New Carver's Question

[revsparkyg]

Got an idea in my head for a wall plaque, with my family's names in relief. Have a big piece of Aspen someone gave me, told me it would be pretty
easy to carve. What tool(s) will I need to carve out the relief? Don't want
to buy a bunch of stuff I wont need.

[pallin]

It's difficult to advise you without seeing the idea in your head. If the names are cut into the Aspen, you might only need a knife. If the letters are to be raised, and the area around them removed, you might need gouges. Are there other decorations on the piece?

[revsparkyg]

No, no other decorations, just the letters/words. The names wont be cut into the wood, they are the relief art, I want to remove all the negative space around the names.

[pallin]

You will likely need gouges to remove the wood from the negative space around the names. If there is space between the letters or names, you may need narrow tools to carve there. Perhaps reading some material on "woodcuts" would help. These are carvings for printing where everything is cut away except the parts (letters, figures, illustrations) that will be inked for the final printing.

[LMiller]

Aspen is easily carved but if it is extremely dry, you will want to take extra care with the grain - it can splinter off. A bit of plain water sprayed as a mist (think rinsed out hairspray bottle) can help.

Good luck! And remember to show us your finished project!