Draw a sketch for your natural wooden sculpture with a sketch pad and pencil. A sketch pad helps configure your ideas for the sculpture. Draw the proposed sculpture from all angles, because a sculpture is a three-dimensional artwork, and you must give attention to all its sides. Also, write down the dimensions you want the sculpture to be.
Choose wood for your sculpture. Aspen and basswood are soft woods that are ideal for beginning wood sculptors. Dried tree branches can also be used. Draw onto the wood with your pencil using your sketch as a guide. The drawing does not have to be detailed. Just add pencil marks to areas you want to carve to help with your overall project.
Gouge out large areas first with the gouge tool directed away from you. For harder woods, hammer the tool with a mallet. Point the gouge at a 45-degree angle and strike the end with the mallet. Go with the grain of the wood if possible.
Carve more detailed areas -- or smaller projects -- with a carving knife with the blade at a 45-degree angle. Carve away from your body and use your sketch as a guide for your sculpture. Turn the project over often -- or walk around it to work on all sides. Step back sometimes to look how the overall sculpture is working.
Carve out fine details with a smaller carving knife. Once you are satisfied with the sculpture, sand it with sandpaper. Sand all the areas necessary; and be sure to not lose any fine details with the sanding. Rub the carving with linseed oil or beeswax to protect the natural wood.