The Modern Woodcarver

From whittling around campfires as a park ranger to carving 60–70 pieces a year, Ryan Newsome shares how practice, experimentation, and community have shaped his woodcarving journey.

In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver Podcast, Michael Gurrado talks with Ryan about caricature carving, finding tools that fit your hand, and learning to take risks with bolder cuts. Ryan also explains how he uses AI to turn ideas into carving references while keeping the carving process hands-on.

We discuss:

• Why Ryan enjoys the creative freedom of caricature carving

• His go-to knives and favorite Badger State Blades profiles

• Building skills through carving heads, story sticks, and quick challenges

• Taking your time, experimenting, and learning from mistakes

• Using AI as a tool for developing designs

• Starting a local carving community through a grant-funded class

• Carvers for a Cause and using woodcarving to help others

Along the way, we talk about the Charlotte Wood Carving Showcase, carving wherever you can, sharpening, cluttered benches, and the temptation to buy just one more tool.

Whether you’re picking up your first carving knife or have been carving for years, join us for a conversation about creativity, community, and enjoying the next block of wood.

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links supports The Modern Woodcarver at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

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How does a street performer in Scotland find his way to woodcarving? In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver, I talk with Rick Giujussa of Scarecrow Woodcrafts about the winter that introduced him to carving and the creative path that followed.

Rick shares what draws him to Scandinavian flat-plane carving, how working with a knife and a block of wood helps him slow down, and why having too many creative options can make it harder to focus. We also talk about spoon carving, relief work, miniature scenes, and the challenge of balancing creative work with multiple jobs.

Our conversation moves beyond the workshop, too. Rick discusses bringing carving into community spaces, including craft nights and youth support work, and what making things by hand has meant for his own well-being.

If you carve, make things, or feel pulled in a dozen directions by what you see online, I think you’ll connect with Rick’s story.

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links supports The Modern Woodcarver at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

FOLLOW & SUPPORT

All Gurrado Woodworks and Modern Woodcarver links: https://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworks
Support The Modern Woodcarver on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheModernWoodcarver

#Woodcarving #FlatPlaneCarving #TheModernWoodcarver

Most woodcarvers focus on details too early. Master woodcarver Vic Hood explains why strong form, proportion, and movement must come first—and how getting them right can dramatically improve your carvings.

In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver Podcast, host Michael Gurrado sits down with Vic Hood, a nationally recognized woodcarver, instructor, and author known for his realistic faces, large-scale busts, and mastery of mallet carving.

Vic shares how two “terrible” attempts at carving a cigar-store figure unexpectedly launched a career that has kept his woodcarving classes full for more than 32 years. He also explains why a technically detailed carving can still feel wrong—and what separates a good carving from a great one.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why form matters more than detail in realistic woodcarving
• Vic’s “female faces are Y’s, men are T’s” approach to carving believable heads
• How Fibonacci proportions and a dedicated ruler improve visual balance
• Why butternut is Vic’s preferred wood for fine details and mallet work
• How dominant lines create movement and guide the viewer’s eye
• Why Vic rarely paints his finished carvings
• How he prices artwork using a personal “tipping point”
• Why some carvings take a year while others are completed in days
• The difference between a technically accurate carving and one that feels right
• Why repetition and focused practice matter more than natural talent

Vic also discusses his unusual journey through historic-building restoration, archaeology, sculpture, and teaching. He reflects on lessons learned from influential carvers such as Larry Rogers, John Burke, and Harold Enlow—and gives us a glimpse inside a studio filled with hundreds of pieces representing a lifetime of experimentation and refinement.

Vic Hood is the author of “Carving Found Wood,” “Extreme Pumpkin Carving,” and his newest book, “From Good to Great in Wood Carving.”

If you want to carve more realistic faces, improve your proportions, strengthen the form of your carvings, or understand why a piece sometimes looks “off” despite having plenty of detail, this conversation is for you.

What do you focus on first when you carve: form or detail? Let me know in the comments.

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links helps support The Modern Woodcarver Podcast at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!

