Wood Carving Animals

Students will create a wood carved pendant with recessed levels. 

This unit has four parts: research and design (designing a project, measuring for materials), prototype (practicing carving with soft wood), final design in hard wood, and documentation of the finished work (photos, email, reflection, and critique).

Overview Unit Goal

Picture

Composition Concepts

  • Designing a Wooden Object with Recessed Levels
  • Functionality
  • Creating Meaning in Symbolism

Technical Skills

  • Carving
  • Filing
  • Polishing

Tools & Supplies

  • Sandpaper
  • Cutting tools
  • Jewelry saw
  • Mineral Oil
  • Resin (optional)

Technical Skill Videos

Order of Work

Determine Your Design
  • DRAW out your design in a front view and a side view - start with a 1.5" x 2" rectangle and draw your design out to the edges of the rectangle as much as makes sense for your design
Prototype: Soft Wood
  • Draw your design on the wood on the front view and side view
  • Optional: Add resin to your wood to increase the dimensions in one direction
  • Drill any holes needed with the drill press
  • Cut any large areas away with the jewelry saw
  • Use the wood carving tools to carve into your wood block to add recessed areas.
  • The front face of the pendant must be carved so that the surface is no longer flat.
  • Use sandpaper to refine shapes
  • It should have a way to hang it (hole for cord - or - hook)
Hard Wood Carving
  • Choose your wood (test the edge with a file to make sure it isn't too hard)
  • Draw the design onto the wood as big as possible (it is less work to remove less wood)
  • Optional: add resin to your wood piece prior to main shaping
  • Drill any needed holes
  • Cut away any large areas with the jewelry saw
  • Use the wood carving tools to carve into your wood block to add recessed areas.
  • The front face of the pendant must be carved so that the surface is no longer flat.
  • Sand your finished pendant with progressively finer sandpaper - 320, 400, 500, 600, 1000, 1500-  dip your wood in water and re-sand it at 500 and between each level higher
  • Add a cord to the pendant
Documenting

Cultures with Carved Pendants

Designing your Symbol

Things to Consider

  • ​Your symbol should be unique to you. (You can't find it on the internet)
  • You should give your symbol meaning, so that it becomes meaningful to you.
  • Consider simplifying your important object/place into simple shapes.
  • Consider combining more than one symbol that you find meaningful into a new symbol of your own creation.
  • Your design should fill up as much of the wood as possible.
  • The front face of the pendant must be carved so that the surface is no longer flat.
  • Your wood will likely break if you make weight bearing parts too thin. Consider how thick you can make each area and still make your symbol recognizable.
  • Remember to add a way to hang your pendant - you can add a hole to hang it from - or - you can create a groove in the stone where cord can be wrapped around the stone.
  • Optional: You can add resin, metal, or stone to your wood pendant design.

Wood Pendant Ideas

3 Photos of your Wood Pendants

  • Use a solid background (no distracting lines, shadows, table, or other stuff) like the photo cube
  • Use quality lighting (soft shadow from artwork only)
  • Photo should be in focus, with artwork centered
  • One photo of each side of your final stone 
  • One photo of both your prototype stone and your final stone
  • Three photos in total

Email an Image of Your Project

Grading Criteria