on a tiny subject. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"A comprehensive book on a tiny subject"—Publishers Weekly



"There aren’t many beginner whittling books around, and the fun projects and straightforward instructions make this a good purchase for woodworking collections."—Library Journal

From the Publisher

Tomashek teaches novices the basics of carving wood by hand with this accessible introduction to whittling. The three simplest projects, a duck, a bear, and a rabbit, are carved from soap or vegetables with household paring knives, allowing beginners to get a feel for carving without investing money in wood or other supplies. The rest of the projects are presented in order of difficulty and range from beginner-friendly songbirds to more complex animals such as a cow and a hen. Step-by-step directions and full-color photographs of the finished animals are included. VERDICT There aren't many beginner whittling books around, and the fun projects and straightforward instructions make this a good purchase for woodworking collections.

Library Journal