Critique Request shading options...

[oiseau metal arts]

was sent a pretty little pearl handled knife to dress up a bit, and started on a sketch, and then a practice plate to see if I would like the shading. then saw one of the recent posts from Dani Girl, and was inspired to transition a piece of the design over to the pearl as well. hope this is not giving any impressions of wanting to be spoon fed, but am just curious if there are any suggested tweaks to my shading anyone might see. improvements, or other variation options.
leaf tips are one spot I still feel im needing some more attention.

if the customer approves the "upgrade" I want this to be one to really knock some eyes out....




thanks for looking.

 

[Thierry Duguet]

I think that the knife from Dani Girl had an ivory handle, I do not think that pearl will take scrimshaw, it is very brutal and fragile (pearl).

 

[JJ Roberts]

metal art you can engrave mother of pearl. J.J.

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

yes, i believe we can engrave pearl.

This S.R. Johnson fighter appeared in Bade a while back.

I call this " Gilded Pearl Technique"
It is an original technique that I learned myself.
It is partly inspired by work I had seen in Japan where gold is combined with pearl and other things, but the style is mine, which I developed in my work in the gun and knife business in the USA.
There are of course, many influences that you can plainly see.
As you know I was trained in the USA as an engraver in the 1970's and 1980's.
I have traveled to many places studying damascene and engraving including Japan, England, Italy, Egypt , China, Thailand, and Indonesia.
This technique is a combination of all I learned before, using special tools made solely for this purpose.

When I first imagined it I was in Japan at this traditional hotel near Sekei city:
http://www.ccn2.aitai.ne.jp/~akane/tanken.html
It was early in the morning,and I was meditating in this little garden.
I had been studying the Damascene in Kobe, and visiting a father and son in Sekei who make and engrave Samurai swords.
There were all these various techniques floating around in my head.
White pearl kept popping into my mind, and the damascene doors from the Ali Hussein Mosque in Cairo, japanese damascene, arabesque leaves, All these differing images were disturbing my meditations.
Suddenly in my mind the gold appeared in the pearl, and the tools, special tools, for gilding the pearl appeared before me like they were floating in the air, like a vision.
When I arrived home weeks later, I had forgotten all about it.
Steve Lindsay soon called and asked if I would be interested in this knife job for a client of his, I said yes, and he sent me the knife.
When it arrived a few days later, I opened the package.
It had the same white pearl I had imagined.
The hair stood up on the back of my neck as everything came back to me.
I made the tools and went to work.

That was about ten years ago.
Thanks again.
All the best,

 

[Thierry Duguet]

metal art you can engrave mother of pearl. J.J.

My bad, I stand corrected, thanks JJ (I will have to try, lol)

 

[oiseau metal arts]

I think that the knife from Dani Girl had an ivory handle, I do not think that pearl will take scrimshaw, it is very brutal and fragile (pearl).

yes the knife Dani Girl posted did have ivory, but it was the flow from metal to handle that inspired me on this one.

as berry had so phenomenally proven, (thanks Barry for posting that AMAZING work of art) pearl is engravable. this would not be my first time to do so either. and you are SO RIGHT... it is brutal and fragile. anything more than a very fine cut will quickly start to cause jagged chips to form all over the line you try to cut.

more than the pearl part of the project, I was wondering if there were any hic-ups in my layout/shading that you more experienced fellows might spot which I might be missing.

 

[oiseau metal arts]

yes, i believe we can engrave pearl.

This S.R. Johnson fighter appeared in Bade a while back.

That was about ten years ago.
Thanks again.
All the best,

thanks for posting this Barry. that close up gives me a good bit to study for future work.

 

[Thierry Duguet]

I like your design better with out the darkening of the background, you might emphasize the framing of the bolster with a simple gold line for ever interrupted with the cuts coming from your main pattern.

 

[Doc Mark]

Barry, I remember this knife fondly. If I may inquire, what graver geometry (wide and shallow, like a 120, or narrow like an onglette) did you use to cut the MOP? Did you hand push or use power? I've not worked with MOP, but I do work a lot in shell and find chipping a problem when using air assist.

 

[oiseau metal arts]

I like your design better with out the darkening of the background, you might emphasize the framing of the bolster with a simple gold line for ever interrupted with the cuts coming from your main pattern.

thanks.
a gold interrupted boarder with some fine shading lines would really make it pop.

 

[oiseau metal arts]

Barry, I remember this knife fondly. If I may inquire, what graver geometry (wide and shallow, like a 120, or narrow like an onglette) did you use to cut the MOP? Did you hand push or use power? I've not worked with MOP, but I do work a lot in shell and find chipping a problem when using air assist.

im not sure what Barry used, (would also love to hear that) but ive used a 105 or 110, 50deg face, 15deg heel, with mostly hand push. when using power assist, I had the monarch hand piece, and was running a high strokes per min.

 

[James Ashley]

Could use rotary and a diamond burr to cut the MOP. Not sure how you would go with the inlay though!

 

[dlilazteca]

The inlay is indeed very interesting, i remember an engraver magazine last year, that showed part of the channel that was cut, the walls looked perfect and diffrent at the same time, nothing like steel, of course, had some squared off floor, not sure how to explain it , but if you find the issue im talking about, you will see it.

Saludos,
Carlos

 

[Beathard]

That article was by Barry Hands.