Every carver wants to jump right in carving without the benefit of the time invested in practicing and doing exercises. That is normal and natural until each carver learns that every carving one does is a practice piece, and the steps to complete the carving project are exercises in learning by doing. The WOOD BEE CARVER’S philosophy is: “Would be carvers would be carvers if they would carve wood,” meaning that we only learn by doing (practicing and exercising) the carving process.

Carving eyes usually presents a challenge to every carver (primarily whenever practicing carving eyes has not been pursued.) Carving Eyes only with a knife presents an even more challenging opportunity to learn another way to carve eyes. There is no right way to carve eyes because there are many ways to carve eyes that fit a particular style of carving.

This Whittling Exercise is one way to try, but keep in mind that what ever way one carves eyes the key is to practice and practice and practice until making eyes become second nature. This will take away the challenge and will lead to confidence.

To begin the exercise it is important to begin with a proper foundation and form in which to whittle in eyes. The practice stick can be a square block at least six inches long and either one inch, an inch and a half or two inches square. The form for the face will be laid out on the corner to utilize the ninety degree angle that matches the angle of the face as it goes on either side of the nose to the cheek bones. In other words, the face is not flat but from the nose going out towards the side of the face there is a ninety degree angle.

The face is divided into proportions in the Rule of Three: hair line to eye brow is a third; eye brow to bottom of the nose is a third; bottom of nose to bottom of chin is a third.

The face has angles in that the forehead angles from eye brows up and back under the hair line. The nose angles from its tip up and back under the eye brows. Under the nose there is a mouth mound one third below the nose that angles up and back to under the nose and then angles downward from the upper lip to the chin. In the first photograph the practice stick on the left has four lines drawn across the ninety degree corner to illustrate the divisions of the Rule of Three.

The practice stick on the right has the forehead angled notch carved and the nose angled notch is beginning to be carved. In the middle photograph the initial angled notches are carved showing a profile as well as a front view.

The photograph on the right shows three practice sticks illustrating angled notch cuts on either side of the top of the forehead notch and angled notch cuts on either side of the eye brow notch. Also seen is the mouth mound as it appears in profile and face on.

The exercise thus far has established a good form and foundation for carving in the eyes in several steps of making slicing whittling cuts. As a road map to where the steps will take us, the left photograph has drawn in the first three steps: triangle chip or pie shaped wedge removed at the inside corners of the eyes; notch cuts from inside corner of eye to half of the bottom of the eye mound; and notch cuts to complete the bottom of the eye mound.

The photograph on the left shows the first slicing cut for making a three cut triangle chip wedge beginning where the bridge of the nose meets the eye brow. Notice the angle of the knife as the slice is down the side of the nose angled towards the inner eye area.

Looking at the illustrations in the photographs, the carving will take place on the right while the left of the illustration will have what is to be carved drawn in with a black marker. After each step, the illustration on the left in each photograph will have received the previous step in order to keep up with the visual story line of what is coming next

The second cut illustrated in the middle photograph is following the line of the eye brow ridge slicing from the beginning of the previous cut towards the center of the eye area.

The third cut of the triangle chip or pie shaped wedge, in the photograph on the right is to start a slicing cut at the bottom of the first cut, slicing down to the bottom of where cut one and cut two meet at the bridge of the nose and eye brow and slicing over to the bottom of the second cut.

To begin forming the eye mound a notch cut, which is two angled slicing cuts that meet together to make a “V” trough, is cut from the bottom of the triangle chip over to half of the bottom of the eye mound as is illustrated in the left photograph.The rest of the eye mound is established by making another notch cut from the center of the eye mound area to the outside corner of the eye area as illustrated in the photograph on the right.

Now comes a tricky step in that it involves two procedures, the first being to establish a facet on the eye mound that stands right above the first notch cut or the inside half of the eye mound. Slice down a facet with point of knife slicing slightly below the eye mound notch into the cheek. This sets up the next cut of slicing a cut to smooth the transition for under the eye mound, top of cheek and side of nose as is illustrated by the path of the knife slicing out a curling chip.

The left photograph shows a small three cut triangle chip cut or pie shape wedge removed to establish the tear duct and the very beginning of the upper eye lid. The photograph on the right shows one third of the upper eye lid carved with a slicing stop cut beginning in tear duct, slicing upward at forty five degree angle about one third of the eye mound. The second cut is slicing up to the stop cut beginning at the bottom of the eye mound notch trough and ending at the bottom of the first cut.

The left photograph shows the rest of the upper eye lid carved by making a slicing stop cut from the end of the preceding step at the top of the one third upper eye lid, slicing a stop cut line downward and outward towards the outside corner of the eye. The eye ball is shaped by slicing up to under the upper eye lid beginning where the bottom of eye mound and cheek meet.

