This project is a pair of wooden earrings. Carved from a single block of mahogany and dealt with from start to finish with hand-tools.

The brass was a stray piece of artist wire combined with some off-the-shelf clip-ons.

An unorthodox set of materials to craft a one-of-a-kind object.

Model: Ivy Zheng

A post shared by Shriphani “Ess” Palakodety (@life_of_ess) on May 1, 2018 at 9:58am PDT

Here is a small clip illustrating the whole build process.

A post shared by Shriphani “Ess” Palakodety (@life_of_ess) on May 3, 2018 at 9:02am PDT

For my little cousin I put together this nifty little present - a spoon hand carved from cherry and a small purpleheart stand. I had a lot of fun making this and I could knock this out in a couple of hours - a new milestone for my skills. The improved confidence lets you make aggressive quick strokes and remove large chunks of material - where previously one would be as conservative as possible.

This is a project very close to my heart. I first saw the acanthus leaf perched at the top of columns in old buildings in London. There’s something about the acanthus leaf that makes it stand out - the incredible fractality throughout.

I had a lot of fun carving this. And carving such an old ornament (found in sculpture as early as 1000 BC), you can’t help but feel humbled – 3000 odd years ago, someone like me was making the same thing. What were their dreams like? What drove them and their creative pursuits?

Here’s the leaf in her full glory - the chosen ornament of Western civilization, the muse of the great architect Callimachus, the artistic vision for over a hundred generations of mankind - acanthus.

A basswood carving. Finished first with polyurethane, which was a disaster. Rescued (sort-of) with a gel stain.

Very proud to show you guys the finished piece. Acanthus hand carved on basswood and finished with a gel stain and lacquer. She looks like a chocolate bar - and the glossy nature makes her look menacing - a little like a panther. This piece was a little ruined by my lack of experience but someone I respect a lot forced me to stick with it and see it through - these folks are God’s gift to men - they help us see and think straight when we need it the most. #wood #woodworking #art #artistsoninstagram #artprocess #artist #carving #handmade #woodcarving #crafts #chocolate #fractal #artoftheday #glossy #shine #plant #trees #craftsmanship #sculpture #sculpting #woodsculpture

A post shared by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_ess) on Nov 4, 2017 at 4:30pm PDT

New woodworking project WIP. Hand carved acanthus plant on basswood. Sped up about 500x - this condenses parts of a 30+ hour project and a new addition to my woodworking skillset. #art #artprocess #artist #artistsoninstagram #artwork #woodworking #wood #carving #woodcarving #handtools #handmade #handcarved #timelapse #hyperlapse #carpenter #carpentry #diy #sculpture #sculpting #basswood #woodcraft #woodworkeroninsta #realwoodworking #carpenters #chisel #artisanal #artisan

A post shared by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_ess) on Nov 3, 2017 at 6:38pm PDT

After my recent bookstand project, I was looking for a simple project to put left-over lumber to good use. These coasters are what I came up with.

A tree is the epitome of a selfless life - it provides shelter and sustenance for decades and it is sad to see any part of such a worthy being go to waste.

In this post I describe a quick project combining cedar, purpleheart and maple. The combination is aesthetically pleasing and can be put together in a few hours with simple hand tools.

I was building this project on a tight schedule and thus things don’t line up 100% - someone with better skills or more time should produce better output.

I finally put together my first complex woodworking project with moving parts. The result looks gorgeous to me - I have rarely seen 3 woods with such different textures complement each other so well.