Product Description
A tribute and instructional introduction to the woodcraft of North American hoboes and tramps. A gallery of pieces, a selection of hobo poems, historical information and hobo code signs celebrate the spirit of this folk-art heritage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hobo & Tramp Art Carving
This book was a very good read, and had great examples of the style of carvings for the Hobo art. I am very interested in learning about this style. I have been to several exhibits of the art style by Adolph Vandertie and found them exciting and interesting. I was glad to get a book that I could have at hand all the time.

Answered all of my questions
The book answered all of my questioins about tramp art and the methods to create it. Would have been nice to have detailed patterns in it but since there is not much out there on the subject, I am glad for what I have learned. ... Read more

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Premier Professional EditionCarving Watermelon SculpturesFor elegance and drama, borrow the tradition of serving a colorful watermelon sculpture. A well designed, watermelon sculpture will contribute greatly to an air of elegance and style. A great way to personalize and set the theme for your party.Loaded with over 40 artistic culinary designs for carving watermelon sculptures. Therefore, go ahead and add a little passion & craziness to your party! With Lonnie's easy-to-follow instructions and templates, anyone can prepare a watermelon sculpture. * Weddings * Holidays * Special Occasions * Tropical ** Oriental * and More.. ... Read more

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This dramatic period in American history comes to life in the carvings of Tom Wolfe. Union and Confederate soldiers are featured with step-by-step illustrated instructions for carving. One figure is carved all the way through, and patterns are provided for others. ... Read more

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During the early years of the nation, the eagle was adopted as the symbol of America. From that time to this it has been a favorite subject of carvers. It has adorned buildings, signs, furniture, and boats. It has carried banners of E. Pluribus Unum and Happy New Year. And it is cherished still. In this new book Paul White takes the carver through the process of carving a large traditional bald eagle. Beginning with the gluing of the boards and sculpting and ending with a helpful description of gold leafing, Paul explains each step in detail. For those who wish to get right to the carving he also explains the use of commercially prepared blanks. A measured drawing of the project is included, as well as a gallery of variations. A wonderful book for carvers of all abilities. ... Read more

Product Description
Step-by-step directions, accurately detailed illustrations (profile and top view) for painting western tanager, American goldfinch, red-winged blackbird, 13 more. All depicted in life-size top and side views. Tips on selecting brushes and paints and applying colors.
... Read more

Product Description
The native American face has long fascinated artists in every medium. Its strong features and deep character present a challenge and an opportunity for visual expression. In this new book, Terry Kramer offers the wood carver a method for creating realistic native American faces in wood. From layout to finish, Terry takes the carver step-by-step through the process. Each step is illustrated in full color and clearly described. A gallery of several carved faces gives the reader an idea of the variations that are possible, as well as guidelines for future carving projects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

SUPERB CRAFTSMAN
A publication that will answer your questions about face carving thos great faces. Beautiful work by a master and shares his secrets well. ... Read more

Product Description
Comprehensive sourcebook of ideas and designs ranging from simple projects (charms, pendants) to more elaborate objects (stylized birds, caricatures, rocking horse). Over 1,000 illustrations and photographs, plus useful suggestions help beginners and experienced woodworkers create Noah’s ark, nativity scene, masks and hundreds of other items.
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Customer Reviews (3)

intermediate carver's dream book
I was thrilled by the range of styles shown. For someone like me, who has been carving small figural objects(mostly dolls) for a couple of years, this book is a dream come true. Carving styles from all over the world are featured, and techniques for the various styles are discussed. There are small sketches ofhundreds of different motifs and items to inspire and inform. I would not strictly call them patterns, as other reviewers have, but all could be made into patterns with any printer that can blow up small sketches.

I liked thevariety shown. Whether you like bas relief carving, whittled figures, doll house furniture, or toys like jumping jacks, you can find them here.

As other reviewers have noted, thismay not be the best choice for a book to instruct the complete novice, nor did I get the impression ( as others have) that this is the purpose of it. The photos on the front of the book do not depict beginning projects, but intermediate ones, for example.For someone like me, who knows the basics, it's a book full of possibility, which is rare in a world where most craft books offer 20 uninspired projects that only serve to kill my interest, when what I want is to pique it. I found the book in a store today just as they closed. As soon as I left I regretted not buying it so ran home to order one. I can't wait for my copy~!

