Carving Doesn't Have to Start With Wood

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Isaak loves carving. I actually found this out from my Dad. He had a project he spent hours on at their house.

I decided that our next craft would be carving related. I've seen that you can cut any hard rooted vegetable into half, then carve into it. We decided to give it a try.

Any potato, radish, or rutabaga will work!

You say, "Potato".

I say, "Sweet Potato".

The boys hate sweet potatoes. Say what? I love them. Isaak dislikes them so much so, that he didn't want to carve into one. I said, "You're not eating it. If you hate it so much I'd think you'd want to carve into it. Then you don't have to eat it." He said, "Ok then!" Ha!

Parent: Cut really straight! It's going to be a stamp. If the kid starts carving, messes up, you can just cut off the area they were carving straight again. They can just start over.

Have some wood carving tools handy!

Cutting into a vegetable is softer than other things like linoleum or wood. There is less give. Even though it's easier to carve into, it's a little more slippery. It's best to have a simple design. Isaak started out with a really complex design that we had to cut off because it just wasn't working.

He ended up with a triangle on one side, and a heart on the other.

It's a good idea to mix your paint. We went with a red because of the heart. Paint it on the stamp flat with a brush, foam brush, or foam roller. Don't over do the paint!  

Have your paper flat, and ready to stamp on. You can use colored paper to stamp on to get different results.

Heart Stamp

Good to remember this one for homemade Valentines if you get into doing that. I could also see using a stamp to make your own wrapping paper.

Triangle Stamp

With the triangle one I said to Isaak, "You should make the triangles into different things." He used colored pencils to add to the stamp.

He made a pizza:

He made an ice cream cone:

He made a tipi:

We didn't keep Isaak's stamps, but if you'd like to you can store them in the refrigerator for short term use, or freezer for long term use.

Have you ever make a carving of any kind? What would you carve into a rooted vegetable? I think I'd go with chevron stripes.

Beginner's Carving Tool Set Review

I'm to find new things for my kids to try out. It's so important to me to have them be exposed to now things often. Recently I was sent a Beginner's Carving Tool Set to review. 

It's a 12 piece set. Each tool has a different tip:

• Deep Gouge
• Medium Gouge
• Shallow Gouge
• Narrow Straight Chisel
• Wide Straight Chisel
• Rounded Chisel
• 4 Angled Knives /Chisels
• Parting Tool
• Pinpoint Tool

Here are photos of each and every tool in the kit:

These do seem great. I haven't carved in years. Mica started out trying to push down too much. It was like he was trying to use the tools like they were drill bits. I showed him how to carve, and to always carve away from yourself.

He figured it out. He didn't stick with it as much as I wanted him to. At least he knows how. I want to get Isaak to try. He's almost 8, but still will need supervision. He's more of my art lover though. Mica can be good at art, but he looses interest really fast.

I like that this set comes with the tips fixated to the handle. I really don't like the idea of my kids thinking that they can change tips, and possibly cut themselves.

This is perfect for beginners, someone that wants to take it up as a hobby, or if you have a certain project in mind that this can be used on. It's not really for professionals that carve all the time. You can use them for carving projects with stencils and patterns, touching up antique furniture, any miniature or micro models, spoons, bowls, box or animals, such as eagles, fish, bears or even elephants.

This set comes with the free ebook to get you started:

Materials:

Works on linoleum, clay sculpture and soapstone too. You can even cut a potato 1/2 way, and carve into that.

Use as a set or as accessories to your tool chest.

Have you ever done a wood carving before?

Disclaimer: I received this tool set for free for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine.