Pencil Wood Spirits
Turn standard pencils into whimsical wood spirits.
By: Terry Anderson
Originally published in Wood Carving Illustrated
Materials
- Pencil
- Paint Marker: White
Tools
- Knife
- Woodburner (optional)
- Micro gouge (optional)
There are several ways to carve faces in pencils, and they all work. The process I’ve developed produces a reasonable face in the minimum amount of time. In the end, the important thing is to have fun. If something goes wrong, you can still write with one end and erase with the other.
When carving pencils, your tools must be as sharp as possible. The grain changes unexpectedly in pencils, and you will need to carve against the grain. Slicing cuts help, but dull tools will ruin your carving.
Getting Started
Starting about 1" from the metal band, on the side opposite the label, remove about 1"
of paint from the flat surface. Then, remove about 1 1/4" from the two adjoining facets. Mark the bridge and bottom of the nose as shown in the pencil carving diagram.
* TIP *
IMPROVING A
CARVING GLOVE
Starting about 1" from the metal band, on the side opposite the label, remove about 1"
of paint from the flat surface. Then, remove about 1 1/4" from the two adjoining facets. Mark the bridge and bottom of the nose as shown in the pencil carving diagram (below).
Carving The Wood Spirits
Step 1: Rough out the major landmarks.
Make a stop cut along the bottom of the nose on all three facets, cutting deeper on the center facet and shallower on the side facets. Taper up to the bottom of the nose. Make a stop cut on the bridge of the nose, and taper the nose to the stop cut. Then, carve at an angle from the forehead to the stop cut to remove the sharp corner.
Step 2: Outline the mustache.
Draw the nose and mustache. Use a knife to make a V-shaped cut around the outline of the mustache. Make the cuts using the direction arrows as a guide to keep from chipping out the nose.
Step 3: Rough out the nose.
Starting at the bridge, make stop cuts straight in along the sides of the nose. Continue the cuts down along the sides of the mustache. Use the tip of the knife to slice in from the sides of the pencil up to the stop cut alongside the nose to make the nose stick out from the face.
Step 4: Add the cheeks.
Draw the cheeks angled down, starting about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the nose out to the edge of the side facets. Make a stop cut along each line. Start an angled cut just below the bottom of the nose, and carve up to the cheek line; repeat for the other side. Then, make a thin slice along the sides and bottom of the mustache to make it protrude slightly.
Step 5: Carve the eyes and nose.
Use a knife tip or micro gouge. Carve a shallow groove from the cheek lines alongside the nose up to and then out from the bridge to create the eye sockets. Do not carve so deeply that you reach the pencil graphite. Then, carve the nostrils.
Step 6: Finish the carving.
Deepen the eyes so some graphite is visible and use a woodburner to outline them, if desired. Make a series of V-shaped grooves to carve the hair, beard, and mustache texture. Use a white paint marker to color the mustache, beard, and hair.
Show Off Your Work!
We'd love to see your finished projects. Share them with us on social media!
About The Author
Terry Anderson is a retired electronics technician living in Fleming, Colo. He has been carving for about 20 years. Terry is a member of the Northern Colorado Wood Carving Club and is known as ka0fan on the Woodcarving Illustrated Message Board (www.woodcarvingillustrated.com).