Step by step creation of timber carving, by a wooden sculpture artist to produce an exquisite finished figurine

Wooden sculpture rivets wood carving by means of a cutting tool, ideally a knife or a chisel. The making of these sculptures is exceedingly practiced, however, very few wooden sculpture artists endow with finished products to the best of its perfection. Even though in comparison to stone and metal sculptures, this art form is less popular due to factors such as decay, insect damage and fire; stilted sculptures is yet a very popular and much appreciated form of sculpturing. Many of the important sculptures of Chinese and Japanese tradition are made in wood, owing to the lightness of wood that enables fine detailing as compared to stone. Some of the finest examples of early European wood carving comprise the forms of the Middle Ages in Germany, Russia, Italy and France where Christian iconography was expressed through sculptures. India too, has produced fine artists in this field. One of the best examples is the present day wood form artist, Mr. Neeraj Gupta representing Incredible Sculptures.

Wooden carving typically begins by selection of the finest quality of a single wooden slab or several pieces laminated together to create the required size, followed by a general shaping process by means of gouges of different sizes. Once the general shape is made, the carver uses a multiplicity of tools for creating details and finally giving the finished surface. The chosen technique depends on the required quality of surface finish. The texture through shallow gouges provides ‘life’ to the carving's surface. For this reason, many carvers prefer this 'tooled' finish. The finer polishing is done with abrasive paper where in the large grained paper with a rougher surface is used first, followed by the finer grained paper that offers a slick touch to the piece.  After the carving and finishing is completed, the artist seals the colour using natural oils, such as walnut or linseed oil that protects the wood from muck and moisture. Oil too imparts sheen to the wood which, by reflection of light. Objects made of wood are frequently finished with a layer of wax, which protects the wood and gives a soft lustrous sheen.