FOLLOW & SUPPORT

All Gurrado Woodworks and Modern Woodcarver links:
https://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworks

Support The Modern Woodcarver on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheModernWoodcarver

#Woodcarving #WoodSculpture #TheModernWoodcarver

Bob Hershey has spent decades developing his distinctive approach to woodcarving. In this episode, Bob shares the lessons he has learned through years of carving, taking classes, experimenting with new techniques, and refusing to be limited by the standard way of doing things.

We discuss Bob’s early years of learning to carve from books, long before YouTube and online tutorials made information readily available. He explains how studying with accomplished carvers helped shape his work and why taking classes can save carvers years of trying to figure everything out alone.

Bob also shares:

• Why he does most of his carving with a mallet and chisels

• The mallet technique he learned from Vic Hood

• How carvers such as Vic Hood, Dave Sabol, and Desiree Hajny influenced his work

• Why he paints directly on bare wood using oils and stains

• How he creates depth and vibrant color in his finished carvings

• Why highlighting, shading, and antiquing should be used selectively

• Whether roughouts help beginners or hold back their creativity

• Why the best woodcarvers never stop learning

Bob Hershey is a Lancaster County woodcarver known for his expressive animal caricatures, custom bases, and unconventional oil-painting techniques. His work reflects a lifetime of experimentation, education, and dedication to the craft.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced carver, Bob offers an honest and practical perspective on developing your skills, finding your own style, and continuing to grow as an artist.

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links helps support The Modern Woodcarver Podcast at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!

FOLLOW & SUPPORT GURRADO WOODWORKS AND THE MODERN WOODCARVER PODCAST

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Patreon:
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What makes a character carving unforgettable? It isn’t just a bigger backpack or a crazier stack of gear—it’s the story built into every detail.

In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver Podcast, I sit down with Matt Frederick of Ravenbot Workshop to explore how he developed his signature style of whimsical backpack gnomes loaded with crates, camp stoves, coolers, and towering piles of gear.

Matt shares how his woodcarving journey began five years ago with a simple chip-carved Easter gift and quickly became an obsession. We talk about how he develops his ideas, why he draws directly on the block, and how careful planning keeps him from cutting away the details that bring a carving to life.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How Matt creates height, tension, and visual balance without losing the story

• Why orange highlighters, negative space, and block placement can save a carving

• How he assembles, glues, and sometimes completely rethinks a piece mid-carve

• How wood burning, dry brushing, washes, and liner work create depth and clean color breaks

• The simple tool setup he uses and why he reshapes knives and gouges to fit his hand

• What sharpening, stropping, and knowing when to step away can do for your carving

Matt also discusses his experience at the Rocky Mountain Carvers Roundup and the critiques that changed how he approaches bases, faces, and expressive “happy eyes.”

Whether you enjoy character carving, practical workshop advice, or hearing how other artists develop their style, this episode is packed with useful ideas you can bring to your next block of wood.

FOLLOW MATT FREDERICK

Creative Ops:
https://ethernectar.com/creativeops

Matt’s Links:
https://linktr.ee/mattfrederick

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links helps support The Modern Woodcarver Podcast at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!

FOLLOW GURRADO WOODWORKS & THE MODERN WOODCARVER PODCAST

https://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworks
https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheModernWoodcarver

26 Years of Character Carving Lessons with Jim Hiser

Character carving is a craft built on years of practice, observation, and learning when to follow the rules—and when to break them.

In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver Podcast, I sit down with Jim Hiser, longtime character carver, instructor, rough-out maker, and member of the Caricature Carvers of America (CCA).

With 26 years of experience, Jim shares the lessons he's learned along the way and the journey that took him from furniture and cabinet work to becoming deeply involved in the world of character carving.

We talk about the class that changed the direction of his carving, the mentors who influenced him, and why even experienced carvers should never stop learning.

Jim also shares his thoughts on:

• Using rough-outs vs. starting from cutouts or your own designs

• Understanding anatomy, proportions, posture, and body language in caricature

• Developing your own style as a character carver

• Using clay and sketches to work through ideas before carving

• Knives, tools, sharpening, and finding what works for you

• Teaching woodcarving and helping newer carvers improve

• What the CCA looks for in potential members

• How the CCA promotes and preserves character carving

• Keeping woodcarving enjoyable without turning your hobby into a grind

Whether you're new to character carving or you've been carving for years, Jim offers plenty of practical advice and perspective gained from more than two decades behind the knife.

