Learn to Carve Gnomes, Trolls, and Mythical Creatures: 15 Simple Step-by-Step Projects

LEARN TO CARVE GNOMES, TROLLS, AND MYTHICAL CREATURES by Sara Barraclough This is a great how-to book, it teaches you how to carve, starting with finding the wood that is most suited to carving. A lot of reviews have claimed that the book is too advanced, for just anyone to pick it up and start carving, I disagree. It specifies that you should probably have a lot of specialty tools, but there is absolutely no reason you can't pick up your favorite knife and begin carving. In fact, the book mentions that you can carve on soapstone and other materials. Depends on what materials you have or what you can get. My idea when I requested the book, was to carve faces or mushrooms onto the handles of my wooden spoons or have someone else do it for me. I appreciate the complimentary copy of #learntocarveglomestrollsandmythicalcreatures from #netgalley I was under no obligation to post a review.

Not For Rank Beginner Carvers, But a Lot of Fun! Don't let the “Learn to Carve” in the title fool you; you need to have some basic knowledge carving or whittling to make these projects. While the author does divide them into beginner, intermediate, and advanced, you would need to have some background in carving and the use of a band saw already to make these a success. But if you are at that stage in your carving and like whimsical, mythical creatures and “people,” the projects in this book look like a lot of fun. Each is broken down into simple steps to follow, with plenty of clear photographs to guide your way to success. The simplest projects are surprisingly detailed and look like more than just beginner-level projects. I especially liked the owl with its tummy feathers and wide-eyed multi-toned face. More advanced projects include gnomes, elves, a unicorn, a dragon, and even an absolutely darling mushroom house. If carving these kinds of mythical creatures and habitats sounds interesting to you, you will most likely enjoy this book. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.