A beginners project carving a simple mouse

This is a great starter project for the first time carver because of it's absolute simplicity, size and economy of material.

It is ideal for someone who wants to have a go at carving but doesn't know where to begin, it can be achieved quickly, can be done with a reasonable quality penknife and finally, only uses a minimum of timber.

Added to all that I can supply the carving blanks seen in this photo which enable you to get stuck straight into the project without any of the hard work, what's called roughing out, ie getting to the basic outline stage.

I would start by drawing a centre line along the length of the mouse and pencil in where the rear legs and feet will be before cutting away the shape of the back and getting rid of the square edges.

The same is then done to the cheeks and nose, all the time softening the whole shape down.

Next shape the ears. The back of the ears is a simple task just rounding off, but the front of the ears is probably the hardest part of the whole project, especially if using only a penknife.

I would suggest gently hatching out each ear i.e. making a criss cross of small cuts across the inner ear and again gently chipping out the depth, then finally sanding smooth with glass paper.

The eyes can simply be drawn in with a black marker pen but if you are feeling adventurous this job definitely needs a bit of care and a sharp pointed tool to enable you to cut 2 tiny circles/lumps on the nose.

Almost there !, I said it was simple. Now for the legs and haunches which will appear naturally as you narrow the body,
Lastly it's the tail which can be a wee bit tricky depending on the type of timber being used, it is delicate in any case but can be made easier by simplifying the shape to just a gentle arc.

Now it's up to you how you finish up, smooth finish with sand/glass paper or let the blade marks show ? it's all about personal choice and preference, You will also have to decide upon wax, oils or varnishes, and if you get this far....you're hooked !. .There you have it, not too difficult but testing nonetheless I think the mouse is a good place to start your chip carving career and if you enjoy it why not then invest in some tools to make it all easier and give you better results and more satisfaction.