WoodSpirit Woodcarving Practice - Carving A Face in a Cedar Log 

Its like watching someone rise from sleep watching them coming out from the wood as you work. Just amazing to me.

Dude... I have been watching and practising carving here for the past year. This video has given me more than anything in terms of instruction, simple follow instruction me and no idle chit chat. love it to pieces. Thank you for that, you have a new subscriber.

Just started exploring wood carving and whittling and I've seen like three of your videos in the past 48 hrs. You are great! Love the work you do and the videos are so helpful. Thank you for taking your time and showing us how you do your work every step of the way. New big fan :-)

Lol. Great video and format. FYI, I just culled three huge birch trees at my other property. Not sure how green you need it, but you're welcome to as much as you want.

Doug, in my eyes you are a real artist, it was so enjoying to watch. Thanks so much!

You inspired me to learn to carve and I’ve been doing well but struggle with eyes and nose sometimes... this video helped so much! Love the carving videos!

I could watch you carve all day. So relaxing. Very skilled.

Hey Doug. This was awesome---I just went out and got my first wood and ordered my first carving knives (be here Monday). Loved watching your amazing skill and hope to learn much from you. Being a professional illustrator, I already learn visually--so watching you was perfect.

great to see this. Bass wood is expensive in the UK - for a 74 year old pensioner it is. Plus it mainly only comes in 1 or 2 inch square. My Staffordshire Bull Terrier insists on bring a trophy back from her walk and they pile up in the yard. Not a stick, more a small log. About 2 and a bit inches in diameter. I saw this post and chopped a few into 10 inches long. Free wood. Love your posts Doug. Keep at it. Ron UK.

I think it's great Doug, and the video was so clear and crisp.

Thanks Doug. A very good and expresive job. Hope one next day this Wood Spirit will protect the long house you build. Amitiés de France.

Great job Doug!!!! I love your way of thinking! 2 years from now you'll be the shiznit!!!! Not that you aren't already!

You are a true artist Doug even though you a so modest and say that you are just practicing. Love watching your channel ! Thanks Doug Linker !

Nice work Doug! I’ve carved and sold over 500 faces in cottonwood bark. Actually get asked to carve and demonstrate for tourist. I enjoy it. I also enjoy your channel and have been watching about a year now I guess. I started carving after I ended up being paralyzed in an accident. After lots of therapy I can take care of myself. Carving helps me to occupy my time and my mind. I carved a pumpkin from a video last year. Thanks for all the work it takes to produce nice videos.

Aspire to perfection, but dread it as well. Celebrate your imperfect results, they mean you still have something to learn, something to keep you working towards. I really enjoyed watching you carve this and would like to try I've myself one day.

Hey Doug, I’m new to carving and I’m hooked. This video was by far the most helpful in just understanding certain cuts because of the size of the sculpture. Thanks so much.

You are humble, thank you for sharing your skills! It was really helpful

Love the Wood Spirit Carving -- the smell of cedar is awesome.

You are the man Doug. Please never leave us to fend for ourselves

You are amazing! The eyes are GREAT! we are 'our own worst critic' - I see nothing wrong with eyes 😍The entire process must take a great deal of time considering this was fast speed. Thank you for sharing and I always appreciate the folks who share their talents and knowledge. Super cool carving video!

Doug....You put yourself down!!...It's brilliant work..I wish my wood spirits were as good as yours!...Keep them coming.

Even though this isn't a tutorial you filmed and edited it so well that I could follow along and make one if I wanted too. Nice carving Doug.

Absolutely amazing carving. He looked perfect to me. Thanks for sharing your fantastic talent.

Doug, thanks, I carved the wood spirit on a 6" diameter Cherry Wood log, hard wood. I used a 3/8" Brad Point Bit to drill the center pupils out, then took two 3/8" rounded taper wood plugs, with a torch charred them black, and glued them in for pupils, they look great.

Enjoy all your videos especially coffee and carve. Always learning tks

I'm a self taught carver, and I have learned that each attempt gets us closer to perfection and we always strive to do better, no matter how good we get.

Great Carving Doug and another stellar video.

