Critique Request Another watch dial

[Mike576]

Finished up this watch dial today. Made from a piece of .020 thick 6al4v titanium. Done start to finish with my Lindsay reversing angle burin and Phil Coggan bulino point which I modify to have an extremely steep face to help the carbide tip from breaking.

I mixed it up a bit this time and used both my microscope and a Zeiss loupe for magnification. The loupe was nice to have that natural light from the window to work with.

The piece is 1.33 inch in diameter and took from the beginning of January till today to get to this stage. I learned a ton through this process! If you want to see progress photos take a look at my instagram. I have some super close up photos under the microscope to show the cuts in detail (Mike_hughes_hand_engraving)

Please leave critique! It’s hard to judge how I’m doing when I have never held another bulino engraving in my hands. All I can judge off of is books, google images and a few casting plates. Most images aren’t close enough to see enough detail and most casting plates don’t capture the detail well enough. Im trying to get better at this style but there’s not a ton of info out there. One critique of my own is next time I will try to avoid making an area too dark like in front of the wings. Makes the chest area blend into the background too much.

thanks for looking!

 

[Crowman80]

Your patience is humbling!! Amazing detail

 

[Mike576]

Your patience is humbling!! Amazing detail

Thank you! I would work for about an hours or so a day and occasionally get 2-3 hours in. Between spending time with the kids and working it wasnt too hard to be patient with the process. Any time I would think about rushing I would stop. Best to take it slow so I didn’t make a mistake!

 

[S&w right]

That is Beautiful!

 

[papart1]

really nice job there mister

 

[Mike576]

really nice job there mister

That is Beautiful!

Thank you!

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Okay, good job but…

you’ve got a great head there but it’s flat and 2D. Nothing ‘POPS’ out at the viewer. White is a notorious difficult colour to engrave so what shadows there are wil be what gives it depth and character. The eye of the bald eagle is set in, there’s shadow. Use this to your advantage darken the inset. The beak just peters out; think about it, it’s a hard material. You’ve got the shape but can you tell whether it’s bone or feather? It’s as if you were afraid to cut the outline for some reason. But it is a solid thing right up to where it hinges, so define it.

Here’s the thing, you’re an engraver. You have to make a representation using cuts of line and dots. That is your skill set. Sometimes you also have to use a littl bit of licence. The picture you’re working from might not show much shadow but in order to make it work you need to add a bit of shadow where there may be none on the original. This is why it’s really important when you’re working, to have several pictures of the animal or bird from different angles. With ipads and computers it’s easy to turn a colour picture to monochrome. There you can tinker with shadows and contrast. So, work around that beak and work around that eye. This is what will make it come alive .

Please don’t get me wrong, this I’d a great watch dial an whoever owns it will be pleased as punch with it. But you asked for critique and with just a few touches it could really make things leap out at the viewer. For years after I’d been my dad’s apprentice I’d show him stuff and he’d look at it and say “If you just did this or that,” and then he’d add a few cuts and the whole scene, which I’d been previously been pleased with, changed and came alive. It took 20 years, get that 20 YEARS, before he just handed the job back to me and said “Yeah, that’s good!” So, please, the critique is supposed to help. It’s good, but could be better. Don’t be scared to use your engraver’s license to add a little something if it looks flat.

 

[Mike576]

Okay, good job but…

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for taking the time do describe what I can do to get that extra touch. I will definitely take that into account. I was going off this photo and focused solely on matching the photo. I had not considered altering the image to make it more contrasting while engraving.

This gives me a lot to think about and I really appreciate it! I’m going to look at this engraving for a while and write down everything in a list I feel could be better. Revisit it once I have a plan. I think your absolutely right about making things like the beak more prominent

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Glad to help. It’s very good but just needs tweaking. Sometimes, when we’ve been working on a piece for a long time, we lose the ability to see the piece as a whole. We concentrate hard to get the feathers right say but forget certain points of contrast because “they’re not on the picture I’m working from.” Remember, you’re the artist, if you think it needs darkening of lightening in whatever area then do it. You’re not necessarily trying to reproduce the photograph as a facsimile. You’re using it in order to create something else.

 

[Mike576]

Glad to help. It’s very good but just needs tweaking. Sometimes, when we’ve been working on a piece for a long time, we lose the ability to see the piece as a whole. We concentrate hard to get the feathers right say but forget certain points of contrast because “they’re not on the picture I’m working from.” Remember, you’re the artist, if you think it needs darkening of lightening in whatever area then do it. You’re not necessarily trying to reproduce the photograph as a facsimile. You’re using it in order to create something else.

Great way to think about it, I’ll have to work on my drawing and creative abilities in that regard. I’m good as laser focusing in on details but have a hard time on the big picture. Thanks again for the great tips!