Yes We Carve. Barack O'Lantern stencils to politicize your Halloween.
posted by spiderskull on Oct 19, 2008 - 27 comments

Johnna Klukas makes science fiction wood carvings, sculpture and furniture. She has also detailed her techniques (with more "coming soon").
posted by DU on Aug 14, 2008 - 13 comments

Netsuke of the Meiji Period is an online exhibit from the Los Angeles County Museum, noted for the depth of its collection. (more). The György Ráth Museum and the Ferenc Hopp Museum also house a fine classic collection. (more). Today, netsuke carving is alive and well - see the Kiho Collection for one young master. If you would like to explore more sculpture for the hand, the International Netsuke Society has a good link list to many excellent contemporary netsuke artists.
posted by madamjujujive on Jan 6, 2008 - 14 comments

Looking some some ideas for cool jack o'lanterns? These free templates could help. From HP, Dremel (scroll down), eHow, DLTK, Pumpkin Masters, Hershey's , Reader's Digest and SpookMaster. Or watch the videos on the Do It Yourself Network for more carving tips and tricks.
posted by Pater Aletheias on Oct 31, 2007 - 14 comments

Brian Dettmer is an artist/surgeon who carves books into intricate, astonishing & precise new pieces of art.
posted by jonson on Aug 31, 2007 - 35 comments

Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland has been in operation for 800-odd years. Needless to say, this has given the miners plenty of time to carve some pretty amazing things. More photos here and here. Videos here and here. Virtual tour here. Wikipedia.
posted by dersins on Aug 16, 2007 - 36 comments

Chainsaw carving. For kids, too! Videos of some neat carvings in progress.
posted by Upton O'Good on Aug 2, 2007 - 8 comments

A few weeks ago, the first traditional Vedic temple (or mandir) opened in Europe. Yesterday the first of its kind was inaugrated in Canada. Something of an architectural marvel, each piece of the temple was made in India, the stones all being interlocking and load-bearing, thereby eliminating the need for nails or steel supports. In fact, it's put together entirely using ancient techniques.
posted by stinkycheese on Jul 23, 2007 - 10 comments

Please enjoy chainsaw carving, pencil carving, bone carving, turkey carving, ice carving, rice caving, rock carving, metal carving, ancient carving, airplane carving, tooth carving, microscopic carving horray!
posted by joelf on Jan 8, 2007 - 11 comments

CarveWright, a 3D wood carving machine made by former NASA robotics engineers. Demo video.
posted by stbalbach on Jan 8, 2007 - 26 comments

Watermelon Carving Creations with some instruction on how to carve your own swan. From whimsical to celebratory to just plain awesome. I bet this one took a really long time to carve while this one was funnier and faster. In the end, if you can think it, it can be carved into a watermelon. Yes, even that (NSFW, sound).Previously
posted by fenriq on Jan 7, 2007 - 11 comments

Like the much mefi'd Peter Callesen, Laura Cooperman carves up plain white paper into extremely gorgeous intricate designs. Sadly, outside of her primary website not many examples of her work can be found online.
posted by jonson on Dec 4, 2006 - 6 comments

Ahmad Nadalian's work can be found all over the world. He is an artist that carves symbols on rocks and then leaves them at the site where they were created (sometimes burying them).
posted by tellurian on Aug 2, 2006 - 7 comments

Not your Mother's pumpkins - A repost via xmutex, but who wouldn't want to carve conjoined twin or a radioactive pumpkin? I did the puking pumpkin last year and it was a hit with the kids.
posted by CoolHandPuke on Oct 23, 2005 - 8 comments

Pumpkingutter. It's not particularly seasonal, but... pumpkins!
posted by Wolfdog on Mar 24, 2005 - 5 comments

Nice Melons. Entirely and completely worksafe.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy on Feb 10, 2005 - 21 comments

George W. Bush and John Kerry pumpkin stencils. Celebrate the last weekend before the election by carving your endorsement into... well, I guess into anything, although pumpkins are recommended. (minor popup warning)
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Oct 27, 2004 - 5 comments

Watermelon carving - a gallery of intricate work and eclectic subjects. In Thailand, there is a tradition of elaborately carving fruit and vegetables, especially when preparing foods for royalty or as part of festivals such as Loi Krathong. This gallery offers some pictorial instructions; books, tools, and sample instructions are also available from the Temple of Thai.
posted by madamjujujive on Sep 9, 2004 - 15 comments

"My hobby? It's funny you should ask... I make erotic carvings out of coconut shells..."
posted by jonson on Mar 29, 2004 - 8 comments

Some pig! In September, a Cincinnati artist carved a pig with wings...out of 7,000 pounds of Ivory soap. (It was commissioned by the chamber of commerce for an economic conference.) Now "Sudsie" is being sent on tour to Nicaragua to promote a kids' handwashing campaign.
posted by Vidiot on Mar 15, 2004 - 5 comments

Bob Shamey is a jewelry maker who carves small things into smaller things, including toothpicks & seeds.
posted by jonson on Feb 25, 2004 - 2 comments

Egg Shell Carving.
posted by moonbird on Dec 7, 2003 - 16 comments

Visitors to the current Illinois State Fair have the opportunity to see an American classic, the Butter Cow. This year's cow was sculpted over two days by Nancy Wise. You can watch the construction or live shots of its admiring public at the Butter Cow Cam. [more inside]
posted by Songdog on Aug 8, 2003 - 22 comments

Pencil Carving For Experts. A mere four months after I posted this, I ran across this latest site of pencil carving wizardry, this time from Japan. Be sure to check out the gallery. The bar has been raised.
posted by jonson on Feb 11, 2003 - 25 comments

A 32,000 year old etching on an ivory mammoth tusk is linked to the constellation Orion which may have been used as a primitive "pregnancy calendar" designed to estimate when a pregnant woman will give birth. The oldest known drawing of a star pattern, it was created by the mysterious Aurignacian people about whom we know next to nothing save that they moved into Europe from the east supplanting the indigenous Neanderthals.
posted by stbalbach on Jan 26, 2003 - 17 comments

It's not too late to carve a pumpkin tonight, and the pumpkin lady has got you covered. Included on the site are full instructions and a pattern to create the most l33t pumpkin on your block.
posted by mathowie on Oct 31, 2002 - 9 comments

Butter sculptures can be rather elaborate, and are a folk art favorite at country fairs in the U.S. And on the other side of the globe in the ancient Himalayas, butter sculpting is an ancient symbolic tradition among Tibetan Buddhists, and is also an integral part of annual festivals and celebrations.
But in other dairy art, cheese sculptures haven't achieved quite the same level of dignity.
thanks to Wordforge for the Jim Victor link.
posted by madamjujujive on Oct 23, 2002 - 14 comments

Hobo nickels [cache] were once carved by yesterday’s homeless for for meals, a place to sleep, a ride or other favors. Now, we have master engravers like Arthur Hutchison, Sam Alfono and Steven Adams.
posted by pedantic on Apr 12, 2002 - 7 comments

Simple pleasures. The beginning of fall means pumpkin carving to me. Try something new. Pull a prank. Roast some seeds. Visit the Mecca of pumpkins. Carve a pumpkin underwater. But for god's sake, please don't forward me this picture again in email. Be a kid again and share your favorite jack o' lantern story.
posted by machaus on Sep 24, 2001 - 20 comments

Happy Turkey Day! Now turn off the computer and get back to your family...
posted by grant on Nov 25, 1999 - 0 comments