Whittling For Beginners

This 4-hour whittling class will teach students how to use a wood carving blade to shape a piece of basswood into a handheld figurine. Each step teaches how to make a new type of cut, skills building one on top of the others to create a full understanding of whittling. The class begins with a lesson on knife safety and handling, and a brief intro to wood grain and structure. Students will learn to sharpen their blades as they work to maintain safe and effective tools. Once your carving is complete, we will paint our figures and you will learn various painting and finishing techniques. By the end of the workshop, you will walk away with knowledge of all the basic woodcarving cuts, how to execute them safely, the confidence to shape solid wood by hand, and of course your handmade wooden little guy!

Katie is a long time creative explorer and bonafide queer person, dabbling in handmade crafts like whittling, woodcarving, sewing, quilting, sculpting, painting, tinkering, leatherworking and more! An animator by trade, she works as a director for animated TV shows, but she finds what heals her spirit is making things with her hands. She loves teaching and spreading the joy of whittling with anyone looking to learn a new meditative and satisfying art form.