Carving Water Birds

Book excerpt: Carve Beautiful Water BirdsExplore the beauty of water birds by using these templates to create your own collection. Created by master carver and wildlife illustrator Anthony Hillman, these templates for 12 species of water birds show you everything you need to know to skillfully craft each one. Species included are:Atlantic PuffinAmerican CootBlack SkimmerVirginia RailHorned GrebeBelted KingfisherCommon TernHerring GullCommon LoonBrown PelicanGlossy IbisGreat Blue HeronHillman provides detailed instructions on how to choose and prepare the wood, and how to proceed with various parts of the body, including feet for the standing birds. Six of the templates here are life-size, and the remainder include notes providing full-size dimensions; many of these carvings can be made from a single piece of wood. All patterns have top, front, and side views to aid in maintaining proportions. Carving Water Birds is an accurate and easy-to-use guide for carvers of all abilities to use in creating some of the best-known birds of watery domains.Be sure to add other guides by Anthony Hillman, published by Echo Point Books, to your library: Painting Duck Decoys, Carving Miniature Duck Decoys, Painting Shorebird Decoys, Carving Favorite Songbirds, and Carving Traditional Fish Decoys.