If you've ever wondered what design to carve next or what style of pattern to use to enhance your current woodworking project, Lora Irish's treasury of classic wood patterns is for you. Within its pages, you'll find a vast selection of traditional themes to carve, burn, or paint.

Each design in Classic Carving Patterns is presented as an easy-to-reproduce outline pattern, which can be transferred directly to your project, and as a sharply detailed sketch to guide the carving or shading of the design. Along with the patterns are tips on design composition,...

With this book any carver can stand beside the workbench of acclaimed artist Lora S. Irish and learn everything she has to teach about creating an expressive wood spirit. Lora clearly explains the relief carving process from start to finish: every cut, every tool change, and every depth check. The entire craft is here, from preparing the wood to roughing out and detailing the wood spirit to applying a long-lasting finish. No step is left out and no technique is left unexplained. The author shares her tips for creating realistic and detailed facial features like eyelids, windswept hair,...