Hello, this was shared with me... 😱

Published: Sat, 04/30/22

Hi ❗

Before his passing, my uncle Bob would often say after receiving his yearly ornament,

"How do you come up with a new and different pattern every year?"

Last weekend I was briefly telling my brother-in-law how I'm staying busy with MyChipCarving and his reply was very similar to Uncle Bob's.

"New designs and patterns every month. Don't know how you do it."

Bill is a longtime acquaintance, Platinum Member and chip carver, who emailed me last week with this feedback,

"I am bowled over with the designs and patterns you have been coming up with both yourself and others on My Chip Carving in the last couple of years or so! Just the ones in this email would be enough to keep me busy for at least a year. They get more complex and doable as they come on. Beyond my comprehension to imagine from my own creativity . Yet I can see how each could be done because of your teaching and the abilities you have shown.

I'm totally blown away, not JUST by the fact you come up with them but the fact that I can see them and see how doable they are because of my training. That is not to say that they are easy though. Thank you."

I do thank God that He has given me a creative mind and the ability to express my ideas in chip carving. I told my brother-in-law that it's not like everything is brand new, but rather, I take common chip carving elements and combine them in various ways to create unique patterns for various items.

Bill said how they are getting "more complex" and yet they are "doable because of his training...but not to say they are easy".

He tied together some important points when it comes to learning how to chip carve.

Not all chip carving patterns are created for all levels of chip carvers. The patterns in the Quick Start Chip Carving Kit are simple enough that anyone who follows the instructions in the Kit should be able to find success.

The Project-A-Month patterns vary in complexity, but the majority of designs are created with the beginner to intermediate chip carver in mind. Some will feel "more complex" and yet "doable". I'm glad when this happens because it means that your skills are being tested. You'll be forced to concentrate and learn some new techniques. Sometimes it's a good idea to get out a practice board and carve it there first before trying it on your finished project.

When I teach an in-person class, I'll usually have two project patterns for each student to choose from, one easy and one more complex. After going over the basics, I can usually tell which pattern will be best for each student. If the pattern they choose might lead to excess frustration, I'll let them know what I'd suggest and why. Too much frustration can stifle learning and I sure don't what that to happen!

Did you catch this little ditty that Bill said, "...I can see them"

He's talking about visualizing what the pattern will look like when it's carved. This is an important development in the learning process of a chip carver.

Beginning chip carvers will sometimes have the knife angled in the wrong direction. So instead of cutting down to the bottom of the chip they cut away from the bottom in the opposite direction. This is perfectly understandable and it shows that this visualization hasn't taken hold quite yet. Give them a few weeks of practice and they'll start to visualize how the chip will come out before the first cut is made.

And finally, usually the place I reserve for talking about more complex items related to chip carving is during the Live Monthly Webinar. I know that the topics we discuss will not make sense to everyone. But I also know that everyone will grasp something from our discussion. Some will be able to apply a lot of that night's topic and others will grab just one small point will make the webinar well worth their time. And who knows what will come back to them in the future when they run into a problem with a carving.

The carving shown below is one of more complicated chip carving patterns we carved during a Webinar. I've yet to go back and re-carve this pattern, but it sure made an impression on me!

Complex, yet doable!

❓ New Pattern Idea ❓

The other day I noticed a new tissue box that Shelley had tastefully place in our home. Check out the pattern on the box.

Shelley bought this box because the colors appealed to her and matched the surroundings. But the first thing I noticed was the pattern and how it could be CHIP CARVED!

Stay tuned and I think you'll see this Kleenex box design show up on a new project!

🎵 Make Beautiful Music 🎵

I follow regis_carvings on Instagram and he's been working on this unique chip carved design for a while. He's making good progress and I think it's turning out great. Notice how he is combining a lot of commonly chip carved shapes into his design. I think that was a good approach considering the unusual shape of the guitar he had to work with.

Keep your eyes open and you might surprise yourself with the chip carving design possibilities you discover!

❗ Today is the last day for this SALE ❗

New Project on SALE!

I just added these 4 Shapes Refrigerator Magnets, Ornaments to the Store.

The Patterns are already applied AND rare earth magnets are included.

Regular price ~~$20.00~~ SALE price $16.00

Sale ends April 30, 2022.

MORE PICTURES!

NEW Easy-Carry Carving Table Plans AND

Tool Storage Organizer Plans

Bill and I have been working quite a while on plans for a lightweight, adjustable top carving table. After several prototypes we settled on this design.

Here are a few more pictures of the Easy-Carry Carving Table!

When I get more pics of the Tool Storage Organizer I'll be sure to share them with you.

Order here and save 15% when ordering both sets of plans.

(L to R) Adjustable tilting top, foam added to secure knives, Scary Sharp sharpening abrasive strips added underneath the sliding lids! A piece of leather for a strop could also be attached under one of the sliding lids!

(L to R) Secure pivoting top, center section slides out and flips over for transport, strong carrying handle

The Tool Storage Organizer Box is a clever design Bill came up with a while back. It folds up into a box for easy transport and opens up with your organized tools inside OR use it as a display case!

Use it when traveling or when you're carving at home!

Order here and save 15% when ordering both sets of plans.

I'm still wanting your feedback

Could you please let me know which clock(s) you'd purchase?

You'll have to use your imagination to visualize where the chip carving will go on each clock.

SHOP NOW!

Click HERE to read earlier Emails

Sometimes I get to create some non-chip carved items. The owner of the clock shown below commissioned me to make a reproduction of the top section that was missing. He found a picture of what the top looked like and I took it from there. It was fun to give this a go!