Carve the face

• 1). Clamp the cane so it can't move. Carve the bark from the face area with a knife or shallow gouge. Draw a vertical center line on the carved area and a horizontal line where the eyes will be. Draw a short horizontal line for the bottom of the nose.
  
  
• 2). Use a no. 9 gouge to cut a horizontal channel for the eyes, cutting away the top pencil line. The channel should follow the curve of the cane. Make it deep enough (about 3/8 inch) so the eyebrows stand out. Use a fishtail gouge to carve off the edges of the channel. Shape the eyebrows. Use a gouge to separate them.
  
  
• 3). In his book "Wood Spirits and Green Men," Shawn Cipa uses a half-inch no. 9 gouge to form the nose. He recommends putting the tip of the gouge, rounded side down, just above the nose pencil line while angling the handle toward the top of the cane. Use a mallet to tap in the gouge, bringing up the handle as you do to round the end of the nose. The gouge handle should finish standing straight up.
  
  
• 4). Carve upward to the bottom of the nose with a fishtail gouge. Shape the nose with gouges until you like how it looks. Add nostrils with a small gouge. Shape the cheeks along with the nose.
  
  
• 5). Draw the eyes in a shape you like. The eyes should match and be in the same position. Use a small v-tool to carve along the pencil lines. Using a detail knife, cut along the lines at the corner of the eyes. Carve out the corners of the eyes and round the eyeball.
  
  
• 6). To carve a pupil, push a 1/8-inch veiner into the eyeball at an angle starting near the bottom, cutting toward the eyebrow. Match the other pupil to the first one. Carefully cut a curved line for the iris; cut out a wedge alongside so it stands out from the white of the eye. This will make your carving more lifelike.
  
  Use a v-tool for smile lines carved out from the corners of the eyes.
  
  
• 7). Use a mallet and a half-inch v-tool to cut in the hairline above the forehead and the outline of the mustache. Using the same tool, carve curved lines into the eyebrows, upward for hair, and along the flow of the mustache. Do the same for the beard, cutting curved lines into the bark.
  
  
• 8). When satisfied with your carved face, add a finish such as polyurethane or wax to protect your carving and add a soft sheen.