If you enjoy conversations with woodcarvers, artists, toolmakers, and the people helping keep the craft alive, subscribe to the channel and join us for future episodes.

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links helps support The Modern Woodcarver Podcast at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!

https://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworks

https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheModernWoodcarver

#Woodcarving #CharacterCarving #JimHiser #CaricatureCarving #TheModernWoodcarver

TOOLS I USE — AFFILIATE LINKSFOLLOW GURRADO WOODWORKS & THE MODERN WOODCARVER PODCAST

Doug Linker has inspired thousands of woodcarvers, but his journey into becoming one of the most recognizable voices in online woodcarving happened almost by accident—one knife, one video, and a genuine desire to share what he was learning along the way.

In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver Podcast, Michael Gurrado sits down with Doug Linker to talk about his journey from bushcraft and discovering woodcarving through Gene Messer to building an enormous library of tutorials that has helped introduce countless people to the craft.

Doug shares how his earliest carving videos were actually intended for the bushcraft community, why he never set out to become a woodcarving teacher, and how simply trying to help others eventually grew into something much bigger.

The conversation also goes beyond the carvings and tutorials. Doug talks openly about the realities of creating content online—the pressure of algorithms, dealing with trolls, burnout, stepping away, and ultimately finding a way to continue creating on his own terms.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• How Doug went from bushcraft and online carving challenges to becoming a major part of the online woodcarving community

• Discovering woodcarving through Gene Messer and the early days of learning the craft

• Why Doug believes the best tutorials come from humility rather than pretending to know everything

• Why learning to properly sharpen a knife may be one of the most important skills for a new woodcarver

• What flat-plane carving means to Doug and why he is drawn to larger, facet-heavy figures

• The evolution of his YouTube channel and his approach to teaching

• Burnout, trolls, algorithms, and the less-visible side of being a content creator

• Why Doug continues to carve, teach, experiment, and share his work after all these years

Whether you've followed Doug Linker for years, discovered woodcarving through one of his videos, or are just beginning your own carving journey, this episode offers a look at the person and philosophy behind the tutorials that have influenced so many woodcarvers.

FIND MORE FROM DOUG LINKER

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@dougLinker

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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links helps support The Modern Woodcarver Podcast at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!

FOLLOW GURRADO WOODWORKS & THE MODERN WOODCARVER PODCAST

https://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworks

#woodcarving #woodcarver #douglinker #whittling #themodernwoodcarverpodcast

A self-taught Australian woodcarver goes from discovering his dad’s old whittling knife to creating life-size sculptures, award-winning work, and a workshop filled with gouges, chainsaws, and bark.

In this episode of The Modern Woodcarver Podcast, I sit down with Pedro Rodriguez of PR Sculptures to talk about his journey from simple knife whittling to large-scale wood sculpture, live carving shows, chainsaw work, and the realities of teaching yourself the craft.

Pedro shares how following a single Santa carving tutorial sent him down the woodcarving rabbit hole—and eventually turned into an almost daily practice and a drive to make every new carving better than the last.

We talk about trusting the “ugly stage” of a carving, learning anatomy to create more realistic figures, developing your own style, and why sometimes the best way to improve is simply to keep carving.

Pedro also tells the incredible story of how a priest discovered one of his early carvings and commissioned him to create a life-size crucifixion sculpture—a project that would challenge him for more than a year.

Throughout the conversation, we get into:

• Pedro’s journey as a self-taught woodcarver

• Moving from whittling to larger wood sculpture

• Creating a life-size crucifixion carving

• Learning anatomy for realistic figure carving

• Gouges, sweep numbers, knives, and chainsaws

• Carving from photos, videos, and real-life references

• Developing your own woodcarving style

• Learning to embrace the “ugly stage”

• The difference between praise and constructive criticism

• Australian carving woods and how they compare with basswood and cottonwood bark

• The mindset behind continually improving your craft

Pedro’s story is a great reminder that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin. Skills are built through experimentation, mistakes, stubbornness, and putting in the hours.

