If you've ever wondered what design to carve next or what style of pattern to use to enhance your current woodworking project, Lora Irish's treasury of classic wood patterns is for you. Within its pages, you'll find a vast selection of traditional themes to carve, burn, or paint.

Each design is presented as an easy-to-reproduce outline pattern, which can be transferred directly to your project, and as a sharply detailed sketch to guide the carving or shading of the design. Along with the patterns are tips on design composition, planning, and placement on the furniture form.

Introduction

1 Pattern Themes & Shapes

2 Line Designs

3 Triangular Designs

4 Square & Rectangular Designs

5 Circular & Oval Designs

6 S- & C-Curve Designs

7 Mirror-Image Designs

8 Free-Form Designs

9 Planning & Placement

Index of Patterns

As a freelance artist, Ive always felt it important to keep a file of designs and project ideas that Ive completed. This file, or artists morgue, is a record of work that Ive done as well as a source of reference that I can draw on for future works. When I began carving wood several years ago, it was natural to start compiling a file of patterns specifically for woodworking. As with most craftspeople, one idea often creates several variations and those variations expand into new ideas. This book is a sampling of those ideas.

You will find within these pages detailed drawings of patterns made for wood, which you can use for carving, burning, or painting. The detailed pencil sketches will help you visualize the final dimensions of your carving or the shading line of your painting. With each drawing, theres a larger outline pattern of the design that you can use for transferring to your own project. (Depending on the scale at which youre working, you can use the patterns at the size shown or enlarge or reduce them on a copier.) Although the designs are clearly created, it will be your imagination that will transform them into fine furniture and other heirloom creations.

Many of the designs contain reference marks that will direct you in squaring the pattern to your work or a center mark for compass placement on circular designs. Also included at the end of the book are a few tips on pattern making and design transfer.

Whether youre looking for a small accent or a large panel pattern, a corner or a curve, I hope that this book will help to spark your imagination.