A Beginner's Guide to Animal Woodcarving: Learn to Sculpt Lifelike Figures from a Japanese Master

Learn to carve and paint expressive animal figures from simple blocks of wood!

In this book, master sculptor Mio Hashimoto reveals the secrets and techniques behind her rustic, whimsical and lifelike animal sculptures. She teaches you the entire process of creating an endearing animal sculpture—from the preliminary sketch and wood selection, to the techniques needed to saw, sculpt and paint it. She even recommends the tools and materials to buy.

The book provides 5 detailed tutorials with hundreds of color photos for the following animal sculptures:

- A Sweet Kitty with a curlicue tail and soulful eyes
- A Baby Penguin with downy feathers
- A Dozing Cat with its eyes pinched shut and its paws curled over
- A Bear on a Swing, ready to put on a show
- A delightful Donkey with a round belly and stubby legs

Also included are dozens of inspirational photos of wooden animals from Hashimoto's extensive portfolio. Learn to create a rough sketch and select a block of wood. Then, rough in the shape with a saw and carve the details with an array of chisels. Finally, learn how to paint your completed carving, preserve it and prepare it for display. You will be amazed at the results!

Illustrations: over 450 color photos, detailed instructions for 5 projects

About the Author:

Mio Hashimoto has always had a special affinity for animals. At age 17, she began studying art under Hiroyuki Nishimura and Shiro Tamura at the Zokei Art Academy in Tokyo, where she learned to carve warm, expressive creatures. Upon graduation, she began receiving commissions for animal sculptures and held solo exhibitions across Japan. In 2010, she was commissioned to create sculptures of desert animals during a stay in the UAE. Recently, she has organized traveling events featuring woodcarving workshops and exhibitions featuring touchable animal sculptures in collaboration with her sculptor friend, Emiko Honda. Mio lives in Japan, where she continues to create sculptures with her black Shiba Inu dog, Tsuki-kun, by her side.