Critique Request Danae's engraving recent things.

[Dani Girl]

Here's a few things I've been working on lately.

Keen to hear everyone's imput, critiques, opinions.

 

[Willem Parel]

They are all very beauitful Danae, I would like a close up picture of the spyderco's.
I also like the add of the crow on the scroll very much, overall very professional engraving in my opinion.

 

[Dani Girl]

Spyderco pictures.

All the spyderco pictures I could find at the moment plus a couple of others.

There was a small/life size bee on the back of the Raven Spyderco. I was really happy with it and will try to find a picture.

Regards,

Danae.

 

[sam]

Very nice work. Your cutting is good and your designs are excellent and your strong point. This will carry you far as a hand engraver and you will leave the not-so-good designers in the dust. You have a good sense of balance and the beauty and grace of your scrolls is very, very good.

How long have you been engraving?

One small request: Either adjust the white balance on your camera or fix the colors in Photoshop. The green and blue photos are doing your beautiful engraving an injustice.

 

[Dani Girl]

Thanks Sam.

Wow. That's an incredible boost to the confidence Sam. Thanks

Bad colour on blue photos is due to pulling out the phone and taking happy snaps through the microscope lens while engraving to keep the customers updated. Usually customers take pretty good pictures and post them but no one took any particularly good ones of these knives... that's all I've got.

I found an email saying thanks after the first engraving lesson I ever took so since then 2 years, 8 months, 18 days. (Dec 12, 2011 )

And I got my own Lindsay palmcontrol on 11/6/12

Time flies when you're having fun

 

[JJ Roberts]

Dani Girl,Keep up the good work. J.J.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Wow, that's some natural talent.
Keep at it & keep posting

 

[Marrinan]

Like the old Virginia Slims cigarette commercials "You have come a long way baby". It wont be long before people are seeking you out for lessons so think about what you will teach them. Think through a curriculum. I predict it will happen soon. Jobs well done -Fred

 

[don hicks]

I like them all, well done. Your shade lines are nicely tapered and smoothly contoured. It proves to me I have a long road ahead with my engraving. My design capabilities may never reach the level you are currently at. Did you use a foot control Lindsay before you got the palm control? If so, what are your thoughts on the difference? Keep up the good work '

Cheers
Don

 

[monk]

i like it all very, very much. i esp like the bird, perched on top of the one scroll. how cool is that ?

 

[TyG]

Nice cutting Danae, how are you drawing your designs and transferring them to the work? Are you drawing by hand or using a computer and what method are using to get them to the knives?

 

[Dani Girl]

Sometimes when it works I use transfer wax... Mostly a felt tip pen, unipin are good because they taper the tip to a point, .005 hard to find but if you want to use it at your scopes full zoom you can. Occasionally I will scribe the design on if I know I will smudge it.... Quite often though using the printer, varnish, baking paper method. Anyone wanting to know more a out that post or pm me.

Thanks monk. I was really happy with the ravens. The customer said it would be nice to integrate some into the scrollwork and that was the best I could do. Tue little wolves are just as good, let me edit my first post and add some of them. They were a husband and wife commission.

 

[Dani Girl]

Thanks marrinan. Its funny that you should say that because I just offered to teach some knife makers I met last Sunday who bought their own gravermax but have no idea what else they need or how to use it. There's also another possibility of doing classes down in Canberra which is 3-4 hour drive.
I am definately welcoming all the help and advice here anyone can give me on how to teach, maybe pm me?

 

[Dani Girl]

Don hicks. No, the only gravers I ever picked up was a grs setup so went way out on a limb and bouht my own palm control. I like my palm control.... It feels like it knows what to do better than I do. I think I have a better feel for when I am slipping out of the metal with it. With the added choice of three different weight pistons you can get good light handed vs heavy handed variation. Lindsay palm control is portable if you can find some paintball gas bottles.

The grs gear was good. I was impressed with the quality and they worked great. Grs quick change bits are nice. Have nothing bad to say for grs. I still buy half my supplies from them, using a grs microblock still.

 

[Dani Girl]

Is there anything in my designs folk would see done differently?

 

[Marrinan]

Danae, One of the objectives in engraving is to keep the eye moving. I a couple of your pieces you have chosen to end one scroll and then start over with new scroll. This tends to stop the eyes movement. Even with the raven a bit of framing would keep the eye moving from beginning to end. Also on one of the hilts the scroll bouquet comes from the finger guard as if from a pot but with no pot, no real starting point. Just food for thought. Fred

 

[LVVP]

Very nice work. Thanksw

 

[Southern Custom]

I'm so glad to see you got it right the first time. I think that you are really one of the success stories here. Looking back you went about this the right way by using this forum as it was intended. You asked questions and took advice readily.
It took me a LONG time to realize what I was doing wrong and almost as much time to fix it. And let me tell you, it's harder to fix bad habits than to learn good ones. When a blind man is being led by the blind, you don't get very far. You came into this with your eyes wide open and it shows.
Nice job and keep it up. Sam is right. When your eye for design is your strong point, your engraving will only get better.

 

[Dani Girl]

As you say, I owe a huge thanks to the folk on here for the encouragement, suggestions and helpful observations and critiques that have helped me to get to where I am today.

Thanks everybody.