Critique Request Design and Drawing - Please review and comment

[cropduster]

Hello Café Members,

This is my first upload and request for design and drawing critique.

Although I have been a member since 2013, health issues have forced my engraving time investment to a bare minimum. My cutting time is only about 300 hours actual cutting with a bit more spent on reading and trying to teach myself to draw.

I have gone through all of the free e-books I could download, one of Mr. Alfano’s lettering DVD’s, The Art of Engraving by Meeks, Mr. Didyoung’s latest publication as well as frequent visits to the site. And I’m happy to read more.

The design approach I have been using is the one once published by Mr. Andrew Biggs.

I begin with the outline of the piece intended for engraving and sketch in a border of a size that appears acceptable to me. After that, I will take multiple scroll backbones and move them around within the border of the piece until I come up with an overall backbone that seems as though it might look good. Once I’ve constructed the main backbone, I then try to finalize the leaves.

As might be expected, one pattern done on Monday looks terrible by Thursday and visa versa. And many patterns stay ugly all the time.

What should or could I do different?

Any information, comment, experience or opinion you would be willing to share would be exceptionally helpful and very much appreciated. Are there any bad design or drawing habits starting that you feel I should break? Thank you.

 

[Roger Bleile]

Overall your designs are very nice. My only recommendation is that in a few places your scroll comes down to a single line. That is OK if you are not going to texture or remove the background but if you do, as in your images, those single lines will disappear into the background once you cut it.

 

[Omar Haltam]

looks very nice crop duster you are on the right track, keep at it

 

[davidshe]

Your design is looking good! Once you start cutting this design you will learn quickly which changes might be made to match the way you engrave. I cut lots of copper bracelets before I started doing silver ones! I also agree with Roger that if you choose to engrave a deep relief background then you will need thicker width on some of the scroll backbones.

 

[cropduster]

Mr. Bleile, Mr. Haltam and Mr. Sheehan,

Thank you very much for taking time to review and comment on my submittal. All of your comments will be incorporated in these and future designs. I really appreciate your efforts. Thank you again. Cropduster

 

[monk]

looks to me you have a great approach to design concepts. just think how nice this will look when you cut it !

 

[cropduster]

Many thanks Monk - I appreciate your review.

 

[didyoung]

Study and drawing will help you better understand leaf structures...

 

[cropduster]

Mr. Didyoung - Many thanks.

 

[metairieclark]

are you hand drawing these or are they done on a cad program? my sketches are always a little rough.

 

[Sgwiley]

I have an issue with computer drawings and perfection. I would like to see some personality. But that is just me.

 

[monk]

I have an issue with computer drawings and perfection. I would like to see some personality. But that is just me.

i quite agree about the computer use. what i do is draw oversize on paper. i then scan that drawing, and scale it to size in corel, and then transfer to the part. on compound curves, i gave up on using any kind of transfer. instead, i just draw direct on the part.

 

[cropduster]

are you hand drawing these or are they done on a cad program? my sketches are always a little rough.

The drawings posted were done in Microsoft's PowerPoint program.

 

[cropduster]

are you hand drawing these or are they done on a cad program? my sketches are always a little rough.

The patterns posted were done using PowerPoint - it is part of the Microsoft Office Suite.

 

[Sgwiley]

My thoughts are as follows; if you want it to look like it was done by a computer, have it engraved by a computer / laser. Engraving by hand needs to incorporate some art or ithe might as well be done by a machine. Art isn't the attempt to mimic machinery.