More advanced than I anticpated.
I thought that a book with this title would have a significant beginners section for a starting whittler, but it doesn't.The book is primarily apattern book with some hints for working the wood and possibly a shorthistory for pattern classifications.A redeeming factor is the patternshave a front and side shot.Complicated patterns, such as a dutch shoewill have exploded details.A nice book if your looking for what to donext.Not a good learning book for beginners.Bill Hampton(billsducks@aol.com)

Not for begginers
I was disappointed in this book because I was hoping this would provide tips for someone with absolutely no experience to get started on. It doesn't do that. Basically, it has a lot of different patterns to use onceyou are already carving. If that's what you're looking for, it might be agood book for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Over 500 black-and-white photographs and illustrations present the techniques for carving hound dogs, raccoons, and a coon hunter as well as their surroundings. Color photographs show the complete painting process and the delight of the finished carvings. ... Read more

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World-renowned author and teacher Ian Norbury offers his extensive experience as an artist and sculptor to provide a thorough reference guide, demonstrating how to accurately and realistically portray the aspects of nude female figures in wood, focussuing particularly on the torso. Includes 2 step-by-step carving projects from start to finish using hundreds of photographs, anatomy sketches, tips and techniques on pattern making, and a gallery of completed works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Another Great Book From Ian Norbury
This is a good reference for those interested in figure carving. It has steps on how to create acurate drawings from photos, an important part of the process. There are anatomy drawings to help in the understanding of what is happening as the figure pose changes. There are actual photos of a model to help relate the anatomical sketches and the working drawings.....a well done presentation!

A formerly frustrated carver

For years, I struggled with sculpting the human form.Occasionally I got lucky and produced something that was "acceptable" but most of the time my carvings could be considered a contemporary distortion of the form-definitely not, what I started out to do.To say the least, my efforts were frustrating.The frustration ended when I purchased two of Mr. Norbury's books, "Carving Classic Female Figures in Wood" and "Carving Classic Female Faces in Wood"

In "Carving Classic Female Figures in Wood" Mr. Norbury explains sculpting the human torso from model to finished work.I was most impressed with his concept of holding things in the square while defining size, points of reference and protrusions before any rounded forming should begin. This helped me to easily maintain proportion.

Also very helpful was Mr. Norbury's plan of attack or sequence of events.This taught me that trying to work the whole project at once was futile.He defines a well-planed method that works.In the final stages, the anatomical drawings with simple explanations were very helpful.I can now go back to my anatomy books with greater understanding.

Finally, the gallery section was most inspirational.Seeing what another can do and armed with basic knowledge, I now have an attainable goal.Thank you Mr. Norbury.

Excellent Book
I sculpt the figure mainly in clay, but I have been thinking about trying woodcarving, so I bought this book to get a look at what was possible in wood.It is a very good presentation of how to create a figure in a carved medium.

The book illustrates the construction of two figures from start to finish - from making reference photos of the model, to roughing, to detailing, to finishing.The photos are clear, copious, in color, and arelarge enough to be easy to see when propped up on the workbench.The text is concise, but adequate.Also included are a number of excellent photos of Mr. Norbury's figure sculpture.

Most of the techniques shown are not really specific to wood, and there is no discussion of tools and technique, which is a bit of a disappointment with respect to my goal of learning about woodcarving.However, that is not really the fault of the author, since this is not intended as book for beginners.

On the plus side, I work mainly constructively in clay, and I hope the technique of working by carving will help me add some new approaches to my sculpture.I think many of the ideas and techniques illustrated will also be applicable to stone.

I'll give the best recommendation I can: based on this book, I plan on buying as many of Mr. Norbury's other books as I can.
... Read more

Product Description
Caricatures demand the same skill and sense of proportion that realistic figures do. This is particularly true of carving heads, which can easily become grotesque looking if certain rules are not followed. With his years of carving, Pete LeClair has developed a sure-fire method for carving great caricature heads. Now he shares it with carvers around the country. He takes the reader step-by-step through the process of carving 33 projects, with each step illustrated with a color photograph and precise caption. A gallery showing the variety that can be achieved by following this method is included in the back. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent book for me...beginner
I like this book A LOT!It gives excellent views of the carving techniques, and the forming of the shavings, which helps you know if you are getting the moves right.Lots of step by step photos...next best thing to video.I have purchased 4 different "how-to" books, and this is the best one of all.

excellent instruction
This is possibly the best instructional book I have ever puchased. It provides clear and logical step-by-step instruction and is illustrated fully with high quality photographic examples of each step. I am a novice carver, but the very first project I did following the instruction in this book was many times better than anything I had ever carved before.I highly reccomend this book for anyone who is having difficulty carving facial features, or for the novice woodcarver.

Edison, Michigan
Excellent book, very informative, well presented with easy to follow step-by-step pictorial instruction.

Well done!

It has its moments
An interesting book with some informative aspects BUT it relies heavily on photographs of the various steps and not all of the photographs are that clear, particularly in terms of proportions and relationships. The model is also different in some photos so some changes are not explained while there is no discussion on the development of caricature designs or types of timber to use and the book assumes some prior knowledge and access to an advanced set of tools. Not one for the beginner and probable fairly basic for the advanced so would suit someone with some experience looking to explore........

