Editor's note: This deer pattern would make an excellent relief carving as well.
This is a quick and easy project that is perfect for beginning carver or a club carve-in program. The Three Whittle Pigs project is one basic pig pattern that can be modified to create almost any unique design. The three examples shown are just some of the variations that I came up with; use your creativity and dream up your own designs.
As some of you know, I have been known to carve a gnome home or two using cottonwood bark. (You can see some of those on my website: woodakoodashoda com.) On a hot, sunny day in the South, I decided to start a village for wayward and homeless gnomes using basswood. I developed a series of articles that are based on the projects from that village, and here is part one.
I love the simplicity of chip carving. With small projects like these fireplace bellows, I can carve almost anywhere. That comes in handy during the winter months, when it’s a lot easier to carve at the dining room table than it is to heat up my shop. However, I wanted to break away from the highly geometrical designs (such as snowflakes and rosettes) that I commonly use.
