The woodcarvers of Kerala are skilfulin making and carving statues of various shapes and sizes. The difference in the process of making a statue and furniture is that for making a statue, they only use hand tools. However, for making furniture, machines are used. This is a traditional art inherited from their earlier generations. They use the template only for outlining and the remainder is done from memory. The process of making the statue is as follows:
Step 1 - Outlining:
• The outline is drawn on the log of wood using a template.
• The edges of the wood are chiselled as per the design on the template.
Step 2 - Carving:
• After tracing, the wood is carved at the edges with the help of wooden hammer and a flat chisel.
• For carving, firstly, the head of the statue is carved.
• Then, the other parts are individually carved.
• The individual parts of the statue are joined by using wooden pieces, nails and gum.
Step 3 - Detailing:
Detailing is done with the help of small Ulli (chisel) and a hammer, as the wood used for carving is very soft.