Carving aaricature head&faces
very good book was able to carve a caricarture by following the stops in the book ... Read more

Product Description
Songbird Carving is a unique book that can be appreciated on two levels: first, as a step-by-step set of instructions, with exquisite photographs and hand-drawn illustrations covering techniques of carving, texturing, painting and mounting of five songbird projects; second, as a work of art unto itself. The five songbird projects featured are the Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted titmouse, American Goldfinch, House Wren, and Catbird. To complement the instructions there are chapters on tools and supplies, the basics of carving song birds, and the birds habitats. The carefully organized text and clear step-by-step illustrations provided an unsurpassed guide to this form of carving. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very helpful book
My husband liked the book very much and it was helpful. Couldn't wait to use it!!Many pictures made it very helpful.

songbird carving
This was my first effort at carving, and with the excellent help and detailed photos in this book, I was able to create something that I can be proud of. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in carving songbirds.

Best tutorial
I have 25 or more carving books and access to many more.This is easily the best book to own to learn how to carve birds.The author does not hung up on the use of power vs. hand tools.That is left to the student.Each step is clearly explained and shown in clear photos.Buy this book first and jump start your carving hobby.

I love this book!
It just arrived in the mail and I can hardly wait to carve another bird. This book gives the carver just what he needs--patterns from the front and side plus top and bottom views! Lots of black and white photos, but then you get color photos just when you need them--which is when you begin to paint the bird. Plus, I really like the way the birds look. If I can't producea fine looking bird from this book it will not be from lack of direction. This beats just about any other bird carving book I have, and believe me I have bought a lot of them!

Songbird Carving
Rosalyn Daisey's book is a suberb example of how to author a "how to" book. It's top notch in patterns, instructions, and illistrations. You can't go wrong with any of her books. I'm impressed enough to own them all. ... Read more

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An exhibition catalogue of sculpture from public and private collections in New England ... Read more

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A detailed guide to the techniques of woodcarving decoys, using one particular project, the goldeneye duck, to demonstrate the skills and procedures involved. Illustrations detail duck anatomy and feather group patterns. There are chapters on handtool and woodburning (texturing) techniques, and appendices give eye size and colouring of hundreds of birds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent bird carving book for the beginner to intermediate
Mr. Pearce takes readers through an informative discussion of the history of birdcarving and the selection of tools before embarking on the carving process itself. It is easy to read, quite informative, and very helpfulwith clearly outlined steps and pictures. Using primarily a knife andgouges, he takes the reader on a guided tour of how to utilize differentcuts and techniques to "release the bird from the wood". The lastpart of the book is dedicated to painting technique. Once mastered, thereader can purchase the second book in the series which goes over advancedideas. ... Read more

Product Description
The people of the Klamath River region in Northwestern California possess one of the richest carving traditions in Native American art. Today this tradition is undergoing an exciting revival, reaching aesthetic heights not seen in a century. This volume includes a facisimile reprint of a 1930 essay by archaeologist Isabel Kelly, "The Carver's Art of the Indians of Northwestern Califrnia." An extensive introduction to the art by Ira Jacknis is the first substantial writing on this subject in over half a century. It is comprehensive and based on information from the makers and users of these objects, combining a summary of the scholarly literature, archival field notes, museum collections, and observations and interviews with contemporary artists. Photographs show the historic objects in use and a generous sampling of new work. ... Read more

Product Description
The carving of religious figures is a tradition that is thousands of years old. In earlier books Helen Gibson has shared her techniques for carving the nativity and the figure of St. Francis of Asissi. Now she turns her attention to one of the most dramatic figures in religious history: Moses. This strong, authoritative figure lends itself wonderfully to carving. Helen's friend, Harold Enlow, drew the pattern and Helen leads the reader step-by-step through the carving process. Each step is illustrated with a color photograph. The result is a rewarding carving experience and a great deal of enjoyment. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book you'll find clear and concise instruction on how to model figures using colorful polymer clay. With an emphasis on human and animal caricatures and characters, you'll start with a simple ball of clay and finish with a striking work of art. It's easy, creative, and fun. Now everyone can learn to sculpt as author David Kracov demonstrates each step of the way.

o Discover why polymer clay is such a user-friendly medium

o Find out what you need to start modeling right away

o Master rolling, blending, baking, gluing--even using a pasta maker to roll out sheets of uniform thickness

o Use templates to create clothing in clay

o Learn to add realism with detail--those all-important wrinkles, creases, and folds

o Follow along step by step to create 6 wonderfully wacky characters ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

i-clay, Fimo, Plasticine Art
I purchased this book for my daughter, who likes to make
i-clay figures.
It is a very good book, with explanations and photos of how to work with the material.
However, there are only 4 or 5 figures. (I thought there would be more)
They are very complex figures. (not sure it fits a 12 years old child)
Since a new book is very expensive, I decided to buy a used one, and I'm very pleased. It's in great condition.

