Choose a piece of wood first, then decide on your design. Some do this by looking at a piece of wood and finding inspiration in its natural shape, while others find it easier to make the image, then find an appropriate piece of wood to carve it into. As a general rule, it is easier for a beginner to start with a design on a flat surface than to be inspired by a three-dimensional piece of wood.
You can find wood just about anywhere, from an old tree stump in your neighbors yard, to the art supply store in town. Make sure that the wood is soft enough to be carved by your tools.
Prepare your wood carving tools. There are a number of different tools you can use, depending on the effect you want and your skill level. For example, you can use a pocket knife, a wood carving kit from an art supply store or even a chain saw. It is important that you buy tools appropriate to your skill level. Take care of your tools by making sure they are sharp and not rusted. If you buy carving tools from an art store, you will receive a number of handles with scooped or notched blades at the end. Some are good for making corners, while others are better for rounded curves. The larger the tools, the bigger the projects you can handle. Art store kits should be treated the same as any knife -- with caution -- although they can be slightly more troublesome to sharpen.
Chain saw carving is an extremely difficult and specialized skill, recommended for those with a great deal of experience with using chain saws. It also requires visual and spatial skills, most likely found in someone who is already an experienced sculptor of large-scale projects.
Transfer your design onto the wood. You can do this free hand, recommended for 3-D carvings, or you can use a variety of tools to transfer your design onto a flat surface. You can use carbon or graphite paper to transfer a printed design or a burning pen to trace over the paper design and burn the image into the wood.
When creating freehand 3-D carving, it is important to have an eye for scale. For example, if carving a bust out of a square block of wood, you will need to cut off the edges to get a round look. However, there is no exact rule for how much or where to cut, so it is important that you rely on your sense of scale. It is best to have too much wood left over than too little.
Practice carving to make sure your tools are sharp. For large, solid blocks of wood, start from the edges with a small chisel and hammer, until you have acquired the general form you want. For example, a rounded shape for a head or the grooves of feathers. Afterward, use smaller chisels to carve the details.
You can hold smaller, softer pieces of wood as you carve or lay them on a table. Aim the knife or cutting tools at a 315-degree angle, or 45 degrees away from your body and face. Hold the wood away from you body, with your hand below the cutting tool and pull -- or push -- up and away with the tool. If you push down into the wood, you will cut a thicker chunk. This is faster but also takes more strength, and it is more likely you will make a mistake.
Begin carving your design. Start by removing empty space around the central object or image first. For example, if you are carving an image of a duck onto a wooden block and want to leave the outer edges as a frame, you should carefully cut around the squared frame first, then scoop out -- by cutting down into the wood, then angling up -- the background to an acceptable depth, then focus on the detailed work of the actual duck. You should use a rounded knife, to give the duck a general shape, then come in with progressively smaller and sharper knives to do the details. For details, always aim to just scratch the wood and angle up. If you go too deep you can easily ruin the image.
Finish your image by painting it, using a burn pen to draw details, or simply covering it in lacquer. You can even leave it without any sealant and let it take on a creepy weathered look, or plant moss in the crevices.