Use Wood-Carving Skills to Whittle a Family Portrait

By Glenn Jacobs
Published on March 1, 1982
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Step 1. The wood is checked for
Step 1. The wood is checked for "carvability."
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The homemade gouge and short-bladed whittling knife used to carve the following examples.
The homemade gouge and short-bladed whittling knife used to carve the following examples.
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Step 2. The tracing has been transferred to the wood block with carbon paper.
Step 2. The tracing has been transferred to the wood block with carbon paper.
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Step 3. The background is being gouged away to show the outlines.
Step 3. The background is being gouged away to show the outlines.
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Step 4. The face has been roughed in.
Step 4. The face has been roughed in.
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Step 5 . Here's the semifinished portrait.
Step 5 . Here's the semifinished portrait.
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The carving has been coated with brown wax shoe polish, which is rubbed in and buffed to a soft glow, then delicately scraped off to achieve highlighting. The finished work can be hung from a wall or propped up.
The carving has been coated with brown wax shoe polish, which is rubbed in and buffed to a soft glow, then delicately scraped off to achieve highlighting. The finished work can be hung from a wall or propped up.

Most people, upon hearing the words “family portrait”, immediately envision a framed photograph or painting. Well, the same terms make me think of handsome, three-dimensional wood carvings that draw the admiring gazes of my friends and customers! Whittling portraits may not be as difficult as you think (although it couldn’t be called easy, on the other hand), and the skill can help you earn extra money while giving you a lot of pleasure.

Begin With a Snapshot

The secret to success in the field of carved portraiture is having a good photograph to work from. Unless you’re a fine artist yourself, you’re likely going to have trouble trying to sketch your family on a rough slab of lumber and have the proportions come out close to right. So get a good snapshot and have it blown up to the size you want. Then trace the main outlines, including a border, on thin paper, and set the tracing aside

Select Suitable Wood

The first place to look for portrait lumber is, of course, in your own scrap pile. Search for a piece of board that’s large enough for the proposed picture. Then check to see whether it’s a good slab to work on: Whittle on a small portion, noting whether the wood can be cut smoothly at an angle to the grain and whether it feels good to carve.

Making the Main Cuts

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