Whittling Wildlife Book Review: Carving Animals from Wood
Wood carving offers a different kind of satisfaction than many other woodworking techniques. Rather than relying on precise measurements and carefully fitted joints, carving challenges you to visualize a shape and gradually bring it to life.
It's a chance to work more intuitively, allowing creativity to guide the process.
That approach is at the heart of Whittling Wildlife by Peter Benson, a wood carving book devoted to creating miniature animals using simple hand tools.
From resting birds to detailed underwater scenes, Benson demonstrates how a few carving knives and basic techniques can transform small blocks of wood into remarkably lifelike wildlife carvings.
With 15 step-by-step projects, the book offers an approachable introduction to whittling while providing enough variety and complexity to challenge more experienced carvers.
Book Details
- Title: Whittling Wildlife
- Author: Peter Benson
- Publisher: GMC Publications
- Original Listed Price: $19.99
- Projects: 15 wildlife carvings
- Skill Level: Beginner to advanced
What Is Whittling?
Whittling is a form of wood carving that relies primarily on a knife to shape small pieces of wood.
Unlike larger sculptural carvings that may require numerous gouges, mallets, and other specialized tools, whittling typically involves relatively small workpieces and a limited collection of carving tools.
Carving knives do most of the work, although palm gouges and other small tools can be useful for certain details.
The emphasis is on gradually removing material to reveal the shape hidden within the wood.
This makes whittling an appealing introduction to wood carving, especially for woodworkers interested in developing their hand-tool skills.
Why Animals Make Great Whittling Projects
Wildlife subjects are particularly well suited to whittling.
Animals such as birds, fish, and mammals have recognizable shapes that can often be established with relatively simple cuts.
A few carefully chosen details can bring the carving to life.
The shape of a bird's wings, the curve of a walrus's tusks, or the placement of an animal's eyes can make an enormous difference in the finished piece.
Benson takes advantage of these characteristics throughout the book, beginning with relatively simple forms before introducing more complicated poses and environments.
Whittling Tools and Techniques for Beginners
Although Whittling Wildlife is primarily a project book, Benson begins with the fundamentals needed to start carving.
He covers tool selection, wood choice, basic knife techniques, safety, sanding, and finishing.
This introductory material provides a useful foundation for readers who have little or no previous carving experience.
Essential Whittling Tools
One of the appealing aspects of whittling is that it doesn't require a large investment in equipment.
Benson recommends starting with a small collection of tools:
- Carving knives: A few knives with short blades and different handle shapes.
- Coping saw or band saw: Useful for cutting the initial outline of a carving blank.
- Palm gouges: Small round and V-shaped gouges for shaping and adding details.
- Sanding supplies: For smoothing and refining the finished carving.
The exact tools needed depend on the project, but many of the simpler carvings can be completed with a modest tool collection.
Learning Basic Knife Cuts
Before beginning the wildlife projects, Benson explains the basic knife cuts used in whittling.
These techniques help establish control over the blade and allow the carver to remove wood in a predictable manner.
Developing a comfortable grip and learning to make controlled cuts are essential skills, especially when working on small details.
Use a secure workholding method and keep the knife's cutting path clear of your fingers and body.
Adding Realistic Details to Animal Carvings
One of the most interesting sections of Whittling Wildlife focuses on creating realistic eyes.
Benson devotes six pages to different approaches for making eyes, matching them, and choosing details appropriate to the animal.
This is a surprisingly important part of wildlife carving.
The eyes often determine whether a carving looks convincing or unnatural.
Choosing the Right Eyes for a Carving
Different animals require different approaches.
For example, glass eyes can give a fish a realistic appearance.
However, the same technique may look unnatural on an animal with prominent eyelids.
Benson explains how the shape of the animal and its facial features influence the best approach.
He also demonstrates how to create eyes using small pieces of dowel or horn.
The material is inserted into the carving, trimmed, and then carefully pared or sanded flush with the surrounding surface.
These small details can make a remarkable difference in the character of a finished carving.
Even experienced woodcarvers may find useful ideas in this section.
15 Wildlife Whittling Projects
The real strength of Whittling Wildlife is its collection of animal carving projects.
Benson includes 15 designs that progress from relatively simple shapes to elaborate carvings featuring movement and surrounding scenery.
The early projects emphasize animals at rest.
Later designs introduce more complicated poses, including birds in flight and animals swimming.
The most advanced projects incorporate elements of the animal's natural environment.
Start with Simple Animal Shapes
Some of the beginner-friendly projects feature animals in relaxed positions, such as a sleeping duck or a resting pelican.