New Sculpting Book
I first got this book out of the library and now that I've read it, I'm going to buy it. The book demonstrates a cartoonish but not cutesy style of sculpting. I've always wondered how to make that style of eyes and brows and it showed me exactly. Might not be the best book for someone who has never touched clay before but definitely worth reading for anyone with even a little experience.

New Polymer Clay Book on the Market
I recently discoverd this book by David Kracov and had to purchase it to see how close I could come to duplicating his sculpting technique.So far I am very happy with the results, and considering the fact that he uses a clay that I have not used in the past, I consider this a good selling point for his book.I would not recommend this book for someone just getting into clay sculpting as he leaves out some vital information (or so I believe) and some of his instructions are very vague.But if you've learned the basics of sculpting characters from another source or are a natural artist, I think you should be able to glean some very useful design concepts from this book.Mr. Kracov is very talented and I hope he publishes another book soon.I will be watching and waiting for one. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Animal Proportions

For those of us who really need help with getting the relative proportions of animals right, this is the best yet.Unfortunately, the selection of animals is somewhat limited, but if it fits your needs, there is none better.

Don't waste your time
If you wanted a more in depth book, that even addresses how to fire with sculpting clay it is not worth it. If you wanted info or inspiration on free hand sculpting this is not the book.l It uses forms for every thing

Wonderful use of form
This book gives a lot of form to our four-legged animals by showing musculature and how to apply that to the sculpture.Also reviews how they set up the armature for the sculpting and describes the use of "life" in the action.Wonderful reference for the lion, horse, bull, etc.

One of a kind
This book, like Lanteri's other work, offers a depth of instruction and insight that is unmatched in sculpture books. In this volume, Lanteri's genius is focused on the subject of wildlife, and I am certain that you will not find better instruction on this subject for any medium than you will in this book.

A valuable historical perspective but of limited use today
This book presents an interesting dichotomy: on the one hand it is a seminal publication on sculpting and animal anatomy, on the other is is hopelessly out of date rendering some of the information within of questionable value.

Originally published in 1911 (!) Lanteri was a teacher to Rodin, amongst others, and there is a touching letter from him reproduced at the start. I think one should remember reading this the perspective of the writer - a sculptor of the French 19th century style, moreover a sculptor of monuments from this period - which almost by definition demand a fairly clinical approach. The resulting pieces are of undoubted skill, and I personally am a great admirer of this school of representation, but many will find them a bit sterile I suspect.

The book is subdivided into 18 chapters, beginning with introductory remarks on the symbolism of sculptural representations of animals in disparate cultures. The second chapter is over eight pages of text discussing the horse, mentioning breeds, characteristics and other points with comment on form and movement. Chapter III is on the sculpting of a quarter-scale model of a horse, with supporting diagrams and sequential photos. The next chapter is short, concerning proportions and the next is even shorter, on refinement of the model. Chapter VI is titled "Some Special Points" and here we get to the meat (literally!) with over 30 pages of clear anatomical diagrams showing the muscles and skeleton of the horse in plan and side views. Chapter VII is on general principles with quotes from a number of "men of great artistic value" and includes four views of a sculpted anatomical study of the horse showing stunning mastery of form and detail. The next five chapters essentially deal with scaling up the model to full size using a laborious but obviously workable technique called pointing and chapter XIII is on pointing a relief. Chapter XIV discusses sculptural representation of other animals and XV through XVIII deal with sculpting the lion and then the bull, again with detailed anatomical drawings. The final three-part section, on casting in plaster, rounds out the book and here it really shows its age as I believe that modern materials like casting rubbers and alginates have almost completely done away with destructive casting methods (where the original and then the mould are both destroyed to make the final plaster).

The bulk of the information contained within this books is in the text and herein lies another problem: this is a translation from French into English (and Edwardian English to boot) and the text although it has a certain charm can come across as dry, even aloof. Even when the information is of value, and there is a great deal of importance here, it will be difficult in this day and age for the casual reader to sift through and I have a suspicion that without some formal art training, or at least a fair knowledge of anatomy and/or sculpting techniques, it will prove impenetrable.

In summary, for the serious student interested in monumental sculpture, particularly in this historical context, this is a must-have but for the casual reader and those seeking a how-to on sculpting animals I'd give this a skip. For those interested there is a companion book on sculpting the human figure. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more