Ice carvings and sculptures are a beauty to behold. The time dedication and enormous detail shows through every curve or edge of the ice. Ice carving is an artistic venture for some and if you have an eye for sculpting, it can come more naturally than others. But if you are looking to become an ice carver or find a way to put your creative juices into starting an ice sculpture, you need to have a solid preparation process.

Here are five steps that every sculptor can follow to start a successful 3D ice carving:

Template Design and Trace – First it helps to have drawn your design a few times freehand to get a solid grasp of the artwork. Then prepare your template onto template paper or a cardboard cutout. Make a graph of what you want the sculpture or carving to look like and then you can apply this template to the ice. Trace this template onto your ice using a die grinder that has a tapered or straight cutting end mill bit.

Cutting and Blocking – Using a chainsaw preferably, cut out the first dimension and all ice you will not need to complete your carving. After the first dimension is out, use a die grinder, sander or chisels to curve, shape and square every line. Blocking during this process becomes crucial, as you want to stand next to your carving and start creating your layers and levels. Chisel work can come in handy here.

Rounding and Sanding – Once the levels and layers are there, you can begin sanding and rounding the corners or edges.

Detailing – Here’s where you want to choose the right tool and where the carving can take action. Putting detail to the artwork such as eyes on a face, putting an animal in more focus or making the water seem like it will flow. The more detail the better.

Cleaning – Depending on the temperatures, this is where the end comes into light. Brushing or sanding can come into play here, and if the ice is below 15’F the harder it will be.

So these are the basic steps to help ensure your 3D sculpture is done correctly. It takes practice and luckily an ice block can be made in a relatively quick fashion. Remember though the first thing every ice artist should also have a good grasp of is the tooling, as that needs to almost be an extension of your hands.

If you are looking to find ice sculpting equipment, get your ice carving tools and supplies at Ice Crafters. Ice Crafters has a wide array of tooling and equipment for any ice sculpture or artist, contact us today and get started!