The photograph on the right shows the bottom eye lid carved and the eye ball shaped to fit inside the eye lids. The bottom eye lid slicing cut begins in the tear duct, slicing almost straight across to end up under the upper eye lid at the outside corner of the eye. The eye ball is shaped by slicing down to the bottom eye lid stop cut, making the eye appear to be inside the eye lids and not popping out. A small three cut triangle chip is removed from the outside corner of the eye to create a shadow and giving roundness to the eye ball.

The next three photographs show the carving of where the nose nostril meets the smile line which is accomplished by making three cuts like a triangle chip or pie shaped wedge area only with a little curve to the cuts. These cuts will establish the side of the nose nostril, the beginning of the smile line and set the nose back on the face. It should be noted that one half of the nose rests on the dental barrel and the other half stands off the face. It is these three cuts that accomplish all these features.

The photograph on the left shows a curving cut outlining the outside of the nostril and should follow an angle out from the nose towards the cheek to maintain that ninety degree angle shape. The middle photograph shows the second slicing cut to outline the beginning of the smile line. The cut begins at the top of the first cut for the nostril and curves outward to allow room for a mouth barrel shape to fit in the area.

To help determine the distance, it is good to know that the nose nostrils are in line with the inside corners of the eyes and the corners of the mouth are in line with the center of the eye balls. Thus the smile line will be outside these guidelines. The bottom of the nose notch should have the wings of the nostrils sliced at an angle up slightly. Pupils in the eye were carved using the three cut triangle chip procedure. The eye pupil triangle chip creates a shadow giving the appearance of a pupil.

The photograph on the right shows the third cut to complete the pie shaped wedge removal to reveal the nostril, smile line and dental curve for the beginning to shape the mouth area.

The left photograph shows the completed cut to establish this treatment of the juncture of the nose and mouth area.The photograph on the right shows a profile of what has been carved illustrating that the nose sits one half on the face and one half off the face. It also shows the mouth mound. The nostril openings were carved using the three cut triangle chip procedure.

The left photograph shows a line drawn for the opening of the mouth with the corners of the mouth indicated as being in line with the center of the eyes. The smile line has been extended along with the chin to establish the curvature of the jaw area. Having the form carved properly allows for the mouth to be carved so that it looks life like and in proportion.

The right photograph shows the opening of the mouth by first making a slicing stop cut along the line indicating the opening of the lips. This line is the bottom of the upper lip. The second cut is to slice the area below the stop cut up to the stop cut which is setting back what will be the bottom lip. The bottom lip sits back and under the upper lip and does not protrude unless a pouting appearance is intended. Next cut is to do another stop cut retracing the first cut that separates the two lips. The next cut is rounding the bottom lip up into the stop cut to begin to give the bottom lip form.

Three cut triangle chips are made at the corners of the mouth. The upper lip is chamfered by slicing the sharp hard line beginning at the center of the lip and slicing towards the outside corners in both directions.. The bottom lip receives additional shaping by notching under the bottom lip and above chin to form a groove and shaping the bottom lip to go under the upper lip at the corners. The groove between the upper lip and the nose can be made by placing the tip of the blade at the center of the upper lip pointing it toward the nose and while slicing the blade up towards the nose twist it slightly to create a dished out or gouged groove.

These two photographs shows the completed mouth which completes all the practice steps in whittling eyes. The eyes are not complete without having the nose and mouth carved also to give a complete picture. It should be noted that these illustrations are about “practice” and are intended to show the various steps rather than a refined and finished carving of a face. Practice leads to refinement.

All of these steps are applied when doing an actual carving. When the head is carved to form it should have the appearance of a ninety degree angle for the nose and cheeks to fit into and then that form of the head should receive the notch cut treatment for the hairline, eyebrow, nose and chin according to the Rule of Three.

This sets the head up to its proper form ready to receive the details of eyes, nose and mouth carved into the features of the face. All of which becomes easier as one practices these Whittling Exercises.

The photographs above offer examples of how these exercises were applied to actual carvings.

As a review, the next series of photographs show the major steps involved in the exercise of eye carving only with a knife.

It can not be stressed enough to pactice carving as often as possible for the more one carves the greater the opportunity to gain experience, confidence and open the door of creatity in the journey of a lifetime. “May your knife always be sharp and the chips knee high.”

(Additional instructional information about carving eyes and facial details as of 7-9-10 are now available by looking under “BEE HIVE” and clicking on “FACE-EYE STUDY” for a pdf document that can be viewed and printed for the carver’s further study.)