The Carving Classics Made Easy series is designed to bring the traditions and joy of woodcarving to a new generation of hobbyists. Each book in the series will guide you step-by-step through a variety of quintessential carving projects, building your confidence along the way.

The duck decoy has a long tradition as a classic carving project. Now, you can get started on your own decoy with this instructional guide by award winning decoy carver, Tom Matus.

You will be amazed at your carving success as you follow the author, step-by-step, through an entire drake (male) mallard carving project. Beginning with the head and working through the entire bird, you will be led every step of the way. Also included is an in-depth lesson on painting your mallard in the traditional floating decoy style.

Tom Matus is a world champion wildfowl carver and an instructor and judge for the Ward World Champion Wildfowl Carving Competition. He is a frequent contributor to Wood Carving Illustrated and the author of Duck Decoys: Classic Carving Projects Made Easy and Antique-Style Duck Decoys. He lives in Boise, Idaho. For more of Tom's work, visit his website at www.tmdecoy.com

"Classic Carving Projects Made Easy", is a series of books, each book providing step by step directions for a particular project. "Bottle Stoppers" by Greg Young and this book are the only books in the series published thus far. Additional books are planned, but the titles and authors are not yet available.

I'm more than a little impressed with the quality of the instructions and the carving in this book. I'm accustomed to seeing duck decoys that are scruffy looking and shop worn, items that didn't receive a whole lot of attention to begin with.

What you'll end up with, providing you follow the directions in this book, is something so detailed and pretty that I'd feel it a shame to put it in a toe sack with a lot of other decoys and then put it in the water to boot, especially sea water.

But back to the reason for this review, i.e. the book.

Getting started begins with gathering a great deal of reference material. How will you pose your duck? A turned head on your decoy requires different reference photos than an upright alert posture. So give the project some forethought so you can gather the proper photos.

It's from the photos that you'll be able to create your pattern, if you possess the talent for that. If you can't draw, there are many books containing duck (mallard male in this case) patterns. There is also a pattern in the book if you want to use it.

You'll need tools and paints and, finally, there'll be no duck without wood, so several kinds are discussed. All of these topics are thoroughly covered.

Part Two - Carving the Decoy. The carving instructions for the male mallard are excellent, the photographs good, and the written instructions clear and to the point.
But there's a whole lot more to a decoy than a pretty face-and all of that work is also very clearly presented.

After you get this beauty pretty well carved and sanded, the eyes set, the bill textured, and so on-but with the head no yet attached-you have to take it out to the band saw and cut off about 1/8'' of the wood from the bottom. Oh mercy! Then you have to use a drill press, or a power tool to hollow out the top to make it light enough to float easily.

After surviving all of that, you attach the head and glue your duck back together.

Feather detailing is now accomplished and the keel constructed. Now it's time to paint! And again, the instructions are top notch. The paint colors are shown. For a paint job that looks like the work in the book, you'll use both brushes and an air brush.

This is a rather lengthy review, almost a book report. But the book is one of the best I've seen on this subject. If you're going to carve decoys, I recommend you check out this excellent resource.