Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark: Releasing Woodspirits and Whimsical Dwellings in Found Wood

Learn the specialized technique of carving figures in tree bark!

• Complete step-by-step instructions for carving a whimsical house and tree
• Expert advice on painting and finishing
• Tips & techniques for cutting cross-grain, carving soft areas, bark carving tools, glues, and more
• Inspirational gallery of finished pieces to jump start your creativity

In medieval times, shepherd peasants believed that a spirit dwelled deep within each tree. If a shepherd carved a face into the wood, the spirit would be released, bringing good luck to the carver.

Award-winning carver Rick Jensen — with the help of carver/photographer Jack A. Williams — will help you release the inner spirit from tree bark in this instructional book. The natural beauty found in a piece of weathered cottonwood bark provides inspiration and direction to create something new and original each time!

Inside Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark, you'll learn the specialized technique of carving figures in tree bark. You'll find step-by-step photos for carving a whimsical house and a tree, plus detailed advice on painting and finishing your carvings.

Learn from the artist how to sketch out your ideas before carving or follow along with a series of detailed patterns of a variety of wood spirits. You'll be guided through each step of the finishing process to gain a soft, touchable finish by using a unique combination of lacquers, waxes, shoe polish, and paint.

Included is a complete guide to the various species of cottonwood bark and their particular carving characteristics — plus tips on the best tools to use, and where to find your supplies.

A step-by-step carving project of a magical tree house is included along with a beautiful gallery including wood spirits, animals, whimsical tree houses, and much more.

When you carve tree bark, no two projects are exactly alike!

Jack A. Williams is a commercial photographer working from his studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photography was once a hobby for Jack until he discovered he could make a living doing what he enjoyed. He then needed a new hobby, so in 1973 he started woodcarving. His artistic talents have been demonstrated with a third Best of Show in the first National Caricature Carving Competition held at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri; a Best of Show at the Ward Wildfowl Carving Competition in Ocean City, Maryland; Peoples and Carvers Choice and Best of Wood Sculpture at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and Best of Division at the International Woodcarvers Congress in Davenport, Iowa. Jack also won first place in the Flex-Cut Tool Internet Carving Competition in 2001. 2003 marked Jack's 12th year to coordinate the woodcarving show at Dollywood, which hosts The Great Pumpkin Carving Competition, and to coordinate the National Caricature Carving Competition. In 2003, Jack was elected to become a member of the Caricature Carvers of America and is President and one of the founders of the Tennessee Carvers Guild. Jack now spends a great deal of time photographing carvings at shows and for friends, and his photography appears frequently in many magazines on woodcarving and other subjects. Jack is a co-author of Carving Found Wood with Vic Hood and The Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark with Rick Jensen, both published by Fox Chapel Publishing Co., Inc.

Rick Jensen got his first taste of carving growing up along the Missouri River bottoms in North Dakota. His father supplied him with a pocketknife at the age of seven. Whittling on sticks started what would become a lifetime of woodcarving. Other artistic endeavors of Rick's include antler carving, bone carving, and stone carving.