Matt’s one-of-a-kind, hand carved oddities
I began carving in the Spring of 2021 and quickly fell in love with the process of carving and painting these characters. These characters are generally all my own concept - although I do watch videos on YouTube for tips on carving faces, eyes, etc. There are some great carvers you can find on YouTube and it’s an easy place to start learning. Some carvings start out with a sketch in ProCreate, some get sketched on the basswood block directly, some get roughed-out on a bandsaw and some just start with a knife in hand. I do love the painting of these and my process there is mine. Sold colors, washes, drybrushing, more washes and drybrushing (repeat as wanted) then some final details. This style of painting goes waaaay back to my college days painting miniatures.
I’ve been able to meet up with a couple different groups of carvers and am currently the VP of the Orange County Woodcarvers Club (California Carvers Guilde Chapter #2) and its been great to carve with experienced carvers who work in a wide range of styles.
This Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/RavenbotWorkshop) is where I list some carvings for sale and I also show at an occasional craft fair.
“Workshop”
The word workshop it has many meanings to me. It can be a physical place, state of mind, a creative endeavour, all three and more. But traditionally a workshop is where something is made. Much like an artist has a studio environment that fosters their ability to create, a craftsman (craftsperson) has a workshop where their tools and materials are readily available and the space accommodates their work.
My carving workshop is almost entirely packed into a carving tote that I made. It travels with me on camping trips and to weekly carving meets. Most of the time it is set up at home on a desk that is my main workspace in the house. That desk could also be tied up with other arts and crafts or occasional Lego builds. It faces into the living room so I can carve and still chat with my wife and hear whatever she’s got going on the TV.
Tools
Like many, I began carving with a Flexcut set of a few knives and gouges. As I’ve continued carving and learning my tools have evolved so today I use some fine knives from a local maker named Joe Girtner, some flat-plane “Harley” style knives from Pinewood Forge and a couple Flexcut knives for roughing out. For gouges I have a nice set of Pfeil palm gouges that get used on every carving in some way. I started with a couple Flexcuts, and the steel is good and cuts clean, but uncomfortable in hand for me. I tried briefly some newer Ramelson gouges but not happy with them; after buying my first set of Pfeils all those others are up on the shelf gathering dust. That’s the heart of my kit and is rounded out with strops and other bits and pieces (reminds me that I should take some better photos for this.) Anyway, that’s enough info for now…
