Woodcarving Workshops (Pye)

[davidinsarasota]

I am really enjoying Chris Pye's new video tutorial website. The video and audio quality are superb. I owe a great debt to this guy for his commitment to teaching.

The lessons are very informative, both technically and method-wise, but it's worth the price of admission just to watch him push a tool through wood.

There is a comment section below each vid, and I have left several comments and questions which he answers with typical British thoroughness without fail. This is actually quite thrilling to me, kind of like asking Michelangelo, "Hey Mike, what made you decide to have David look off to the side like that?" . . . Well, not quite, but close.

Here's a link Woodcarving Workshops

[RUssL.]

I agree!
Worth the price of admission just to watch Chris carve, really.
The level of useful detail in his video instruction is unparalleled (and I own a lot of carving videos to compare with!<g>).
The two-way communication with Chris through the site really is super, too!
I have been a member since the site went up and still find lots new each time I check in.
Chris tells me that due to several requests he will be doing an acanthus carving video later this year!
I have no financial connection with his site and am merely an enthusiastic supporter and fan.

[BobD]

Hi David,
I totally agree. Those tutorials may not be an actual class with Chris, but they are close. And Chris is such a thorough guy. When I'm working on articles with him, it's really a pleasure.

Bob

[kimschance]

Good morning guys!
Funny that you should be talking of Chris Pye's classes. Just yesterday, I read a reply to a post from DiLeon as she was referring to taking Chris's online classes. Naturally, I had to check it out. Mind you, I am a complete beginner and can only accomplish 'abstracts' in the round - if that. My question for you all is ... If I have no interest in relief, turning or letters/numbers - have a very limited budget and even more limited tools and attention span - would this be a good investment, or do you believe that I should stick with Gene Messer's YouTube channel which seems to be more geared to those trying to get started.
I have aspirations, BIG ones and really want to be able to complete just a feather, but that's hard when I cant even get it in my head where to start it. I would truly appreciate your thoughts and input - even if you agree that it would be way over my head, as I feel it would be ... at least right now at this stage of my minuscule level.
Margo

[BobD]

Margo,
It's tough to say. I'm of the opinion that the more exposure you have to different types of carving, and different instructors, the better. Everybody is different; we all learn differently, and we all communicate differently. Gene may say something one way, and Chris may say the same thing a different way, and suddenly it makes sense.

Chris doesn't only do reliefs, or letters, or carving on turnings; he's done amazing in-the-round work, and while it's classically inspired, I'd consider some of what he does caricature, in the sense that I could classify some of Ian Norbury's work as caricature.

With Chris' site, you are given a full, in-deth introduction and training in classical carving, using mainly gouges and chisels. That said, to paraphrase Chris, a chisel is a knife rotated 90-degrees. You will learn to sharpen, learn to model in clay and work out your concept before putting tool to wood. If that's the kind of in-depth discussion of carving you seek, Chris' site is a good value. I like to carve in that style, so for me, it's a great site.

One the other hand, Gene has probably introduced more people to carving than almost anyone else I know. Gene is a great carver (I've got one a piece he did sitting on my desk) and his videos on YouTube are a wonderful introduction to carving. Gene's focus is different from Chris'; Gene is teaching flat-plane style caricature carving, and he does it with a more modern approach using just a few tools. In an ideal world, I'd say to go for both, and mix in some of Lynn Dougherty's videos (and videos from any other carver you can find).

Best Regards,
Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[davidinsarasota]

Personally, I enjoy the learning as much as the carving. I was fortunate to have come across Chris Pye's "Woodcarving Tools Materials and Equipment" books early on, widely agreed to be the definitive work on the subject. I have read and reread them and they have served me well over the years, even though the info was way beyond my, then, current ability.

Bob's right: tough call on whether this would be the best use of limited resources. It might be wise for you to continue on your current path until you feel more confident and hungry for more.