Two years ago, I attended Ron Percell’s Micromeet in Petaluma, Calif., and received an unexpected carving lesson from sign carver Gary Erikson of Surfside Signs in Santa Cruz. Gary showed me how to carve a single, convex letter into a HDU sample he had in his trunk. I was struck by Erikson’s explanation of how he learned the trade from Gary Rhodes. Erikson recounted how Rhodes showed him the delightful potential of carving, and with a few pointers, he has been hooked ever since. With that statement, I wondered, could that happen to me? Well, I have been falling in love with the process, but it all happened so subtly, I now have to wrack my brain to recall what could possibly have deterred me from starting in the first place.

Rick Sacks, from Mendocino, Calif., starts a letter by striking the “stop line” at the center of the Roman letter with a mallet. This cut guides all of the slanting cuts so there will be a center groove without chipping the wood in unwanted areas.

On that day, all the elements of learning something new were present, starting with taking a day off to learn, whatever, something new and untried. Half the time we don’t even realize how much doubt rules our lives, which leads to all sorts of easy excuses for never trying something. Carving is a fun leisure activity that has a timeless and world-wide appeal. It is frequently embraced by amateurs who aren’t worried about time or money. I was able to forget about the clock, as well as the progress of routers, the collapsing market for slow crafts and the illusion that hand work has no place in our shops today, and just have fun.

The logo for Sway, a woman’s clothing store, benefited from a carved treatment. I used 1” thick, 15 lb. HDU foam. The art was loose and allowed me to practice on my first carved sign, without much concern for imperfections. I chose to spoon out the whole background with a curved gouge chisel, which created a crafted, hand-made look.

The finished product is two sheets of HDU on both sides, glued down to ¾” plywood and edged with straight Douglas Fir.

Last summer, I attended Art du Lac, a letterhead meet hosted by Rhodes in Pollack Pines, Calif. Rhodes converted his studio into a carving school for the weekend, and a crowd of teachers—who all chipped in, literally—were my mentors. I came prepared with a project that was based on the how-to book by Paul White, “Carving a Traditional Cape Cod Sign.” White’s book is probably the most detailed, step-by-step book ever written about carving a single sign.

This winning combination of hands-on instruction and a highly informative text allowed me to start (and complete) a project that was completely new for me, with increasing confidence. Failing was not an option in such an environment! At Art du Lac, I learned to make the sign the “Paul White way,” but I also benefited from a variety of interpretations, acquired through a range of diverse experience. There were so many different, yet similar, ways to accomplish the same goals that it became clear that carving is as much about personal style as it is about fundamentals.

Post-workshop, I faced a few challenges, such as acquiring my own chisels. There are sets that vary greatly in price and quantity for all types of carving, and I couldn’t be sure how serious my carving craze was going to be. I found myself choosing from high-end Japanese tools that range from $60-$80 each, and up. It sounds like a lot to pay, but the learning process goes much smoother when using high-quality gear. It helped to learn what other sign carvers thought of certain tools, and to borrow some others for a while, before adding to my collection. Another thing to keep in mind is that carving is much easier with sharp tools. There is a lot to learn in this area and investments to be made in sharpening equipment. There is also no shame in easy avoidance of potential hurdles, like paying $5 for a sharpening to keep the progress going.

I also didn’t wait to become a master woodworker before I started. There is no end to the knowledge and facilities required to work professionally with wood. For the time being, I’m satisfied with both ordering work from others and also knowing who to ask for help with the projects I do take on. For example, top-knotch carvers are completely in tune with the nature of the wood grain. Rhodes was demonstrating a cut and pointing out a shift in the material that I just could not see. This is where the benefit of many hundreds of hours of experience becomes evident. Carving in HDU foam can sidestep years of challenging practice that can be required for wood carving.

The finished carving is not meant to be perfectly smooth. The carving texture adds character to the final finish when it is gilded. It is only important to keep some consistency throughout.

The finished Acme sign was inspired by a sample I made at Micromeet two years earlier. It is made of two sheets of HDU similar to the Sway sign. I added a pre-fabricated crown molding to the frame for more depth. The bracket is wrought-iron done by Iron Leaf Forge of Berkeley, Calif.

Last month, I attempted to sell some type of special design to the owner of Acme Bar in Berkeley. I was showing her certain options and styles in my shop, but not getting any closer to clinching the deal. Finally, I grabbed some samples at random, without a clue about where we were headed. And then I showed her that first sample letter I carved with Erickson two years ago, and she was instantly charmed. To my surprise, she said, “That! That I like, can we do that?” Well now I can say, “Sure, no problem,” because I can carve! I couldn’t say that two years ago. These new skills have opened up exciting potential and opportunities because I put myself in a position to learn, while downplaying expectations and possible limitations. I was fortunate to have the chance to simply play at something previously unknown, and am enjoying surprising results.