This seems to be a very complicated carving, but taken one step at a time, a complicated relief carving can be simplified. The steps are quite straightforward: (1) remove the background, (2) carve the layers, (3) shape the forms, and (4) add the detail.

Playing card and board games are activities that my grown children still look forward to when our family is all together. Loud and raucous laughter is heard late into the night as we play our games. In this tutorial, we’re going to explore how to combine the art of chip carving with game playing as I show you how to chip-carve a one-of-a-kind domino set.

In 2003 I established my design company in a small (9' x 12') bedroom in our house. In 2009 I retired, but the bedroom still contained a desk, a plotter, a two-drawer horizontal file, three small vertical files, a multishelf table, my main computer desk, a large drafting table, and three computers. So what does this have to do with a carving bench? When I first started carving again, I would pull out the drafting table and start making chips—literally. What a mess to clean up. I thought that there had to be a better way to carve in such a small space.

If you have ever gone fishing for a day, you have probably dealt with biting flies and mosquitoes. Skeeter is having one of those days—the fish aren’t biting but the mosquitoes sure are. Skeeter is 9-1/2" tall without the base (however, you can make him any size you like).