Sketching out the design 

The help get a reference on how my sculpture is going to look I like to draw a rough mockup of my design.  I don’t carve too deep into the face since I just want a reference for my design at this stage.

 *If you look closely at the picture to the right you can see an outline of a cats face. 

** I just use a sharp object to cutout the design.  I have a pottery tool that has a sharp edge on one end and a hook (gouge) on the other.   The hook is great for carving out lines.

Blocking in the design 

All right, I now have a rough idea for my design, now it is time to carve away the outer areas of the design.  I call this step blocking in the design.

Fully blocked in 

Here is what my pumpkin looks like when the outer edges of the design have been blocked in. 

Doesn’t look like much yet but it will soon start to take shape.

Separating the individual shapes 

The next step is to start identifying the different shapes.  I start off by creating a deep line that separates the mouth and nose from the eyes.