Select a type of stone to work with. Soapstone is the softest, but damages easily. Alabaster is a bit harder, but still soft enough to carve easily. Limestone is slightly harder than alabaster, but does not polish up smoothly. Marble and granite are only recommended for experienced stone carvers.
Purchase some sandbags and fill each halfway with sand or cat litter and tie them closed. Depending on the size of your stone, you may need anywhere from one to four sandbags. Sandbags act to cushion and support your piece, absorbing vibrations as you carve and preventing breakage. Wedge these around your stone before beginning to carve.
Wear safety goggles and leather gloves. Carving stone creates chips that can easily fly into your eye. Gloves help you maintain a firm grip on the hammer and chisel. Wear a dust mask to avoid breathing in any particles.
Rough out the general shape of the stone. Use a two-sided mason hammer with a heavy pointed chisel. This chisel removes large chunks of stone and resembles a railroad spike. During this step you will remove the majority of the stone, leaving behind a general shape for more detailed carving.
Start to add details to your rough piece using a toothed chisel that removes smaller amounts of stone. Start in the middle of your stone, holding the chisel at a 45-degree angle, and work toward the edges. If you were making a face, you would start to create the shape of the nose, mouth and eyes during this step.
Apply a flat chisel to the carving. This tool is used to remove lines and marks made by the toothed chisel, further defining and detailing your piece's features.
File your piece. Files still allow you to remove some stone, but in smaller amounts than the chisels. During filing, you will give your carving's features their final shapes.
Sand the surface of your stone. You should now have all the details the way you want them. Sanding simply makes the surface of the stone smooth in preparation for polishing. Start with a coarse, 100 grit sandpaper. Use progressively finer sandpaper until you reach 2000 grit.
Wax the stone with a carnauba floor wax. Work the wax in your hands until it starts to melt, and then rub it into the sculpture. Once you have covered the stone in wax, polish it with a cloth diaper.