Very nice carving Doug. I do enjoy it when you liberate wood from your friends. I use cedar and basswood as my primary wood for decoy carving. So anytime I see another carver working in cedar it makes me smile.

I like how you always "find" wood lying around, ha!

Great video Doug, always a pleasure to watch a artist do their thing. Very enjoyable video.

Great wood spirit Doug !!! Hoping to get back to carving now that all my eye surgeries are done and have new glasses. Thanks as always !!!

I know you said it wasn't going to be a tutorial, but this was still a very worthy learning video. Thank you.

Doug. I think it actually turned out great. I hope mine turn out at least half that good. I got a couple of logs from my neighbors aspen tree he took down a few months ago. Might be a good little project for those pieces. As always thank you Doug.

Looks great! Your tools are SHARP!

that and a honest thank you for inspiring me to get into this relaxing hobby, finally got one finished

Great video..it never ceases to amaze me how you can bring to life a piece of scrap wood.

I love your carving videos! Since watching your videos on carving, I have decided to start again. Thank you for that.

Imperfections adds more character then perfect Doug

Lovely and calming to watch

Hi Doug - I love watching you carve. I watch your videos and then go give it a try. I think I carved 40 simple Santa's last year for Christmas. Looks like I'll be moving back to wood spirits now. I'm off for a camping trip next week - probably a good time to pick up a piece of wood and give it a go. Thanks as always.

You work with the wood as if it were butter. You make it look easy. That wood spirit guy looks like he has seen a grissley up close. You do great work, Doug. 😺💞

Love, love , love it. Fantastic expression. Thank you for sharing.

Hi i am very impressed Doug ,i have carving for at least 40 yrs i have done birds ducks faces horses scenery you name i haves carved it .Now i want to do wood wood spirits .I have watched power carving ,not my thing .Please do not stop i am very interested in the way you do it . Julien lamarche

Beautiful creation Doug ! Thank You for sharing your video, and your amazing skills. ATB

Thanks Doug, not started yet but this has helped me gain confidence to start. Thank you.

Awesome Doug the more i watch you the more im inspired just got my basic carving tools to get going . The eyes are so damn creepy i need to do one for the bottom of my garden stuck on the tree to freak the ramblers out that go past lol.

Carving is a journey. You are on the right path. Nice work.

Nice job Doug, you brought a piece of wood to life. I really enjoy your videos.

I really liked this video! Excellent craftmanship!

Just finished my 1st wood spirit, thanks to your tutorials. 3rd piece from your videos, getting some confidence to make my own art built on your basics. This one is a fridge magnet. Using up my 1 x 1 blanks anyhow. I find them a little small for the basic figures you teach, I do much better on 1 1/2" blanks. The wood spirit fridge magnet makes good use of the 1" blanks, they're less complex with less small features. I'm thinking you're a tad hard on yourself here, looks good to me, and I too struggle with eyes, they are where where the life comes from, and never seem to stand up to the plan. Amazing what a couple of white dots in a black field will though. Thanks

Excellent work! wish you would sell your carvings. Would love to have one! Thank you for sharing your work with us!

That is BRILLIANT!!!!! I've notices that other conifers are quite stringy when they are still wet/green. It's a bit like trying to carve cheese straws (if you have those on your side of the pond - I'm in the UK), all they want is for the string to be pulled the full length of the log and it's really irritating!!! Personally I think it just adds to the character of the carving and as the wood dries out they can always be tidied up with a knife 👍👍👍👍

Love watching you work. I'm glad I was led to you. I watched an older man releasing a little dog from a piece of wood. He was asked, how do you know what to cut. He studied a little and said, you just cut away what is not a dog.

Once again, a pleasure, Doug. Thanks

Always love to watch your carvings take shape.

Great job !! You are a skilled artist for sure.......keep the knowledge coming PLEASE...........and thank you !!

Your talent is amazing, Thanks Doug.

You always make it look easy !

Thanks Doug, that was great!

Love it!!! Nice! Always enjoy anything you happen to show us. Peace and Good Fortune to you and your family. I think it turned out awesome!

I am so amused by your hobby.

