Carving the Celtic Warrior (Handtools Only)

The Celtic Warrior Carving was one of my first projects when I started woodworking/making,it was my second or third time carving and I am really happy with how it turned out! I decided to challenge myself to use only handtools for this carving!

I made a video of the entire process for my YouTube channel BCDesign please watch, thumbs up and subscribe if you like it!

• I am not great at drawing but wanted this project to be all my own
• I drew a warrior as best I could with a shield and sword I also gave him a beard and helmet as for a beginner carver it means you have to carve less facial and body features.
• I was going to put horns on his helmet viking style but did not like the way this looked so I did not carve them and went instead with the Celtic Style look for the warrior.

• I use my vtool to carve along the lines of my drawing
• Using a vtool allows you to make the stop cut to the desired depth quite easily
• we use stop cuts so that when material is being removed with a gouge later, the piece you carve out will break off at the stop cut and not tear out material you do not want to remove!

• I next started using assorted gouges to remove material to give depth to the carving.
• carefully carve the material with the gouge and try not to let the edges of the chisel go under the wood as this can cause tear out
• The stop lines you carved earlier will help alot here, they will stop you removing material from areas by accident.

• To make the carving look more realistic, you need to create areas of what I call light and shadow
• In the pictures above you can see the warriors hand before I carve between the fingers and knuckles and after
• In the after shot you can see the shadow between the fingers and the areas that stand out reflecting the light.
• I also removed wood between the beard and shield to give the appearance the shield is being held out in front of the face.
• I removed lots of material along the edge of the sword to create a lot of shadow along the blade that will really make it stand out when light hits the blade.

• I used my veiner and vtool to create the effect of hair on the beard and mustache
• I removed material around the mouth and eyes with my 1/4" gouge to add areas of depth
• Next I created teeth using a carving knife and gouge very carefully.
• Use an appropriate size gouge to create a pupil in each eye by removing wood in a circular motion.
• I rounded the arms over and created a crease in the skin where your elbow naturally bends, I also added definition to the bicep by creating an area of shadow underneath it.
• I used the 3/4" inch gouge to add a sloping rounded appearance to the helmet

• I drew a center line along the length of the swords blade.
• The center line would be the highest point on the blade,I used the 3/4" gouge to create a sloping blade profile from the center line of the blade to each edge.
• I added Celtic swirls to the guard of the sword and gave the grip a ribbed texture almost like it was wrapped with leather.
• I used the vtool to carve some lines across the shield to give it a battle worn look.
• Then I hand sanded any areas that were rough from 120 grit to 400 grit.

• I added the finish which was beeswax and mineral oil mixed
• This was my most enjoyable project ever & I hope to make more carvings soon!!

I made a video as I carved, please watch it and thumbs up & subscribe if you like it!!Thanks for reading and watching!!