Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark: Releasing Whimsical Houses & Woodspirits from Found Wood

This is an amazing book! Gives a lot of good info on carving bark, best kind to get, great artwork to use! Now I’ve got to get to work in the hopes that I can one day be just a fraction of the carver of these men.

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!

It is all about carving mostly bark. I would have liked something more on other forms of wood but it is neat to look at.

Excellent, well-written book with clear, detailed photos.

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.

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 have to admit, I was a little hesitant in ordering this book. I figured that if it didn't meet my expectations I would hive it to my nephew as a reference. What a surprise when I opened it and found some very solid information on the choosing and carving of tree bark. Now I am excited to get out into the woods and see what cool bark I can find and start my own project.

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.

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.

this book is a great introduction to carving whimsical houses. a friend of mine had a copy that i borrowed and he had to beg back so i got smart and purchased my own. no regrets. preferring cottonwood bark, i found this book as a excellent resource to learn basic techniques for doing exactly what it says in the description. even if you want to take a go at beginner carving, this is a great start. can't lose with this guide. the picture is my first ever attempt.

I have procured a large cedar tree trunk and plan to use some of these ideas to sculpt it to hold my old-time mailbox

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.

good info just not enough for the cost