Design suggestions?

[mitch]

I have a client with a pair of pistols who wants them engraved in a "darker style bad dream and a more whimsical style good dream". Seems simple enough, right? Except he wants these themes depicted or evoked in all scroll, without resorting to 'cheating' by weaving in demons, dragons, skulls, & zombies in one, or angels, pixies, & My Little Pony in the other. Requests for images along the lines he envisions have gone unanswered so far.

For the lighter version, I've suggested some 'running leaf & vine' in a combination of relieved background and no background versions, which should work ok I guess, but I'm stuck on how to make scroll look in any way threatening, ominous, etc. I can make heavier, more densely shaded scroll that would look 'darker' compared to the other, but it still wouldn't be terribly gloomy or menacing. Suggestions?

 

[papart1]

sounds like alot of "changes" to please Mitch......

 

[Goldjockey]

I'd try to come up with something that looks like a twisting, roiling out of control fire.

Sounds like a lot of advance design work - literally coming up with a brand new style that looks different from anything you would normally do. Hope you're being fairly compensated for that time!

 

[Fred Bowen]

How about dark thistle leaves with exaggerated sharp, spiky points, lots of nervous twists and turns and hairy surfaces? Scares me already.

 

[allan621]

My suggestion would be to get a design deposit first which can be applied to any actual engraving.

 

[sam]

I think it's Florid Victorian Ornament that has some tribal looking scrollwork you might want to take a look at. In fact it might be cool to cut it recessed as opposed to being surrounded by dark background as we usually do.

It's on Plate 60. If you don't have the book let me know.

 

[dcurrie911]

Google tribal vine tattoo for good ideas. (I didn’t want to post a copy righted pic here) . Cut the perimeter then background relief the center. On the piece below I filled with black epoxy and then re-sanded but could potentially use black paint or ink.

 

[Chujybear]

Thorns on the vines?

I like sams idea.... then you would have literally dark vines and light vines.. you could also darken up the veins overall with more elaborate shading..

This isn’t probably an idea worth anything, but it might look more erratic if the scrolls had facets rather than smooth curves (like the whole thing is carved from slightly elongated jabs)

 

[mitch]

I knew my 'peeps' would come up with some good ideas, thanks! The flames, spiky thistles, thorns, and tribal stuff all have potential. I'll keep y'all posted.

I guess my entire career has been spent trying to make scrollwork as 'pretty' as possible, it just never occurred to me to make it look 'bad' or 'scary' or 'dangerous' in any sense.

 

[SamW]

Maybe a few drops of blood coming off the thorns.

 

[Matthew Evans]

First few things that come to mind that arent explicit: Cemetary Gates, blued steel for the dark dream, claws, snake scales, weeping willow, cathedral windows, something evil coming out of a mirror. . .

 

[monk]

we all want to satisfy a client. but ask yourself," do i really want to do this job". i always tried to include a client's ideas when i thought them to be practical, as well as in good taste. sometimes i'd just avoid jobs when people wanted what i felt to be outrageous. jmho

 

[dms]

find some pic of dead or haunted forests. might have some ideas to be worked into scroll.

 

[speeedy6]

I don't know about the dark stuff but, Black Leaf always makes me think of Dr. Seuss.

 

[JMiller]

Try looking up Aaron Horkey, he’s a poster artist and has a different take on scroll... Might get some ideas.

 

[SamW]

And I thought I had weird dreams...