Newbie at carving needs ideas

[Poopers]

I just got a wood carving kit.. and some small 3x1inch basswood blocks.  Other than the ( dont laugh! ) spoon I carved the other night, I have never carved anything before. Anyone know of any easy projects to get a new guy started? I thought about carving a heart for the wife... good practice and brownie points! But I'd feel like Im disgracing the wood whittlin'  "sport" if I went that route!

[Bugflipper]

One of the simplest things to carve is a fishing lure. Trout aren't that hard. Dragonflies are not to bad either. Maybe an arrowhead.

[ironglow]

Pooper;
    Your previous posts seem to indicate you live in Montana..so I just did a search for > montana woodcarvers assn < and here's what I got;
   http://www.montanastatewoodcarvers.com/

   Go to the site and look it over, then in the left column..see if there is a coming show in your area.  I sugest you go to a show and meet people..then start "networking" with them..
   
    I am an artistic blacksmith and I find networking to be invaluable..I learn where to get the best buys on tools & supplies, special techniques and I share new designs of my own. I also am in a club and when we meet, we meet in a forge (shop) and learn/share with each other. 
    Most of these arts/crafts have people who just love what they are doing and do not expect to "corner the market" so they willingly share.
  There is a plethora of info on the web, just do a search for such as;   woodcarving techniques,  woodcarving tools, woodcarving clubs, or woodcarving projects.   But by all means, attend a show and meet other carvers.

  If you are not from Montana or near the border...just use the name of the state you are in or the state you are adjacent to..  hope this helps..

   Here's a start..  http://www.visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordID=12870&siteid=1

  You have names, addresses, E-mail addresses and phone numbers..contact them .  I am betting they will be glad to hear from you..

[Poopers]

Thanks for that link, I had it bookmarked from a previous google search. There is a group here that gets together every week for carving but I work third shift so Im sleeping when normal people are having fun 

[ironglow]

 Yep; gotcha Poopers..I did the graveyard shift for a while.  Don't mind 2nd shift, but third is a killer, since I couldn't sleep well at all during daylight hours.

[Dirt Bag]

    I doubt it matters what you carve, as all the while you will be getting a feel of your gouges and knives and how the wood comes away.  A bigger block of wood might not be a bad idea thogh, and it dosen't need to be basswood. Main thing now is to learn how to sharpen your tools and get them to make the kind of cuts you want. Not a bad idea about getting into a carving club either. Watching a curl come up out of a razor sharp gouge as you guide it around a curve is one of the finer things.
                                  Best of luck, and let us know how it's coming;
                                                                                                         D.B.

[Poopers]

I too cannot sleep, sometimes I have to take pills + rum to get even a couple hours of sleep. Its horrible.. cant wait to find another job! Third shift is one of the reasons Im taking up carving... what else is there to do in the middle of the night on my off days? hehe

[Hit or Miss]

A carving club will get you going and keep you motivated.  Hope the work situation works out so you can join the group.  I started with a pretty ambitious carving of an otter, it is still sitting unfinished in the shed!  I'd recommend Carving magazine and Wood Carving Illustrated, both are available in bookstores in the magazine area around here.

This is a carving I finished last fall for a client as a gift for his brother for Christmas.

[ironglow]

H or M;
   Good work there !

[Poopers]

Very nice work!

[torpedoman]

Do not have your knife in your hand in Seattle.