When some people think about learning fruit carving, they think that it must be difficult. It seems intimidating. If that is how you feel, you’ll be inspired by this student’s carving journey, from first attempts, to landing her first carving jobs.
Phung Nguyen began learning fruit carving when she came across my website in May. She signed up for my free radish bouquet video lesson and tried making it for the first time. Then she made the apple swans as I show in my Hearts and Roses video lessons. She wrote in her email to me,
“I want sent to you my stuff I learned from your lesson , that thing I did for my friend’ son on his party. I just practice, don’t laugh.”
Here are the photos of her first results.
Phung’s first carvings while learning fruit carving.
Phung’s 1st radish bouquet after learning from the free radish bouquet lesson. The apple birds are taught in the Hearts and Roses lessons.
On Phung’s second carving practice, she used the technique for the apple birds, taught in the Hearts and Roses lessons and used it on honeydew melons. They turned out very pretty didn’t they?
Why would I laugh? I think that Phung did a very nice job on these radish bouquets and birds. It was only her first and second try at making a vegetable flower centerpiece. And look how pretty they turned out.
Just a thought for my readers: For Thanksgiving time, this honeydew bird could be used used in a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Just add a red waddle of red bell pepper under the beaks and call them turkeys. : )
In late July, Phung ordered more of my lessons and shortly after, on August 9, Phung sent me more photos of things she learned in my video lessons. She wrote,
“Hi Nita, today I just try to made some thing I learned from you and don’t laugh , because it is the first time I want to practice before some holidays will coming.”
Phung’s First Yam and Turnip Flowers
Phung Nguyen’s very first carvings of Yam and Turnip Flowers and cucumber leaves.
Phung’s 1st assembled Yam and Turnip Flower bouquet. In addition to cucumber leaves, she added cabbage leaves. The Yam and Turnip flower lessons are taught in my 101 Course.
Again, why would I laugh? She did a beautiful job on these leaves and flowers. Remember, this was just her first time to make these carvings. It’s smart to practice some carvings before the holidays or any special event.
Phung Nguyen’s skills improve quickly while learning fruit carving.
Over the next 2 weeks, I received more photos from Phung. Her first watermelon cake and several fruit and vegetable carvings. You can see the improvement already. She wrote to me,
“I want to tell you a story. I just practiced carving some fruits and vegtables and try to make a watermelon cake . Nobody in my family and my friends have birthday this month but that alright I want to try and may be more better for next time. When I bring some stuff I practiced to my school and showed for everybody just like you said, I start to hear : ohh…ahh…I just smile and say in my mind “thanks to Nita ,I am so proud about my skill. You are my good teacher.”
You can see the quality and variety of Phung’s carvings improving.
Phung’s first watermelon cake topped with a rose that she learned in the Lesson Carving Watermelons, Roses, Buds and Leaves which is part of the 101 Course. Watermelon Cakes are taught in the lessons named, Watermelon Cakes #1 and #2.
You can see Phung’s carving skills improving in this lovely root vegetable bouquet made only a week of two after her first attempt at veggie flowers show in the photos above. Her turnip flowers are even better now and she used the same carving technique on zucchini.
You can see how well Phung is now carving Roses. Again, this is after only a few tries. These beet roses are taught in my Hearts and Roses lessons.
Phung applies the smooth petal Carving Techniques taught Carving Melons, Smooth and Jagged Petals, to carving a green papaya flower.
Here Phung carved a rose into a Mango. How to carve roses it taught in lesson 11 of the 101 Course. Lesson 11 of the 101 Course is Carving Watermelon’s – Roses, Buds and Leaves.
On September 1, Phung sent a photos of another of her watermelon cakes. She has worked at a school cafeteria for 11 years. She said,
“Hi Nita,”Happy Carving.” Just like you say, make me happy and enjoy carving. The first watermelon cake I made and brought to my school, a lot of teachers looked when they get on serving line for taking foods at lunch. One teacher ordered 1 watermelon cake and 1 flowers bouquet with variety flower ( veggies ). Today, I brought watermelon cake for him first and flowers for next week after Labor Day. Before bring to school, I took photo and send to you. Thanks for give me some ideas and samples for carving fruits and vegetables.”
This is the first watermelon cake that Phung brought to the school where she works at the cafeteria. As a result, a teacher ordered a watermelon cake, and an edible bouquet.
Now that Phung has shown her work to others, she has a little side business going on.
Phung’s First Fruit Carvings for Pay
September 18th Phung sent the photos of the cake and bouquet that she made for the teacher who ordered them. Here they are. Her watermelon cake with the rose on top is looking even better than her previous cakes. And, her veggy bouquet is pretty, too. She experimented with dying her turnip flowers.
In this vegetable bouquet that Phung made for the teacher who ordered it, you can see a variety of carving techniques including those taught in my free radish bouquet lesson, the 101 Course, and Hearts and Roses. It’s very pretty, isn’t it?
Watermelon cake with cherries on top that Phung made for the elementary school teacher that ordered it after seeing one of her other cakes.
In less than 2 months, Phung went from not knowing how to carve vegetables and fruit, to having fun experimenting, to selling some of her work. In her 3rd month, she was hired to make some carvings for a wedding.
Learning to carve can be easier than it looks when you are shown how in my step-by-step lessons. If Phung can do it, so can you!
You can successfully learn fruit carving, too!
Here is what a few more of my many, many happy students have written to me.
Hi Nita, you made it so easy for me to carve the turnips and beets flowers. Before your video I thought it was impossible for me to do the flowers, but with your video I was able to do few of them”. – Rose-Andree Calixte
I have been practicing my carvings. I have made radish roses, and lotus flowers, potato flowers, calla lilies, leek flowers. Also lotus flowers from onions and I have carved two roses on a honeydew melon. I am truly enjoying my lessons. I was intimidated to try the honeydew flowers, but I dug in and was pleasingly surprised by the results. I also did the beet and turnip roses. I look forward to making my first watermelon cake.
Thank you for the videos that made all this possible”. – Patricia ThomasI won’t miss a chance to say you a big thankyou for providing such fantastic lessons. They are so informative and easy to follow”. – Purvi Thakkar
Anyone with the desire to do so can learn fruit and vegetable carving.
If you haven’t started learning fruit carving yet, I encourage you to start by making your own radish flower centerpiece. I show you exactly how in my free step-by-step video lesson. You can get instant access to my free lessons by signing in to the form at the top right hand side of this page. You’ll find my 101 Course for Beginners, Hearts and Roses, and all the other lessons in my Online Shop.
Happy Carving!
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