Among the many ways to learn to carve, perhaps the best way is in doing the carving process for one’s self.  At first it may be slow and tedious even challenging at times, but in the end the best and lasting lessons come in the doing.

Of course, it is helpful to take classes in person or on line, read and study carving books and magazines, view instructional videos. participate in carving club meetings or carve with fellow carvers because even in informal carving gatherings there are opportunities for learning. Some learning can also take place through carving aids like study sticks, jigs, stencil patterns and carved Go-Bys to study. Available from instructors or vendors are study sticks that are polymer resin/plastic casting of an originally carved wooden study stick. These are fun to study initially but in the long run are laid aside and soon forgotten. A better and more productive approach would be to carve your own study stick in a learn by doing approach that will have a more lasting effect of having a souvenir.

This tutorial about how to “Carve a Study Stick” is intended to give instructions for one way to carve a study stick with the intention for these step by step instructions to be adapted to fit the individual carver’s approach as an interpretation of this one way to become each carver’s own study stick in design and creation.

The photo above with six progressive steps of the study stick illustrates a basswood stick an inch square and seven inches long. The top portion of three inches is divided in half or each section being and inch and half by an inch square which will be the section in which two heads will be carved.  One head/face will be carved to its basic form in one section and the second section will carve the same basic form and then carve in the details of facial features.  Once completed the two carved head/face sections will be a before and after study of carved head/face examples.

The stick’s bottom portion of four inches will be the setting for the six progressive steps of one way to carved eyes using only knife cuts.  On the back side of the stick will host three progressive steps for carving an ear (to be illustrated in another photo later in this tutorial.)

Illustration A outlines with pencil drawings the divisions of the two head/face sections and the side sections of the bottom section. Illustration B shows the sides were shaped to illustrate the narrowing of the face and the ridge of the nose.  Illustration C shows six pencil lines every half inch angling up to indicate the underneath side of the eye brow.  Illustration D shows notch cuts of two angled cuts meeting at the bottom of the first cut make at the half inch increment pencil lines.  Illustration E shows the three cut triangular cuts made in the top corner of what will be the eye mound beginning at side of the bridge of the nose where it meets the bottom of the eye brow [done at each of the eye brow notch cuts.] Illustration F shows the progression of the eye mound, upper eye lid and eye ball formation.

The next four photos illustrate the making of the three cut triangular cuts to begin opening up the eye mound.

Illustration 1-A shows making the first cut along what would be the side of the nose at the junction of the nose bridge and the eyebrow notch. Illustration 2-B shows the second cut made on the underneath side of eyebrow notch. Illustration 3-C and 3-C*shows the third cut that releases the triangular chip completing the three cut chip process. These three cuts are repeated on all six of the eyebrow notch cuts to be prepared for making the progression of the development of the eye mound, upper eye lid and eye ball as will be illustrated in the next photo.

Progression for forming the eye begins with Illustration 1 with the making of the triangular chip opening.  Illustration 2 begins the formation of the eye mound by making a notch cut (two angular cuts to form a notch) to form the bottom eye lid in which to form the eye mound into a football shape.  In the bottom inside corner of the eye mound carve a little triangular chip for the tear duct. Illustration 3 continues to refine the shape of the eye mound and adds a stop cut beginning in the tear duct triangular chip opening and continuing in an arching direction to be the first cut of the upper eyelid. Illustration 4 begin to shape the eye ball by slicing up to the stop cut of the upper eye lid and smoothing the eye ball to appear lower than the upper eye lid and make a small triangular cut at the outside corner of the eye where the bottom eye lid tucks in and under the upper eye lid. Illustration 5 is a continuation of refining the eye ball, deepening the inside and outside corners of the eye’s triangular chips for better detail.  Illustration 6 shape the area under the lower eye lid of the upper cheek, refine the detail of the upper eye lid and make a small divot in the eye ball under the eye lid to form a pupil and complete the eye pupil by twisting the point of a lead pencil in the divot to add contrast and give definition to the pupil. (Not pictured in this photo, but on the opposite side of nose on Illustration 6 there is a matching eye to be carved [as seen in face on photo that follows.]

The photo below is a review of the sequence in illustrations 1-a; 2-b; 3-c; 4-d. going from the eyebrow notch drawn line, eye brow notches carved, triangular chip opening eye mound and progressive eye carved.

The top section of the Study Stick is where the two heads are carved, one being the Basic Form version and the other being a Detail version of the Basic Form to study in comparison of before and after effect. The photo below illustrates the progression from the square block version in A*, with the second on as B* with partial shaping on to C* and D* with the Basic Form foundation of a face ready for detail carving of facial features to be carved in the second section of the Study Stick.

The photo below will show the top section of six Study Sticks with both the Basic Form head and the Detailed Face in their completed stage.

The Basic Form and Detailed Face carvings illustrate the study feature of the importance of carving the head/face to its Basic Form first to provide a good foundation to receive the detailing effects to complete the carved face. This means that the Basic Form is carved twice as a “Practice make Progress” exercise (which is a study in and of its self) implying that ninety present of carving involves carving the Basic Form and only ten percent is needed for carving the Details.

Carving an Ear is described in three steps beginning with making two notch cuts to form the number “7” for one side of the face and reversing the direction of “7” on the other side of the face. The second step is to round of the corners of “7” to begin shaping it into a half of a heart shape. The tragus is made by making two stab cuts in the shape of a “V” on its side like this > and then make a slicing scoop cut around the outer edge of the > to hollow the ear opening.  Step three is to refine the shape of the inner and outer ear with detailing fine cuts.

This brief tutorial on “Carve a Study Stick” is intended to be a suggested beginning point for a carver to carve a personal Study Stick as a learning by doing exercise to carve using your own style and imagination to create a study stick with your personal touch of creativity. It may be a challenge, but “Challenge is a teacher of unknown lessons,” so “Just Do It” to learn a new lesson that you can do it. The best learning comes in the doing and the more one does the better one will do.