Thank you so much!! The V tool sharpening was so helpful also! Now, I know what I’m doing ‼️👍🏻

I loved the video, and I loved your result. thank you.

Your carving videos are so peaceful. I’m excited to begin carving soon.

This is brilliant Doug, have you ever thought of writing a book about carving for folk who are disabled and cannot follow at your speed. I think it would be a big winner with all those other fans of yours who are able to follow all your carvings. Best wishes from Reuben, an avid fan from the UK.

What?? It looks perfect to me!!! Awesome job Doug!!!

very good job by the way, thanks for sharing your techniques with us - good vibes from Brazil

this is so perfectly symmetrical and cool looking

Very nice work! My wrists hurt just watching you hit that carving knife!

Doug, I love to watch you carve !

Looks pretty perfect to me Doug!

I love wood. Super Doug.

Always did like to carve woodspirits. Tom Wolfe from North Carolina has a lot of good books that helped me when I was starting out. Nice job Doug! 😎👍

Thanks Doug. Great video

LMAo The way he "found" the logs had me cracking up!

Fantastic carving --- looks amazing Doug. Thanks for the video.

Looks good.. I learned a few tricks.. and loved your 1" owls and your wood slice owls on recent videos. Very Crafty!!!1

Sweet enough thanks Doug 👍

John here just retired in Jan and got some carving tool out that I have been holding on to like to try to make animals and old timers as well good job on your well my turn to try

Very cool Doug 👍. Take care and God bless ✌️

You being the artist and perfectionist finds all the irregularities and flaws in your work whereas for me the viewer I'm in awe with your creation is so good. everything about it to me looks perfect. the look, expression, wrinkles, hair all of it looks so good i find nothing out of place or bad. in fact look around you in a crowd. do you really see anyone without some flaw in their features? Great Mistro.

Love, love,love it!!!! Eyes look great! I want one! Already have too many hobbies but looks like this could be a new one. Thanks man🇨🇦

Thank you for the videos. You have a great talent and an entertaining way of delivering the information!

Didn't realise it was going to be a self portrait. :D Love your work mate.

Thanks Doug, love your stuff. Kevin does great eyes, especially for the larger carvings like this. I use a simplified version of what he does and they come out pretty good on the little ones I do.

Hi Doug, Fantastic videos, bought a nasty cheap knife, some hard dry (UK) wood and now on my second whittle THANKS I have had to make a few videos for my High school students due to COVID lockdown. If I check the "Educational" box, there are no adverts that interrupt the learning/video. I thought i should mention it as these ads seem to be longer than the movie so far. Keep it up, loving every minute of these, third "studio" looks great......Thank you

this is amazing! love your videos doug!!

Thank you for the great video. I think that when perfection is reached, many times character is lost. From Mesa,Az.

Simply brilliant

Nice video, thanks Doug!

Thanks Doug. Now I have to spend a couple hundred dollars on more tools. Not like that will help me. You certainly have talent sir. Been following your channel for years. Keep doing what you are doing my friend. Cheers.

Artistic creativity @ it's best! So relaxing to watch!!

Great video as always. I like that you are willing to try different things and to admit if something doesn't go as expected. I look forward to your next video no matter what it is.

Man you really kick ass i would kill to be as good as you one day iv seen alot of your videos and i just wanted to say thank you for takeing the time out of your day to teach us all your awsome skills iv learnd alot from you i havent done anything yet picture worthy but hopefully some day well thank you again

Good quick video I wouldn’t change a thing great job it inspired and helped me alot. I like the less explanation just to watch you do it.

So clever. Very inspiring.

Always Awesome Doug ,, You are a true Artist......From Mind To Masterpiece....

Thank you for taking the time to record this. Enjoyed seeing you bring the old guy out of the wood you FOUND laying around lol

the eyes looked pretty dang good to me - you make this look easy Doug! just tried my first with your 5 minute wizard the other day. turned out alright but the little ridge on the hat chipped off which I had to glue back. you're so right - this stuff is satisfying. and rather timely to complete in one sitting. want to try this bigger one next with some chisels. let you know how it turns out

Outstanding work Doug . Thank you my friend