Classes with Ray Wilham

Ray Wilham Wood Carving Ray offers various classes and courses and is also active on the lecturing circuit. Click on the topic below for more information.

"Intensive Three Day Workshops "

"The Basics
- A Workshop for the Non-Artist"

"Advanced Relief Carving
- Beyond the Basics"

Intensive Three Day Workshops
Atlanta, GA

Limited to four students per workshop, Ray is able to individually coach each student and support them in fulfilling their own specific goals. Focusing on your distinct requirements, Ray will tailor his presentation to help you reach the next level in your relief carving skills from basic beginners to advanced professionals.

Ray Wilham Wood Carving These workshops are located at Ray's Lake Atlanta studio, 6,000 feet high in the beautiful mountains. This inspiring mountain setting is the perfect atmosphere for creating your own masterpiece. If you choose to bring your family, there are many outdoor activities available, from horseback riding to shopping to keep them entertained for the entire weekend. For more information about Lake Wright and the surrounding forest areas click here.

Your meals are included (Ray's wife, Laurie is a great cook) as well a complete arsenal of woodworking tools. Lodging is available many options are available from modest motels, cozy bed and breakfast inns to luxurious hotels, all within a short distance to Ray's studio.

Workshops are scheduled on an open enrollment format. Your name will be put on a waiting list and you will be contacted when there are enough students to justify booking a weekend. This flexible format allows Ray to book workshops around your schedule, allowing you to decide on dates that are convenient for you.
The tuition for the Intensive 3 Day workshop is $950.00. This includes all meals and materials. There are various discounts available for seniors and other situations. Contact Ray to discuss your tuition.

"Woodcarving Retreat" classes are being offered this summer on the following weekends:

June 6, 7, 8.
June 20, 21, 22.
June 27,28,29.
July 11,12, 13.
July 25, 26, 27.
August 8, 9, 10.
August 22, 23, 24.
September 5, 6, 7.

Spaces are going fast so don't wait to get in your registration information!!

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Ray Wilham Wood Carving Woodcarving Without Fear, Part One:
"The Basics - A Workshop for the Non-Artist"

Take the mystery out of carving in this step by step workshop. you'll learn that you don't have to be an artist to add character and style to you furniture, woodworking projects or home interior. In this intensive workshop, you'll learn six simple, definable steps to take your work to the next level. Discover how to set aside your fears about woodcarving and how to integrate relief carving with what you already know, bringing out the unrealized genius within you!!
Topics include:

Tool selection:
Knowing which tools you need can be confusing for beginners. You will be surprised to learn that you don't need an arsenal of new tools to begin carving. Ray will reveal his combination of standard shop power tools and five basic gouges that will equip you to tackle virtually any carving project.

Sharpening Made Simple:
Take the guesswork out of tool sharpening by learning about the latest equipment, techniques and shortcuts that will allow even novice woodworkers to achieve razor-sharp tools every time.

Layout and Design:
Many beginners feel intimidated because they subscribe to the notion that one must be an artist to produce believable woodcarvings. You will learn shortcuts that will allow you adapt existing designs readily available (such as computer clip-art and lettering) and integrate them into your woodworking projects. Even a person with no art training whatsoever will learn to transfer patterns directly onto the wood and techniques to get around their artistic limitations. You do not need to imagine your project in three dimensions.

Simple Beginning Projects:
With simplicity in mind, Ray will eliminate the confusion that beginners often feel by reducing carving techniques to their simplest forms. You will learn how to read grain, remove backgrounds, establish levels, add shapes, as well as Ray's own secret shadow staining techniques. You will be amazed at what you can achieve on your very first carving project by simply using Ray's Six-Step Checklist

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Ray Wilham Wood Carving Woodcarving Without Fear, Part Two:
"Advanced Relief Carving - Beyond the Basics"

Builds on the basic knowledge gained from Part 1. You will learn that carving is not a mysterious gift bestowed upon a select group of human beings. Rather, it is a process that can be described clearly and concisely by identifying a series of incremental steps that build upon each other. This workshop will allow you to access trade secrets (please don't tell anyone) and apply them to your own woodworking projects, so that you can avoid the agonizing process of trying to reinvent the wheel.

Topics include:

Achieving Hand Carved Results with Power Tools:
Learn how to integrate traditional hand carving tools with power tools (which most shops are already equipped with) and utilize time saving shortcuts that produce results that are virtually indistinguishable from old-world European carvings.

Practical Applications:
Woodcarving can be a rich and rewarding process that provides many years of enjoyment. Learn new ways to apply carving skills to furniture, doors, cabinets mirror frames and signs and more. Simple but stimulating sample project ideas will launch you into a whole new arena of woodworking. Learn how to present your work in an effective portfolio complete with photography tips.

Pricing and Marketing Guides:
For the amateur who flirts with the possibilities of developing a second income, this segment provides guidelines for pricing and marketing your skills as a woodcarver. Learn how to find your niche? and develop a market for your woodcarving skills. Avoid costly mistakes in strategic planning, take advantage of Ray's 23 years of professional experience and develop and secondary source (or possibly primary source) of income, utilizing skills that you love.

Intermediate to Advanced Theory:
Building on the basic six-step process, Ray will outline in his non-technical method on how to troubleshoot layouts, how to utilize negative space, and how to fix mistakes. Learn about wood selection and preparation, glueing, clamping as well as sound fabrication techniques. Ray will demonstrate actual carving techniques that will guide you to the next level in your woodworking skills.

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