Little Owl

The idea of carving a little owl was the result of some memorable encounters with this characterful species of owl. While walking only a short distance from our home in Kent, in an area of mixed trees and grassland they could easily be seen (through the twilight) sitting on top of convenient fence posts, scanning the grass below and in front of them for any insects which took their fancy. When suitably enticed they would swoop down from their posts and attack their chosen prey.

Timber

As I was going to keep the detail to a minimum on this piece, it was a good opportunity to use a block of English walnut that I had been hanging onto for some time. Walnut can have the most beautifully figured grain along with a warm, nutty brown colour. If too much detail were to be carved into this wood, the strong figuring in the grain would conflict with this and the result would be that neither the wood, nor the carefully carved detail, would be shown to their best advantage.

With your own version of the little owl you could use walnut (if you have or can get hold of some) or alternatively you could use most other hardwoods. Some other good examples would be: sweet chestnut, ash, elm, lime, cherry, apple and even mahogany.

Have a look at the video below, use the templates provided along with the image sheets and refer to the written description to help you on your way. Happy carving.

Top Tips

With the smaller carvings it is still very important to consider how the piece is to be held securely during the carving process. Leave a “tab” of wood attached to the carving that can be held in a clamp which is removed after the bulk of the work has been done.

Keep tool marks as clean and sharp as possible. This cuts down on time consuming and “detail obliterating” sanding with coarse abrasives.

When using a scalpel take great care during use as there can be a tendency (during periods of high concentration) for the fingers to slide down the handle and be sliced by the rear section of the blade. This is particularly the case with the #26 blade.

Wood Carving Studio members can download the complete set of original templates for the “Little Owl” carving using the link below. I’ve also included step-by-step photos to accompany the video, along with a written instruction sheet to guide you through the project. All materials are available for full members to download below.