Give a GiftDear Wildfowl Carver,
You never know where the inspiration for your next carving will come from. For some of us, it’s a walk in the woods and a lucky sighting of our favorite bird in the perfect pose. In the Summer issue of Wildfowl Carving, carver Sam Reichart shares the inspiration behind his beautiful bust of the American goshawk—known as the Ghost of the Forest. And he provides detailed instructions on how you can create your own Ghost of the Forest.
Download your pattern, print it out, & use it to prepare your bird to carve!
The American goshawk is one of just three “true” hawks native to North America. Avid birders may recall that the American goshawk was assigned its own species not long ago — in 2023. This bird is a stealthy, agile, magnificent hunter — and fiercely protective of its nest.
Sometimes a bird carving doesn’t have to be of the whole bird; you can capture the essence of the animal in a bust that showcases its outstanding features. In Sam Reichart’s case, he designed a bust of the goshawk featuring its head, chest, and shoulders — and those magnificent eyes!
Actually, the eyes were the inspiration for the whole project. Reichart had several pairs of goshawk eyes that had been sitting in a drawer for….well, for a long time. You know how that goes. He had also had the great fortune to raise a male American goshawk from an eyas to an older adult, so he had a really good idea of how the finished carving should look.
In this detailed demonstration article, The Goshawk, Ghost of the Forest, Sam Reichart takes you through his process of creating this carving, going from clay to wood. You’ll get a complete list of the materials and tools you need to start your own goshawk carving — from the dazzling glass eyes to the recommended wood to all the tools for creating your clay model, transferring the pattern to paper, and mapping it out on your wood block.
Reichart’s meticulous guidance includes dozens of full color images documenting the steps of the process, plus a beautiful shot of his finished bird. You’ll really appreciate his comprehensive guidance to help you create your own Ghost of the Forest!
When you pick a project from Wildfowl Carving, you get a downloadable pattern to scale up and print out to map out your carving!
Keep your carving skills sharp and your painting techniques pliable. Enjoy the creative convenience of downloadable printable patterns for special projects. There’s plenty of inspiration for you in the Summer Issue of Wildfowl Carving!
Become a Charter Member of the We Like Wildfowl Carving Gold Club today, and you’ll never run out of projects or inspiration! And right now, when you become a Gold Club Charter Member, you will get instant access to printable bird carving patterns and so much more!
When you activate your We Like Wildfowl Carving Gold Club Charter Membership today, you’ll get access to everything we have about bird carving—all access, all the time:
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Summary of Gold Club Membership Benefits |
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| 1 Year We Like Wildfowl Carving Charter Gold Membership | Now Only: $59/year! |
| A full year of We Like Wildfowl Carving magazine—Quarterly issues packed with printable bird patterns, color guides, step-by-step carving demonstrations, painting tutorials, tips, and expert techniques. | Included |
| Full access to the We Like Wildfowl Carving digital project library—That’s instant, complete access to every single printable project, tutorial, and video we have ever published! | Included |
| Instant access to We Like Wildfowl Carving Collections–We’ve created topic specific collections of our favorite projects like ducks, decoys, and owls. | Included |
| We Like Wildfowl Carving Videos—Watch clear step-by-step videos on carving and painting techniques. | Included |
| Instant digital access, so you can take your projects with you anywhere. | Included |
| Stunning full-color photographs for quick and easy learning. | Included |
Please act now, while this special offer is still in effect for you!
Happy Carving!
Caitlin Eaton
Editor, We Like Wildfowl Carving
P.S. Imagine having 24/7 access to hundreds of bird carving patterns, color guides, carving demonstrations, articles, and video tutorials to help you master any project. All this and more can be yours when you become a Charter Member of the We Like Wildfowl Carving Gold Club today!