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Free cardinal wood carving pattern and tutorial
You can carve this beautiful bird in no time.
LEVEL: EASY
Our cardinal wood carving pattern is super easy to use and can be carved very quickly, too. If you glue your bird to a stick (like we did) it makes a beautiful piece that can be displayed anywhere.
The Northern cardinal is one of our favorite birds. We have a male and female that visit our bird feeders every day. They are quite territorial, and once they ”claim” a home, they tend to stay there. The males are bright red, while the females are more muted.
What you need for this cardinal wood carving pattern and tutorial
- Our template at the end of this page to trace the pattern.
- Basswood block (ours is 1 x 1 x 3 inches (2.54 x 2.54 x 7.62 cm). For a bigger bird, just double or triple the size of your wood.
- Knife of choice (we use a Helvie Boxcutter that is great for both roughing out and detail work).
- Pencil or pen.
- Wood burning pen (optional).
- Acrylic paints and brushes of choice.
- Good carving gloves for safe carving.
Cardinal wood carving tutorial at a glance
Cardinal wood carving pattern: Trace the shape
- Use our free cardinal wood carving pattern (at the end) to trace your bird on one side (photo 1). You can use Scotch tape or glue to affix it.
- Reverse the cardinal wood carving pattern (white side will be up) to draw the opposite side of the bird on your block (photo 2).
- You can also trace the back of the bird on the top of your block (photo 1) or just eyeball it like we did.
Prefer to use a bandsaw? You can also use our cardinal wood carving pattern for your roughout.
1. Attach and trace an outline of the pattern
2. Reverse side of templateCardinal wood carving pattern: Roughout the shape
- Using a roughout knife, start to remove wood around the pattern on both sides (photos 3,4).
- Use a stop cut to cut the underside of the beak, removing wood from underneath (photos 5,6).
- Draw a line to indicate where you will reserve wood for the head (photo 6).
- Remove wood from the back of the cardinal (photo 7).
3. Remove wood around guidelines
4. Continue roughing out wood
5. Use stop cuts to create the beak
6. Beak is cut and wood for head is reserved
7. Shaping back of the cardinalCardinal wood carving pattern: Shape the head and beak
- Shave wood off each side of the head to narrow the shape (photo 8).
- Mark wood on the top and the sides of the head where you will use 2 pyramid cuts to remove wood (photos 9-11).
- Use an angled cut to remove the wood from the back of the head (marked in photo 11 and completed in photo 14).
- Mark the wood that you will remove to shape the tail (photos 11,12).
8. Narrowing each side of the head
9. Wood is marked for removal
10. Starting first pyramid cut
11. Pyramid cuts are made on each side
12. Removing excess woodSome great knives I (Dana) use!
I love these very sturdy Focuser Carving knives (affiliate link). Their carving knife is very comfortable to use.
The chip carving knife is my go-to for clean pyramid cuts. The long whittling knife is good for roughing out wood.
All are terrific for beginners, reasonably priced, and readily available.
They also support this website whenever purchases are made using these links (at no cost to you).
Cardinal wood carving pattern: Refine the bird
- Continue refining the cardinal until you reach the desired shape (photos 13-16).
- Make a line cut on each side to define the underpart of the wing (photos 14,15).
13. Front view of cardinal
14. Right view
15. Left view
16. Back viewCardinal wood carving pattern: Wood burn to add texture (optional)
- You can use a wood burning pen (affiliate link) to create texture and interest on the beak, head, wings, and tail of the cardinal (photos 17-21).
- Look at photos of real cardinals to help guide you (photo 22).
- If you do not have a wood burner, you can use your knife to make cuts and use brown paint.
17. Creating texture with wood burning pen
18. Front view
20. Right view
19. Left view
21. Back view
22. Use real pictures for guidanceCardinal wood carving pattern: Time to paint
To get this look (all brands listed contain affiliate links):
- First body wash (including beak): 1 drop of ArtSkills red paint mixed with 5 drops of water.
- Second body wash: 1 drop of Badger crimson paint mixed with 3 drops of water.
- Beak: 100% Badger yellow paint on top of wet red paint (blend).
- Head and back accents: 100% Badger crimson paint.
Free cardinal wood carving pattern
- Use this pattern to trace the cardinal onto your basswood block. You can make it bigger or smaller to fit.
- You can also use the pattern with a bandsaw if you prefer to create your roughout that way.
Cardinal wood carving pattern and tutorial summary
- Our cardinal wood carving pattern is easy to use and carves up very quickly.
- You can carve the entire piece from a basswood block with just a knife.
- A wood burning pen is optional for texture (you can use your knife if you don’t have one).
- The paint is applied in layers so the top is darker than the underbelly.
- Click here to see more pictures of real Northern cardinals for reference.
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Some great knives I (Dana) use!
I love these very sturdy Focuser Carving knives (affiliate link). Their carving knife is very comfortable to use.
The chip carving knife is my go-to for clean pyramid cuts. The long whittling knife is good for roughing out wood.
All are terrific for beginners, reasonably priced, and readily available.
They also support this website whenever purchases are made using these links (at no cost to you).
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