Making Wooden Gifts for Your Girlfriend Tutorial
Stumped on what to get your girlfriend? Worried that ordinary gifts are not creative enough? Then make one with your own hands! Wooden gifts are unique and represent your love. Carve a wooden figure that looks exactly like your girlfriend and record her best outfit! Imagine if you finish this piece and give it to her, it will become a wonderful moment in a birthday or anniversary. This article will bring the process and illustrations of making wooden gifts, and we are sure that smart you will be able to learn it. If you have questions about basic wood carving techniques, please read our previous tutorials.
Step 1: Draw a draft.
Get a photo of your girlfriend as a reference, which will be the basis of your design. Using a rectangular piece of basswood or balsa (basswood is the best choice), draw front and side views on the block. If your photo does not show a side view of the figure, use your imagination, and draw a side view based on realistic figure features.
Step 2: Cut the wood large.
In this step we first saw by side view and redraw the front view. Then saw by front view and fill in the side view. This is an iterative process. When you saw the excess wood according to the side view first, the front view also disappears, so you need to redraw the front view, and vice versa, and repeat this operation. You may ask why I drew the front view in the first place when it will be sawed off along with the excess wood. This is because in the beginning we need to form an overall sense of the piece we want to carve, so don't be too bothered, repeating drafts of paintings and auxiliary lines can be a great help to your carving, it can constantly correct or remind you. In addition, leave a bit of leeway around the edges of the shape while sawing in this step.
Step 3: Cutting the figure into squares.
Generalize the body into square cuts. You must have played with blocks or Legos as a kid, right? Everything is square shaped in Lego. In this step, you are required to visualize the wooden figure as a person made up of squares, such as its legs, arms, and torso are all square shaped. But this doesn't mean that your final piece will be a Lego-like figure, it's only temporary.
Step 4: Transitioning from a square figure to a rounded one.
Cut the square into a circle and chip out the approximate shape. You can either just cut the square a little bit into a rounded shape, or you can deal with it by adding indentations to make the piece look more natural and less dull. For example, in the case of the chest and cuffs of the dress, the deliberate indentations are like the folds on a real dress, making the wooden figure come to life. Of course, this step requires experience, so please practice more.
Step 5: Gradually refine the shape of the figure.
There are not many techniques that can be taught in this step. Based on the current state of your work, please keep refining and adjusting it according to your own ideas. Use the smallest possible carving knife for this step, and do not make large cuts that could ruin your entire piece.
Step 6: In-depth detailing of the figure until it is complete.
You can choose to leave the piece in its original wood color and apply a protective oil. If you want it to be more realistic, you can also hand color it uses water-based paints. Please refer to our previous article for specific coloring methods and tips.
Summarize
This share is about making moderately difficult wooden gifts, and carving the details of a figure's clothes is probably the hardest part for the beginner woodcarver. If you really want to give this gift for your girlfriend on her anniversary or birthday but don't have the confidence to make it yourself, you can place an order from the Custom Figurines collection in our store and contact our customer service via email to communicate your design requirements.
