Caricature Carvers Showcase: 50 of the Best Designs and Patterns from the Caricature Carvers of America (Fox Chapel Publishing) 30 Featured CCA Members and Their Work, from Woodcarving Illustrated Paperback – Illustrated, November 1, 2007

When I decided to pick up a caricature carving book I was thrilled by the number of titles available. This excitement soon turned to confusion as I tried to decide which books to add to my cart and which to leave on the Amazon.com shelf. A large part of the problem was that most of the books within the field of caricature carving seemed to carry a 4 or 5 star rating which prevented me from enacting Rule No.1 of my AMAZON RULE OF PURCHASE which states: All things being equal, purchase the item with the highest customer rating. So with Rule No.1 nullified I found myself pouring over page after page of LOOK INSIDE in an attempt to narrow down my choices. Unfortunately, that wasn't much help either so I took the unprecedented step of just buying EVERY caricature carving book I could find that carried a 4 or 5 star rating.10 days and 5 titles later I'm ready to offer you my feedback, based on a few essential criteria, in the hopes that I'll save you both the time and the money I invested. Before I get to my ratings, let me run down the criteria I used to make my assessments:1) Larger books with good color photography trump smaller books with black & white photography.2) Books that provide step-by-step instruction are far superior than photographic collections of finished projects.3) Books that provide complete instruction, from wood selection to painting techniques, are better than books offering scant or piecemeal instruction.4) Because individual carvers have unique styles, I found that the books that contained the works of numerous carvers were far more instructional than those containing the works of just one carver.With those 4 criteria in mind, my top 5 caricature carving books are:1) Caricature Carving: Expert Techniques & 30 All-Time Favorite Projects ~ The BEST of the bunch. Wonderful photographs outlining the steps required to carve the works of numerous different artists. Instructions run from wood selection all the way to paint selection with everything in between including which tools to use. If you have a limited budget or you just want to own one caricature carving book then this is the one for you. 5 STARS2) Caricature Carvers Showcase ~ Unlike the #1 selection, this title does not include ANY step-by-step instructions on carving so if you're looking for an instructional guide, this ISN'T it. So why do I rate it so highly? Because it contains wonderful color photographs of the work of 50 different carvers; and while it's a mystery HOW the artists created their work, you can't help but shake your head in amazement at the finished product. 4½ STARS3) Whittling Little Folk ~ A smaller text from a single artist. The work here is more basic than most caricature carvers which is not necessarily a bad thing for the novice carvers among us. Good step-by-step color photography. The first 2 projects are covered in detail from wood selection to final coat of paint. The final 15 or so projects are described in far less detail. Not as flashy as some of the other titles, but this one grew on me and was actually the source book for my very first carving effort. 4 STARS4) Caricature Carving from Head to Toe ~ A decent text that contains thorough, step-by-step instructions and photographs leading to the creation of an elderly gentleman caricature. The book contains the work of just one artist so you'll garner just one perspective which I think is a major limitation. A gallery of the artists work rounds out the text, and while his work is of the highest quality it's not as varied as that of a collection of artists. 3 STARS5) Carving the Little Guys ~ With just 31 pages this is more of a pamphlet than a book. The text is again the work of a single artist who's forte appears to be basic caricatures. Good photographs instruct the reader in the production of just a single, basic caricature (is the black thing under his nose a tongue or a moustache?). Overall, rather disappointing. 2 STARSSo there you have it, I hope that saves you the time I lost as well as the money I spent!

The first 20 pages show caricatures from expert carvers and they are really well done! Following those 20 pages are 50 really cool carvings with patterns. This book has a few tips for each pattern but no actual instruction so it is a better buy if you are an intermediate carver wanting to challenge him/herself or and expert carver looking for patterns. I suspect that a carver who is capable of carving these would also be making up his/her own patterns. Anyway, I like it and am excited to try to duplicate some of these patterns.

I am a woodcarver, and am interested in this type of book. Lots of patterns and information. It is more than one experts patterns and you also learn a little about these people. I think the book is between good and excellent. You have to measure the patterns pretty carefully, they tend to have different measurements. They are a lot of fun to carve.The Caricature Carvers Showcase: 50 of the Best Designs and Patterns from the Caricature Carvers of America (Woodcarving Illustrated Books)

This is for the advanced carver. Has some good patterns

Love it !. Its not a instructional book but photos of work by some very talented people. They give a brief history of each carver and one tip based upon their experience. It is really inspiring and can influence one to really delve into this interesting and entertaining art.

This book is not for beginners. It's got very detailed patterns & full color finished caricatures by the best of the best. It's a great read & has given me some pretty lofty goals. Would be nice if it were spiral bound to make copying the patterns easier.

Thank you for this caricature carvers book. I do like this book but didn't have quite as many instructions as I had hoped for. There are tons of great pictures though and I guess they are supposed to be your instructions.

Very nice and helpful examples of carvings by the best carvers in America. This is a wonderful resource for anyone who is interested in enhancing their caricature carving skills.