These subjects allow the carver to concentrate on establishing the animal's overall shape without having to manage complicated poses.
As skills improve, the projects become more ambitious.
Progress to More Detailed Wildlife Carvings
More advanced projects include animals in motion, such as an albatross in flight or a fish swimming.
Benson also introduces carvings that incorporate the surrounding environment.
Examples include a sea lion swimming through reeds and an elaborate kingfisher diving toward its prey.
These projects require careful planning because the animal and surrounding elements must be shaped from the same carving blank.
The result is a more complex sculpture that captures both the animal's form and its movement.
Step-by-Step Instructions and Carving Patterns
Each project in Whittling Wildlife is presented as a sequence of numbered steps.
The instructions are accompanied by photographs that demonstrate how the carving develops.
Benson also provides patterns that can be copied or transferred to the workpiece.
Roughing Out the Carving Blank
The first step is establishing the basic shape of the animal.
Benson provides profile drawings that guide the initial cuts.
These outlines can be transferred to the blank before removing the bulk of the waste with a saw.
Once the rough profile is established, the carver begins shaping the major forms.
These include the head, body, limbs, wings, and other prominent features.
For more advanced projects, the initial shaping may also include elements of the surrounding scenery.
Redraw Layout Lines as You Carve
An important lesson throughout the book is the need to continually update your layout lines.
As material is removed, the original pencil marks disappear.
Benson demonstrates how to redraw these reference lines so the carving maintains the correct proportions.
The octopus project is a good example.
The carving develops in stages, beginning with the head and eyes, followed by the mantle, tentacles, and rocks beneath the animal.
This layered approach helps make a complicated carving more manageable.
Rather than attempting to carve every detail at once, you concentrate on establishing one major form before moving to the next.
Carving Fine Details and Textures
After the basic shape is complete, Benson turns to the details that give each animal its character.
These may include defining the contours of a beak, separating the tusks of a walrus, or refining the shape of fins and wings.
The final stage involves adding texture.
Shallow carved lines can suggest feathers, fur, or other surface details without requiring every feature to be reproduced.
How far you take this stage depends on your experience and the level of detail you want in the finished piece.
For a beginner, a few carefully placed cuts may be enough to create a recognizable animal.
More experienced carvers can develop the details further, producing increasingly realistic results.
The advanced kingfisher project demonstrates just how elaborate these miniature wildlife carvings can become.
Is Whittling Wildlife a Good Book for Beginners?
One of the book's strengths is its progression from basic techniques to challenging projects.
Readers who are new to whittling can begin with the introductory instruction and simpler animal designs.
More experienced carvers may already be familiar with the basic knife techniques, but they'll still find useful advice on details such as eyes, textures, and complex shapes.
The step-by-step photographs are particularly helpful.
They show how each carving develops from a rough blank into a recognizable animal.
And because the projects increase in difficulty, the book offers opportunities to build skills over time.
About the Author: Peter Benson
Peter Benson has spent many years teaching and promoting wood carving.
After retiring from a teaching career in 1996, he established the Essex School of Woodcarving.
He also served as chairman of the British Woodcarvers' Association for 14 years.
During that time, he helped lead several carving projects, including an ambitious life-size polar bear sculpture weighing approximately 2.5 tons.
In addition to Whittling Wildlife, Benson has written several books about carving miniature objects and figures, including The Art of Carving Netsuke and Whittling Handbook.
His experience is evident in the practical instruction and carefully developed projects throughout this book.
Final Thoughts on Whittling Wildlife
Whittling Wildlife offers an enjoyable introduction to a creative side of woodworking.
The book combines useful instruction with a varied collection of animal carving projects that progress naturally in difficulty.
Beginners can learn the fundamentals of knife carving while working on relatively simple subjects.
Experienced carvers can challenge themselves with more complicated shapes, detailed textures, and elaborate wildlife scenes.
What makes the book particularly appealing is that whittling requires relatively few tools and can be practiced on small pieces of wood.
It's an approachable way to explore wood carving and develop a different set of woodworking skills.
If you're interested in carving animals from wood, Peter Benson's Whittling Wildlife is well worth exploring.
Chip Carving for Beginners: Tools, Techniques & Tips
If whittling has sparked your interest in wood carving, chip carving is another great technique to try. With a sharp knife and a few basic cuts, you can create decorative patterns on furniture, boxes, and other woodworking projects. Learn how to choose the right tools, transfer patterns, and make clean, controlled cuts.
LEARN CHIP CARVING → Explore Another Way to Carve Wood
