Figure Carving

Figure carving is the most demanding form of wood carving. A fully three-dimensional figure is worked from solid wood. Unlike relief work, the figure can be viewed from all sides and is completely three-dimensional.

For figure carving you need not only carving knives but also gouges in various shapes and sizes. You also need various saws to first cut out the rough shape of the desired motif.

Before starting figure carving, it is worth modelling a clay model first. You can refer back to this throughout the entire work to keep the perspectives in mind.

Before you can begin figure carving, the suitable wood must first be brought to the desired size. Since wet wood is easier to work with, large figures can be roughed out in wet wood before the fine carving.

Further Reading

• Chip Carving
• Relief Carving
• Ornament Carving