Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark: Releasing Whimsical Houses & Woodspirits from Found Wood (Fox Chapel Publishing) Projects and Step-by-Step for Painting, Finishing, and Creative Techniques

I can't wait for a sequel for this book! The directions are clear, the photo illustrations are detailed and there are many examples of finished works to inspire your own creativity. The very detailed step-by-step demonstration on carving tree bark begins with examining rough bark to determine where your roof line, chimney, steps, etc will be. Specific guidance is given on how to carve roof shingles, doors and windows, how to hollow out the back of the carving, texturing various surfaces into the bark and emphasizing the importance of avoiding drawing straight lines. Cleaning up your carving, the final sanding and finishing techniques are also covered in detail. The book also shows how to make use of natural shapes in the bark and where you can leave rough bark areas to transition from one area in the carving to another. Another demonstration shows how to carve a bark trees from leftover wood. Carving woodspirit faces is lightly covered as are sources for cottonwood bark. FYI, I ordered cottonwood bark from one source (Art Olver) listed in the back of the book. I got amazing 5" thick cottonwood bark from him, carved three whimsical cottages in one piece of wood and won a prize in a local art show. It was so much fun to carve, and frankly, I would not have done it without this book. Definitely an excellent choice if you're looking for a carving book to give to a friend/family member as a gift. Not only does this book inspire a carver to have fun with cottonwood bark, it is an excellent reference book that affected how I carve basswood as well. I'm still getting ideas from it!

I took a bark carving class, and the instructor had this book out for reference. I liked it so much I went home and ordered it. Nothing beats an actual class, but this book is an excellent guide to the process, and is loaded with wonderful photos to help the carver design his or her own creation of wonder and whimsy. Cottonwood bark is an easy carving medium, and I will do more with it in weeks to come. I will keep this book and refer back to it many times in the future, that I know.

Good learning experience well done

Covers this type of wood carving completely. Great instruction and picture guide. Challenge your imagination and add some humor to your carving.

Nice book and I wish there were more like it

This was an excellent primer for carving cottonwood bark. It is highly illustrated with an excellent example of how to carve a whimsical house and pine tree. The author also includes instructions on how to finish the pieces. I was able to carve a pine tree and a whimsical lighthouse from the examples given. I have nothing negative to say about the guide. Every piece of bark is different so there is no way the author could have given more specific examples. But there is enough information so that you can carve your own unique pieces. I highly recommend this guide to anybody who has an interest in carving cottonwood bark.

I learned about this book from a bark carving instructor at the Cherry Riidge woodcarving gathering this past summer. The book is chocked full of helpful ideas and projects. I especially enjoyed the many illustrations for carving windows and doors. More challenging projects like spirit faces are included. Also sources for obtaining cottonwood barkare included.

Great book! Was able to take the concepts being presented and adapt them to the piece of bark I was carving since not all bark is exactly the same. Very easy for a begining woodcarver to understand to start carving bark. I would recommend this book to everyone that wants to learn to carve in this medium.

Very Informative, may tips and tricks. Great photo's and ideas. Great for beginner to advance carving.

Good book for beginners

très belle sculptures sur écosse de bois.

From a beginners point of view I found the book most encouraging and inspiring....even though I did'nt have the exact tools called for. The illustrations were clear and easy to follow, I certainly learnt a great deal.

A good read with some interesting tips for the amateur carver. Even though we cannot get cottonwood bark in the UK I still managed to get some pretty good results from driftwood.