Intarsia is made accessible to carvers of all skill levels through these eight progressive projects. Each project builds on the project before it, successively increasing in difficulty. From the simple to the complex, carvers learn the skills they need for a complete intarsia piece, including fundamental shaping and finishing, cutting from different pieces of wood, using a sanding shim, and accentuating details with woodburning techniques. The culminating Hot Air Balloon project incorporates all the skills learned in the first seven projects. Color captions, materials and tools lists, and patterns with grain directions, wood tones, and shim placements guide the carver through each step.