I agree with Jerry, the videos are somewhat useful for a beginner but definitely can be snooze inducing. As Jerry says, some people are excellent carvers but not as good as teachers. I have seen all the videos as well but didn't really see much improvement until I took some carving classes at the NMLRA seminar at WKU. Instant progress and now very happy with my efforts. One thing to remember, many of the original gunmakers were not all that great at carving or engraving either, some were masters, some were not. Some were downright crude but their work still has charm and merit. Again, like Jerry said, the best carvers back then were the Europeans who had specific guilds and training. Some of the gunmakers on this site and places like the CLA show, far exceed anything that was EVER turned out by the original masters, who had to work in a hurry in order to make a living and were often working in poor light. Nor did they have Optivisors, LED lighting and Woodcraft for tools!. Which reminds me, if you live close to a Woodcraft store, they often have woodcarving classes, obviously not gun specific but it might help you get started. Just have fun, do your best and never give up.
