KITCHEN TABLE TOOLS
Home carving tools, sculpting suppliers and books
If you want to start carving soft stones such as alabaster, soapstone, or talc, you may have all the tools you need in the kitchen and garage. Here is a short list of common household tools for carving:
-Exacto knife
-Files
-Jackknife
-Rubber mallet
-Sandpaper
-Screwdriver
-Wood chisel
-Wood rasps
Once you have collected them, all you need is soft stone.
You can use a bar of soap or wax to get your first experience shaping a block, but these are not stable and liable to damage from moisture and heat.
I have included a list of stone and tool sources at the end of this post. Many have online catalogs. However, I recommend starting with your own “kitchen table” tools until you decide how serious you are about carving.
Common household tools: screwdrivers, rubber mallet, tack hammer, exacto knife, jackknife, kitchen paring knife, mat knife, hacksaw blade, wood chisel, mesh sandpaper. Other tools not shown: wood rasps, files, nail files, sandpaper.
STONE AND TOOLS
-Colorado Alabaster Supply, Ft Collins CO
-The Compleat Sculptor, NYC
-Direct Stone Tool Supply, San Leandro CA
-Hard Rock Tool, Anaheim CA
-Sculpture House, NYC
-Stone Tools, Santa Fe Springs, CA
-2Sculpt, Lawrence KS
CARVING STONES ONLY
-Adam Ross Cut Stone, Albany NY
-Alpine Gem and Mineral, Summit UT
-Cobrastone Quarries, Midland TX
-Inverness Soapstone, Charlottesville VA
-Indiana Limestone Co, Bloomington IN
-Montana Tile and Stone, Bozeman MT
-Vermont Soapstone, Perkinsville VT
INSTRUCTION FOR ARTISTS
-Davidson “The Art of Zen Gardens”
-Decorative Patterns of the Ancient World for Craftsmen”
-Ellenberger “Animal Anatomy”
-Faigin “Artists’ Complete Guide to Facial Expression”
-Hogarth “Dynamic Anatomy”
-Leibson “Direct Stone Sculpture”
-Muybridge “Horses and Other Animals in Motion”
-Prince “Carving Wood and Stone”
FAMOUS STONE SCULPTORS
-Bourgeoise-Phaidon Press “Louise Bourgeoise”
-Noguchi-Herrera “Listening to the Stone: The Art and Life of Isamu Noguchi”
-Jose de Creeft-Campos “The Sculpture of Jose De Creeft”
-Goulet-Artshuler Kennedy Galleries “Louise Goulet”
-Hepworth-Hepworth “A Pictorial Autobiography”
-Houser-Perlman “Allan Houser”
-Michelangelo•various sources: “Michelangelo”
-Morre-Henry Moore ”Early Carvings: 1920-1940”
-Nevelson-Farnsworth Art Museum “Louise Nevelson”
-Zorach-Zorach “My Life is My Art”
-Zuniba-Paquet “Zuniga Sculptures”
INDIGENOUS SCULPTURE
-Bahti “The Spirit in the Stone”
-Branson “Fetishes and Carvings of the Southwest”
-Chapungu (Zimbabwe) “Custom and Legend: A Culture in Stone”
-Hessel and Hessel “Inuit Art”
-Rodee & Ostler “The Fetish Carvings of Zuni”
-Skira “Guide to Pre-Columbian Art”
-Swinton “The Art Of The Eskimo