Critique Request Scrollwork practice

[kpattie]

Hi,

I am quite new on this forum and have spent the better part of a year familiarising myself with engraving. First and foremost I would like to say a big thank you to Sam and all the members of the forum! The knowledge, expertise and resources you have pooled together have been priceless for those looking to enter the trade.

To provide some background I have been interested in getting into engraving for the past 2 years. I only recently got back from a course in st petersburg run by the international jewellry school which was taught by Sergej Manaenko, who was an absolutely fantastic teacher! It was a very invaluable experience and went a long way in reducing the learning curve, although I understand I have decades of practice ahead. After saving for a couple of years I have gotten all the tools to begin practicing at home (just waiting on the workbench).

I would also like to say a special thank you to Ron Smith for his book on scroll design!
Have drawn scrolls for about a month, I would like to kindly request the input from the members of this forum on the images attached on the positives, negatives and how I could improve overall design.

I understand the top right corner of picture may look out of place, I think it would of looked better filled with scrolls but at the time it was too late to correct.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated and again a big thank you for all of your help!

Kind regards,

Kishan

 

[John B.]

Welcome to the Cafe forum Kishan, hope you enjoy a wonderful engraving career.
I see some fine scrolls and interesting scroll elements in your drawings.
In your drawings I see a mixture of bud and leaf elements, some of which don't work well together. The top right scroll in your second drawing is filled with English scroll elements in contrast to the other scrolls. They are not usually mixed in this way.
Can I assume that you did this on purpose? Just as a drawing exercise?

 

[kpattie]

Welcome to the Cafe forum Kishan, hope you enjoy a wonderful engraving career.
I see some fine scrolls and interesting scroll elements in your drawings.
In your drawings I see a mixture of bud and leaf elements, some of which don't work well together. The top right scroll in your second drawing is filled with English scroll elements in contrast to the other scrolls. They are not usually mixed in this way.
Can I assume that you did this on purpose? Just as a drawing exercise?

Hi John, thank you very much for the warm welcome and your feedback! To answer the second part first, yes it was originally done to practice various elements - however after taking a step back it did look out of place. I refrained from erasing as I had pressed fairly hard first around.

In regards to the mixture of bud and leaf elements is this the part you are referring to, I may be slightly confused as to what part the bud is but I think its the part that should be at the end of the scroll?

 

[dcurrie911]

I agree with John. Generally good scrolls, kind of a mix of leaf structures but assume it was for practice. I like to have more mature leaves near the base of the scroll and more tendril type structures toward the tip. But that is more of my preference rather than a rule. More of a natural progression in my opinion rather than young leaf, mature leaf, then young leaf again. Try to keep your ‘dead space’ between leaves consistent around the scroll and throughout the composition, a couple of your scrolls have good consistency but a couple are out of proportion Base to tip. One scroll on the bottom right is going the wrong direction.

overall a great start. Keep it up.

dan

 

[John B.]

Kishan, in your second drawing. The long, outside leaf that starts from the beginning of the scroll on the top left is running in reverse to the growing of leaves.
Just pointing it out.......Expect you already know.

 

[kpattie]

Kishan, in your second drawing. The long, outside leaf that starts from the beginning of the scroll on the top left is running in reverse to the growing of leaves.
Just pointing it out.......Expect you already know.

Hi John, I am trying to spot the one you are referring to but cannot seem to put a finger on it would you be able to point it out please?