Against the Grain Chip Carvings

24/01/2026

An artist is limited by his tools. I can draw any design I want with lines, but that doesn't mean it's possible to carve, at least with a given set of tools. In this video, I talk about how to know if your blade can handle a given old-world style chip angle.

For more examples of my chip carvings or to buy one, head on over tohttps://AgainstTheGrainChipCarvings.weebly.comFollow me on Facebook for more content and ...

19/01/2026

Getting a bit out of season, but I'm finally getting around to sharing this project from December. This was one of the first ornaments I carved over 10 years ago, and I hadn't gotten into the computer designs yet, so the design was done by hand. That's why it's slightly askew and in a custom font.

Someone commissioned this same ornament, but the blank that I received was completely different dimensions, so I couldn't simply duplicate it. I almost certainly would have recreated the pattern as it is on the computer anyway, but this forced me to also make some modifications.

So here's the progression, from original to recreated pattern to modified pattern to new version.

03/01/2026

This was a fun one. The design is based on a dot painting by my sister, Dots by Dawn, and the project was a Christmas gift for my dad. I did my usual process of taking a photo and creating a pattern on the computer to transfer to the ornament. Some of these dots are much smaller than any circles I've ever carved before, and I wasn't sure how they'd turn out.

Check out Dots by Dawn if you're interested in this style of artwork:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557552849429For more examples of my chip carvi...

27/12/2025

I suppose it's technically late, but here's another Christmas ornament. One of my more non-standard designs.

For more examples of my chip carvings or to buy one, head on over tohttps://AgainstTheGrainChipCarvings.weebly.comFollow me on Facebook for more content and ...

20/12/2025

Alas, I was unable to find an efficient way to spray the clear coat on these ornaments before the Christmas season. It needs to be reasonably warm to spray, and it ought not be done in the house due to chemical fumes. My typical solution is to use a space heater aimed at a cardboard box in the garage, but that's not a workable solution with this many, and I didn't want to do them 2 at a time. Thus, I am well stocked for ornaments next year (after I get these sprayed come warmer weather).

13/12/2025

Finishing has never really been a strong suit for me in carving. I'd personally prefer to just do the carving and let someone else do the finishing process, but that's not really how it works.

One struggle I've had is with my gel stain. It's visible in this photo, though a little hard to see -- I get a weird dark smudging on the edges of the chips when I wipe off the excess, especially on smaller isolated chips like the word "Rejoice" here. I've also had issues with larger chips in seeing unevenness of the stain as it sits on the carved surface.

I may have solved both issues. It probably took me way too long to realize this, but it worked well on my first go at it to wipe the stain off my brush, then remove the excess stain out of each chip before wiping with a paper towel. This allows me to get an even coating in the chips, and avoids dragging any of the excess out of the chips as I wipe (which I'm guessing could have been the issue with the smudging).

I unfortunately didn't get a picture of my latest version of this ornament before shipping it out, but I'll try to remember to share on my next project with this stain if I get similarly good results.

08/12/2025

This one is an unusual design. For one thing, I got the idea from Christmas wrapping paper. But that led to it being basically a single intricate chip. It's all just one outline, but that's of course not how chip carving works, so there's some subjectivity and creativity in how to break it down.

For more examples of my chip carvings or to buy one, head on over tohttps://AgainstTheGrainChipCarvings.weebly.comFollow me on Facebook for more content and ...