If you’re a woodcarver, whittler, sculptor, or simply someone who enjoys hearing how a creative hobby can grow into something much bigger, this conversation is packed with inspiration and practical insight.

Pedro Rodriguez is the artist behind PR Sculptures in Australia, creating carved figures, wildlife, bark carvings, and larger sculptural work. His work has earned competition recognition and commissions as he continues to push his skills and develop his own style.

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STAEDTLER Mars Technico Mechanical Pencil
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Pencil Lead
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Pencil Sharpener
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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links helps support The Modern Woodcarver Podcast at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!

https://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworks

Subscribe for more conversations with woodcarvers, whittlers, sculptors, toolmakers, and other people helping shape the woodcarving community.

About Pedro RodriguezTOOLS I USE — AFFILIATE LINKSFOLLOW GURRADO WOODWORKS & THE MODERN WOODCARVER PODCAST

Woodcarving is one of humanity’s oldest crafts—but how did it evolve into the art form we know today?In this special episode of **The Modern Woodcarver Podcast**, we take a journey through the history of woodcarving, exploring the people, cultures, traditions, tools, and artistic movements that helped shape the craft across thousands of years.From the earliest surviving wooden artifacts and the civilizations of the ancient world to medieval religious carvings, the Renaissance, folk traditions, Indigenous carving cultures, industrialization, and eventually the modern woodcarving community, we explore how carving has continually evolved while remaining deeply connected to something very human: the desire to create.We’ll look at how woodcarving served different purposes throughout history—practical, spiritual, decorative, cultural, and artistic—and how changing tools, technology, and societies influenced what carvers were able to create.And ultimately, we arrive at woodcarving today: a craft where ancient techniques still exist alongside power tools, social media, online education, and a worldwide community of carvers sharing their work with one another.Whether you’re an experienced woodcarver, just beginning your first project, or simply interested in the history of handmade craft, I hope this episode gives you a greater appreciation for the long tradition we are all continuing every time we pick up a tool and carve a piece of wood.**This is the story of woodcarving through the ages.**If you enjoy the episode, consider subscribing to **The Modern Woodcarver Podcast** for conversations with woodcarvers, artists, toolmakers, and other people helping shape the craft today.#Woodcarving #WoodcarvingHistory #TheModernWoodcarverPodcast

In this episode, I sit down with **Sara Barraclough**, better known as **The Clever Carver**, for a conversation about woodcarving, creativity, and finding your own style.Sara is an accomplished caricature carver, author, and contributor to *Woodcarving Illustrated*. She’s the author of books including *Quick Whittles*, *Weekend Whittling Projects*, and *Learn to Carve Gnomes, Trolls, and Mythical Creatures*. Her carving journey began as a way to channel her energy into something positive while also carrying on a family tradition of Scandinavian woodcarving.We talk about Sara’s journey into carving, developing her recognizable style, creating original characters, teaching and writing about woodcarving, competitions, and the experiences that have shaped her along the way.Whether you’re brand new to carving or have been making woodchips for years, there’s plenty to take away from Sara’s story.Grab a carving, pull up a chair, and enjoy the conversation!If you enjoy the episode, please like the video and subscribe to the channel for more conversations with woodcarvers, artists, makers, and others from the carving community.#Woodcarving #Whittling #SaraBarraclough #TheCleverCarver #WoodcarvingPodcastTools I Use *(Affiliate Links)* **Flexcut Carvin' Jack 2.0**https://amzn.to/4eFL872 **Finger Tape Variety Pack**https://amzn.to/3QYlWPm**Beavercraft Leather Strop**https://amzn.to/4tYz0mg **Pfeil Palm Set (6 Piece Set)**https://amzn.to/4dcoQJ3 **FolkArt Matte Acrylic Paint Set**https://amzn.to/4eFM0IQ **STAEDTLER Mars Technico Mechanical Pencil**https://amzn.to/3SkLqqA **Pencil Lead**https://amzn.to/43eWuba **Pencil Sharpener**https://amzn.to/4e1arym **Gravity Timer**https://amzn.to/4dLGp2M*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting the channel at no extra cost to you!* Follow Gurrado Woodworkshttps://linktr.ee/gurradowoodworksThanks for watching, and remember—keep carving!