I’ve always been kind of into crafts, you know, working with my hands. So, a while back, I decided to try my hand at wood carving. And since birds are just everywhere, I figured, why not try carving some birds? I started with this idea to make a couple of carved birds, just to see if I could actually do it.
First off, I had to get some wood. I heard that basswood is pretty good for beginners because it’s soft, so I picked up a few blocks of that from the local craft store. Then I did a little digging around for some basic bird shapes. I didn’t want to get too fancy, just some simple outlines to get started. I sketched out a few designs on paper, just to get a feel for the shapes and sizes I wanted.

After I felt good about the designs, I grabbed a pencil and drew the shapes on the wood. Then came the carving part. I got myself a basic carving set with a few different knives. Starting out was a bit rough, I won’t lie. The wood was a bit tougher than I expected, even though it was basswood. I definitely got a few splinters and had to watch my fingers. I remember spending a whole afternoon just trying to get the basic shape of the body right. Slowly but surely, I started to see the birds taking form.
- Cut along the outline, just a little.
- Make the body round.
- Start doing the head and the beak.
- Don’t forget the tail.
The details were the trickiest part. Getting the beaks and the tails just right took a lot of patience and a few do-overs. I tried to make some simple patterns on the feathers, but that was tough. I ended up just doing some basic lines to give the idea of feathers. After a few evenings of work, I finally had a couple of bird shapes that I was kind of happy with. They weren’t perfect, but they were definitely birds.
Painting Was Fun!
Next up was painting. I used some acrylic paints that I watered down a bit. I wanted a kind of washed-out, natural look. Painting was actually way more fun than the carving part. It was cool to see the birds come to life with some color. I decided to do one as a cardinal. That bright red color just pops! Another one, I just did in some browns and yellows, kind of like a sparrow.
Once the paint dried, I thought about adding feet, but I figured that was a whole other project. Maybe I’ll try that later. But for now, I’m pretty stoked with how my first carved birds turned out. It was definitely a learning experience, and there’s a lot of room for improvement, but it’s a start. Plus, they look pretty cute sitting on my shelf. I might even try to carve some more and see if I can get better at it. It’s a nice way to chill out after a long day, and it’s cool to create something with your own two hands.