FEATURES A Wood Carving Fantasy By Bob Duncan Floyd Rhadigan is known for his quick knife, appealing fantasy characters, and tireless teaching schedule. Carving Between the Covers By Kathleen Ryan Italian sculptor Nino Orlando reveals the hidden magic in carved books Carving a Place in History Woodworker Barrie Casement is helping to restore St. Patrick’s Cathedral Winning Wonders Meet the winners of the final 2016 People’s Choice Contest PROJECTS Bringing Home the Tree By Russell Scott Model T delivers memories of Christmas past Oak Leaf Tray By John Shortell This heirloom tray is as useful as it is beautiful Block Nativity By Andrew DePace Stylized design makes a beautiful and durable decoration Bright Bulb Santa By David Sharp Combine two Christmas classics with this clever ornament TECHNIQUES Carving a Nativity Scene By Carolea Hower Adaptable design can be displayed on your tree or mantel Simple Santa By Dave Stetson Change a few details to customize this easy carving Santa Variations By Susan L. Hendrix Customize your carving by sketching new accessories PATTERNS Father Christmas By Susan L. Hendrix This slightly stylized Santa will complement any holiday décor Casual Claus By Floyd Rhadigan Laid-back Santa isn’t checking the Naughty List this year Frosty Ornament By Jim Willis This jolly snowman won’t melt after the holidays Peekaboo Santa Ornaments By Carolea Hower Don’t like to carve eyes? This fast, fun Santa lets you skip ‘em Holly Napkin Holder By Marty Leenhouts Chip carve this simple design to dress up your holiday table Cardinal Ornament By Jim Willis This winter bird will add a splash of color to your tree North Pole Snowman By Steve Russell Simple relief ornament can be carved and painted quickly Peace Out Santa By Rick Stoddard Give Santa a retro look with this fun carving Quick Reindeer By Barbara Millikan Carve this ornament in a couple of hours and then let the kids add the color Hark! The Herald Angels Sing By Dennis and Susan Thornton A choir of music legends rocks the halls of heaven Carving a Caricature Soldier By Floyd Rhadigan New book is a heartfelt thanks to veterans Traditional Santa By Thomas Westmoreland Add or ignore details to tailor this pattern to your carving skills

The 20th anniversary issue of the world's best how-to magazine for woodcarvers is packed with carving patterns, how-to tips, and step-by-step projects for all skill levels. We offer plenty of Christmas carving ideas for holiday gifts and decorations, from Larry Green’s delightful caricature tree ornaments to an exquisite relief-carved snowman from Lora S. Irish. Our jolly assortment of Santa projects includes Dylan Goodson’s realistic St. Nick, plus a new chance to carve our very first Santa from Woodcarving Illustrated issue #1. Carolea Hower creates smiling Santas from ordinary wooden spoons, and Randy True shows how to transform ordinary golf tees into tiny Santa ornaments! You’ll also find many great projects unrelated to Christmas that will make terrific gifts. “Game of Thrones” fans will enjoy Tamera Seevers’ dragon wand, Tom Dean shows you how to use power tools to carve heirloom-quality bracelets, and Karen Hundt-Brown uses a woodburner to turn gourds into functional lamps.

PATTERNS Cowboy Snowman By Gerald and Barb Sears Detailed patterns & painting tips help you make a Wild West snowman A Chip-Carved Christmas By Bruce & Judy Nicholas Create a tree full of festive chip-carved holiday ornaments TECHNIQUES Victorian Father Christmas By John Zanzalari A Specialized finishing technique makes this carving look like a well-loved heirloom PROJECTS Customize This Santa By Dale Green Mix and match accessories or create a custom scene to personalize this Santa carving project Whistle a Holiday Tune By Don Swartz Cute Santa carving is also a functional whistle 2-in-1 Heart Pendant By T.J. Milligan Whittle this double pendant from one piece of wood Santa Sampler Plate By John Niggemeyer Combine a chip carving and relief to create a unique holiday decoration Carving a Hedgehog By Leah Goddard Adorable realistic critter can be carved in an afternoon Ice Skate Ornament By Keoma McCaffrey Add an unexpected embellishment to an easy power-carved ornament Chip-Carved Tea Box By Marty Leenhouts A unique way to store and serve a common beverage Card Holder Santa By Tom Borecki Simple design on an oversized clothespin makes a versatile project Nativity Ornaments By Janet Bolyard Relief-carved set tells the nativity story in four scenes Elves in the Trenches By Jim LeClaire Pay tribute to the folks who really do the work on Christmas Holiday Penguin Ornament By Bob Yancey Quick and easy ornament can be carved in a few hours A Snowy Ride By Floyd Rhadigan Carving the pieces to this scene will help while away the winter

FEATURES The Art of Lead Carving By Kathleen Ryan Skeletal Remains By Kathleen Ryan Meet Doderhultarn By Harley Refsal Decrypting Thai Carving By Mindy Kinsey Getting a Handle on it By Mindy Kinsey Learn to “Weave” Wood By Charley Phillips Straw-Stuffed Scarecrow By Jim Hiser Old World-Style Chip Carving By Jan Jenson Nuts for the Holiday By Larry Guay Getting Started with Architectural Carving By Mike Allen PROJECTS Carving a Pumpkin By Lundy Cupp Grizzly Bear Bust By Kirt Curtis New Options for Bark Cottages By Rick Jensen The Halloween Express By Greg Young Thai-Inspired Relief Carving By Steve Smith Candy Corn Goblins By Randy George

Twenty-one distinctive full-page floral patterns — perfect for carved wood boxes, decorative wall plaques, chair backs and more — featuring subjects from roses and violets to tropical waterlilies and birds of paradise. Suggestions on carving, selecting woods, applying finishes, more.

A good illustration is worth a thousand wood chips! Here at last is a woodcarving book that lays the projects out chip-by-chip, with drawing-after-drawing to teach the craft in the most accurate way possible. With this book beginners don't have to guess how to position the knife or where to chip away. Clearly, explicitly, taking an many drawings as necessary - sometimes up to 50 for one project - the authors guide you through each project to the completion of handsome, useful, realistic finished pieces. The ten projects are actually ten lessons for building skill in carving techniques and developing confidence and proficiency in this age-old craft.

Georg Keilhofer shares traditional German carving techniques with students in his studio, and now in this book. Here are the basic skills of relief carving. Step by step he takes the reader through tool selection, understanding wood, and carving techniques are presented in a clear and concise way. The result is a project of which the carver will be proud.