Carving Fireboy and Watergirl from Wood

Fireboy and Watergirl work well as a pair: their heads take up most of each blank’s width, while the bodies and legs stay small. This project uses basswood and shows the main shaping stages in short animations. The broad forms are simple, with more careful work needed around the legs and the points of the heads.

Prepare two matching blanks

If you have one long piece of basswood, mark its midpoint and cut across it to make two equal-length blanks. The aim is to give both characters the same starting size, not to split the piece lengthwise.

Secure the wood before making the crosscut and keep your supporting hand clear of the saw. Use the saw and workholding guidance to prepare the two blanks.

Draw the heads and bodies

Draw a front view on each blank. Add a centerline to help balance the body and legs. Make each head nearly the full width of its blank, leaving a smaller body beneath it.

The flame-shaped top of Fireboy and the shape of Watergirl’s hair give the pair their different silhouettes. Use the project drawings as references while keeping the overall sizes consistent.

Cut outside the silhouettes

Cut away the waste around the front drawings. In this example, about 2 mm is left beyond the outline for later refinement. Keep the line visible as you establish the rough shape, rather than trying to remove every bit of waste in the first pass.

Set the thickness and round the forms

On a side face, draw a centerline beneath the head. Add a line on either side to locate the body’s thickness, then mark the legs beneath it. Remove the excess outside those guides.

The figures will still have square corners. Pare those corners back gradually to round the heads and bodies. Check from the front and side as you work: the small body should remain centered under the larger head.

Practice the basic whittling cuts before shaping the small body and legs. Keep your holding hand out of the blade’s path, including where the edge could travel after a shaving comes free.

Paint the pair

Paint Fireboy red, leaving the eyes to be filled with yellow. Add the black outlines and mouth afterward with a fine pen or brush.

The companion Watergirl is blue in the finished example, with light eyes and dark outlines. Keep the expressions clear and simple so they fit the rounded faces.