Jim Koepke asked me to post some pictures showing how to carve a simple flower. The pictures below show the progress boards I use when I teach beginners how to carve this simple flower.
Tools/supplies required:
Piece of 4/4 basswood, 12" long and 5 1/2" wide (the wood shown in the pictures is Spanish cedar - not the best carving wood)
2/5 gouge (gouge sizes are given in the Swiss system)
3/12 gouge
7/10 gouge
12/6 V-tool
Carver's mallet (optional)
Compass
Dividers
Pencil
Small ruler - perhaps 6 inches
Clamp to clamp down your work
See the picture. Begin by dividing your workpiece into two halves at the six inch mark. You'll only use half - the other half is for you to practice on after you do the first flower.
In that half section, draw lines from corner-to-corner to find the center of the workspace.
Using your compass, draw one circle about 5/8" in diameter (a little bigger is okay) and a second circle 3 1/4" in diameter (a little bigger is okay). Remember these measurements are diameter so divide them in half to set your compass.