I paint, carve, collage, and burn on wood and make woodblock prints. This article explores how I use wood to create unique prints and carved wood paintings. If you follow along, you’ll learn a thing or two about how to create carved wood paintings for yourself!
How to Create Carved Wood Paintings: Step by Step
When I have the goal of creating a new painting, I go through a process to get images and ideas in my mind, which leads to the physical process of creation. Many times I start with a reason for the work. In this blog post, I will first explain and reveal the creation of an Easter painting I painted for my church, entitled Easter Meditation.
I find it inspiring to look at other artists work to trigger my thinking, and I look at Instagram pages a lot to fill my brain with visual thoughts. Oftentimes I will then take an “art nap” when I lie in bed quietly and immerse myself in visual thinking for about an hour. I sometimes have a direction for my ideas after this initial step.
Here’s a photo of my next step, getting a draft down on butcher paper. This is where I plan color choices and areas to burn and areas to be bare wood. This step anchors my painting in intentions.
Where should I carve? Where to inlay color? This part progresses to the next step of drawing on the African mahogany.
The drawing lends itself to planning burnt areas and inlay plans as I carve.
African mahogany is a harder wood than basswood, which I typically use, but the colors are luscious.
The next step is to paint in the carved areas before I sand the wood. This leaves only the inlaid colors in where I’ve carved and the sanded wood gets rid of the excess painted areas. Here’s a photo of just that.
This is a rough approximation of the inlay process, with the beginnings of planned next steps of color.
Here is underpainting with the woodburnt areas defining the darkest parts of the work.
Next, I am ready to do the work of painting the colors I defined in the drawing.
This photo captures the beginning of the process and its end.
And this painting gets professionally scanned and framed!
This was Easter morning 2023 in the sanctuary of my church. Colors of joy for new life!
So, how did I get into using wood in my art?
I used to work at a woodworking supply company, after earning an art degree, and I got into teaching woodblock printmaking classes. The process was to carve basswood blocks to create templates for woodblock prints. This is how woodblock printmaking became a branch of my artwork.
Additionally, I fell in love with the wood itself as a “canvas” and branched out into what I call carved wood paintings. From there, I added elements of collage and woodburning to the mix, and I am thrilled to share with you the evolution of my art! Perhaps you’ll be inspired too.
Different Wood Types on the Janka Scale
Let’s now discuss woods and chisels. The wood I use the most is basswood.
What makes basswood so ideal for carving?
The answer is its softness and its fine even grain.
The softness or hardness of a wood is indicated numerically on a scale called the Janka Scale. It ranges from balsa, softer than basswood, coming in at 90, to genuine lignum vitae at 4380.
As you may have noticed, woods can be quite colorful. This is useful for highlighting colors in a print or painting by a frame of accent wood. However, the Janka ratings on most of these woods make them far from ideal for carving.
Basswood, my choice carving wood, is also very good wood to use because its softness doesn’t require as frequent sharpening of carving tools. It has no allergens or toxicity, zero smell, and is relatively inexpensive.
Art Wood Carving For Woodblock Prints
At times, I essentially “draw” on basswood with my tools, often making lines for woodblock prints.
Gouges for Carved Wood
At this time, I use 2 main gouges for my woodwork. The first is the 6 mm sweep gouge for carving larger lines and hogging out areas. The 6 mm refers to the U-shaped blade.
The second is best for carving thin lines in the wood. The 1/16th sweep gouge. Again the 1/16th inch refers to the tiny U shaped blade.
Art wood continually inspires me in the evolution of my work, because the possibilities are seemingly endless! It is with basswood and these chisels that I create work, large and small.
As Artist in Residence at my church, I feel that my work has a spiritual component, and is meditative and prayerful as I carve and work with my hands. There’s something timeless about the woodcarving task that reaches back many many ages. It connects me to my ancestors and their art and lives that fuels my thoughts as I create.
Carved Wood Painting Wrap-up
Carved wood prints and paintings are all about layers of positive and negative space, carving with chisels on basswood, burning, and collaging. Most often, the carving lends itself to definitive lines and edges. I love the interplay of pushing and layering these, sometimes with whimsical abandon, and sometimes with control.
I experience all of my art spiritually as fun, gratitude, and worship. It is the most delicious form of following my curiosity.
Perhaps you will enjoy the work on my website even more, now that you know more behind-the-scenes magic!
See some more of my carved wood paintings here.
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