I had virtually no wood working experience before meeting Randy Spencer. This man is a genius and can build anything. Beyond that, he has the patients to teach! What a guy. Ok onto the endless carving of braces.
Meet the finger plane. This guy is very handy and will become your friend over time. You really need to have a delicate touch and yet deliberate forcefulness is needed to cut into the wood. I became a sculptor.
There is a serious learning curve involved in artistic craftsmanship. You don’t just have a special gift for this work, you have to make mistakes, learn and practice. There is not a limit to skill. Only personal effort limits you.