FWIW - After you've finished getting the method straight, on pine - get off softwood and onto a hardwood ASAP, preferably a scrap with some grain twists in it.
Then, when you've moved up to curved practice pieces, scrounge a beater take-off gunstock somewhere, that has impressed checkering on it, and rechecker the existing pattern to positive checkering (if it's negative checkering), or re-point it if it's positive.
I hope you are gifted with patience.
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