I am enjoying this. I tried relief carving awhile back, but that went pretty badly. It was more difficult technically and my hands hurt a lot from it too. This type of carving is more pleasurable because you can hold the work piece in you hand while carving and once you get to know a little about anatomy, it is easier to determine the planes on the face and body and also how the clothes hang. I’m currently studying some drawing books sent to me from my son to learn those things.

Mike, an American living in Norway