Hand Carved Santa House




Here is my new Santa House that I started on in December 2023, featuring angels hanging stars, and tiny mice hanging garlands. I carved this Santa House on poplar wood, working first with chisels and gouges, then switching to a Dremel tool. Below are the steps I have taken to create this new piece.


 

First, my drawing.... My initial sketch was done on tracing paper, then I used carbon paper to transfer it to the wood block. I can work out my designs more easily this way. For instance, I had initially sketched a pair of nutcrackers on the first floor of the house, but decided the nutcrackers were too stern for the whimsical vibe I wanted to create, and chose a friendly penguin instead.


 


After transferring my sketch to the wood block I start carving. I work on the depth of the background first. I want the stars and angel to stand out against the sky. As I go along, I will remove more of the background as I adjust the depth of the house and characters in the foreground. The strokes become easier as I remove another layer of the wood.


 



As I come to the finer details, I take a flat chisel and, standing it straight up, cut an edge around the detail piece. Standing the tool straight up, I cut an edge around the detail piece, so that as I cut wood away there's a barrier that stops me from cutting into the small areas.


 


As I move around the turret of the Santa house, inspired by a Christmas bauble, I carve out alternating stripes. Once again, I create a barrier with the flat chisel. After sharpening a smaller chisel on an oil stone, I proceed to carve out the excess wood.


 


I continue these steps, working my way around the wood block.



 


After carving around the main objects of the piece, I use increasingly smaller Dremel tips to give personality to each of them, ending with a 105 tip for carving the tiny faces. After finishing this section, I sand around each character with a polishing brush attached to a Dremel tool. 


 


My next step is painting with acrylics, then finishing with a clear coat of Shellac.This Santa House sold quickly on Etsy, but please follow the link to my Etsy shop for additional pieces. I will be carving another house for Valentine's Day that I'll be uploading soon.









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