Easy Easter Wood Carving

Part gnome, part Easter bunny and total fun! 

Looking for a fun, festive, and easy Easter wood carving project? This Easter Bunny Gnome tutorial is the perfect little whittle to celebrate spring!

With its oversized nose, bunny ears, and a charming Easter hat, this whimsical wood carving brings the best of both worlds—gnome and bunny—together in one delightful figure.

To top it off, it’s holding a playful polka dot egg, making it a great seasonal display–or a unique Easter basket gift–for someone who appreciates handmade charm.

What you will need for your Easter bunny

• I used a block of basswood that is 1 x 1 x 3 inches (2.5 x 2.5 x 7 cm). To make a bigger Easter wood carving, double or triple the size of the wood block and adjust your guidelines. You can also use the free pattern at the end of this page.
• Use a pencil and a ruler to sketch your guidelines.
• I used a roughout knife and switched to a smaller detail knife for the bunny's toes. I also used a 5mm micro U-gouge to carve the nostrils, but you can use a detail knife instead.
• For safety, always wear a great carving glove when you carve and protect your lap with something hard. Accidents can happen! 
• A free painting guide is provided at the bottom of the page. 

Easy Easter wood carving at-a-glance

Before you start, it may help to watch this short video that summarizes the key steps. 

Set up your wood block

Draw a guideline on the front for the bottom of the ears and hat (photo 1). I started mine about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top and extended it to about 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) on each side.

Draw another guideline for the bottom of the back of the ears and the hat that is about 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) from the top (photo 2). 

Make your first cuts

Use stop cuts to separate the bottom of the ears and hat all around (photo 3), removing wood from underneath your cuts. You could also use a V-tool. 

Sketch a guideline all around for the top of the bunny feet (photo 4). I made mine a little more than 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) from the bottom of the block.

Draw a half-moon shaped guideline on the front for the oversized nose (photo 4). Use stop cuts (or a V-tool) to separate these guidelines, removing wood from underneath (completed in photos 5,6). Tip: Start in the corners and work your way toward the middle. 

Sketch more details

Draw a small triangle on each side of the nose (photo 5). Use a pyramid cut to remove each triangle and shape the nose (completed in photo 6). 

Sketch the Easter egg on the front. Mine is a little less than 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) wide (photo 5). 

Draw the gnome hands holding the eggs (photo 5). Mine are about 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) wide. Use stop cuts to separate hands (photo 6). This will give you greater access to shape the egg. Tip: A smaller detail knife may be easier to use here. 

Sketch more details

Sketch the arms on each side (photos 7,8). Mine are about half an inch (1.3 cm) wide. 

Carve more details

Use your knife to separate the arms all around (photo 9). You can use stop cuts, or hold your knife like a pencil and move it along the guideline. Then, make a second slicing cut. You could also use a V-tool here. 

Mark a triangle in the crook of each arm (photo 10) where you will make a pyramid cut (completed in photos 13,14).

Also, mark the nose where you will carve the nostrils (photo 10). I used a 5 mm micro U-gouge, twisting it from one side to the other, removing wood underneath with a knife. You could also use a sharp knife that has some flex to it. Just be careful not to break your knife tip. 

Mark the bottom of the wood block where you will carve off wood to shape the feet (photo 11). Tip: Carve the feet last to avoid breaking them. 

Sketch the ears

Sketch the ears on the front (photo 12). Also, sketch the side views of the ears on the right (photo 13) and left (photo 14).

Carve the ears

Roughout the lower ear on each side (completed in photo 15). Now, sketch the hat between the ears, marking the wood that you will remove (photo 15). I used wide V-cuts to remove wood and separate the hat from the ears (completed in photo 16). The end grain can be challenging to carve. Tip: Take your time and carve off small sections at a time to avoid breaking your knife.  

Use a wide V-cut on each side to create a slight bend in the ears (visible in photos 16,17).

Sketch guidelines around the nose (photo 16). Use stop cuts to separate and shape the nose and cheeks (photo 17). 

Carve more details

Mark the front (photo 18) and back where you will split the feet. Use V-cuts or a V-tool (completed in photo 19). 

Sketch the round tail on the back (photo 19) and separate it with a knife or V-tool (completed in photos 20,24). 

Round the feet with your knife (completed in photos 21-24). Sketch 3 toe lines on each foot (photo 20) that you will separate with V-cuts. Tip: Be careful not to cut too deeply and crack the feet. 

Refine your easy Easter wood carving 

Refine the overall shape of your Easter wood carving and clean up your cuts prior to painting (photos 21-24). I used V-cuts to add some folds in the corner of the arms. 

Use your knife to remove wood from the bottom of the feet so they angle toward the center (completed in photos 21,24). I made a V-cut in the middle and removed wood in small sections. Tip: Check your piece often to be sure the ends of the feet are flat enough for the piece to stand upright.  

Finish your Easter wood carving

Here are the acrylic paints I used for this easy Easter wood carving:

• Ears and arms: Apple Barrel dolphin gray wash.
• White sections: Apple Barrel white parchment wash.
• Hat: CraftSmart purple wash.
• Nose: Apple Barrel cameo pink wash. After drying I dabbed some Ceramcoat Fuchsia wash with a paper towel. 
• Egg: Ceramcoat Fuchsia wash. Polka dots: Ceramcoat Black 100% paint, Ceramcoat Turquoise 100% paint applied with round end of a toothpick.
• Mouth: Ceramcoat Black 100% paint applied with a toothpick.
• Highlights: Dry brush with FolkArt medium gray.
• Optional: Seal twice with polyurethane spray. Add Americana gel stain and remove with paper towels.

For helpful painting tips, read this page. For brush, paint, and other tool recommendations, click here.

Easy Easter wood carving pattern

Simply photocopy this easy Easter wood carving pattern to size to fit any wood block. 

Easy Easter wood carving summary

• This fast and fun tutorial brings you the best of both worlds: a gnome and an Easter bunny.
• This little whittle makes a great Easter basket gift for those who appreciate handcrafted crafts.
• You can vary up the colors of both the egg and hat.

PLEASE SUPPORT US

Share page on: 

Home   | Privacy Policy  | Terms of Use  | Contact | Sitemap

Check out our free club!

Carving wood and other materials inherently includes the risk of injury and damage. We can not guarantee that creating any projects from carvingjunkies.com - or any other resources mentioned by carvingjunkies.com - is safe for everyone. For this reason, all information offered by carvingjunkies.com is without warranties or guarantees of any kind, expressed or implied, and we disclaim any liability for any injuries, losses, or damages caused in any way by the content of this piece or the reader's tools needed to complete the projects presented here. We urge all wood carvers to thoroughly review each project and to understand the use of all tools involved before beginning any project. 

As an Amazon Associate and Focuser Carving affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Thank you!

@2024 carvingjunkies.com. All Rights Reserved