Critique Request First Celtic Knot Work

[Crossbolt]

I'm working my way back into beginner practice and would appreciate any critique anyone cares to offer on this knot work. I know the outer border is rubbish ( experimental). I can see I need greater consistency, in all things, particularly the band width and spacing. Generally I think my cut depth is ok from the consistency perspective similarly most of the stop points.

 

[monk]

never having done celtic, i 'm not a qualified critic. did you draw this by hand, or use some sort of celtic layout software ?
i am, however, qualified to say i like it.

 

[Crossbolt]

Monk
I sort of drew by hand scaling and modifying a very similar pattern. No software.
Thanks
Jeremy

 

[Aventuraal]

Here is a link to a book on the construction methods of celtic knotwork; I've used it for years; ((it is well before computers, (1951) let alone CAD and Illustrator)); thorough, a bit mechanical but very clearly explains things. Dover also has other, newer ones listed.
https://store.doverpublications.com/0486229238.html

 

[monk]

Monk
I sort of drew by hand scaling and modifying a very similar pattern. No software.
Thanks
Jeremy

that would drive me nuts drawing such

 

[monk]

i had a similar book , but gave it to a forum member quite some time ago.

 

[mdengraver]

That is an excellent book have a copy of that. Many designs come from the original book of kells.

 

[mdengraver]

You have to be a shady character to do such work! Good job, a lot of precision, fine delicate touch and consistency! This requires a lot of graver control!

 

[Crossbolt]

Thanks for that reference; it looks very helpful. I think I'll have to talk to my creditors,about acquiring a copy.
Jeremy

 

[Crossbolt]

That is an excellent book have a copy of that. Many designs come from the original book of kells.

Since illustration at the time was largely religious in nature I find most references ultimately come from such gospels. There are some very interesting non geometric images in the same style as well. I'm pondering modifying some from Lindisfarne to fill the center.

 

[allan621]

Its a really good first drawing. And drawing knot work freehand is a lot of work. But like a lot of scroll drawings, you have to go back and pick out the simple flaws when finished the layout. Look for flat spots, make sure you curved lines are rounded, and the lines are a uniform width throughout. Its a lot of work.

George Bain's son Iain ( pronounced like Ian but an older spelling ) wrote a book himself. He found his father's book in many craft workshops. But it was more a visual aid than a technical help. I switched over to Iaian Bain's book when it came out in the early 1990s. Its much better.

Celtic knots are hard to draw freehand. Usually when I did them, I laid out the surface like graph paper so I can more easily see the plot points to regulate where the lines fall. But it was frustrating for me to do because of the time involved.

I trained an apprentice who was had a gift in being able to visualize where the plots points fell and was able to put it all together faster and easier. Once I was looking over her finished knot work on a wedding band and said to the manager that I wished I could do that. The manager laughed, thought I was making a joke. I said I was serious, I wished I could do that.

Allan

 

[tsterling]

There’s a much easier and foolproof method to create complex Celtic knot work. Squares, rectangles, circles, oddball shapes, all easily done, all turnings and crossings just fall into place automatically.

Above is an animated gif that demonstrates the basic methodology.

I’ve written a 231 page eBook about this simple method, from the basic method above to advanced shape-filling. Sorry for the commercial, but it’s $3.99, links here: http://sterlingsculptures.com/wp/?p=5872

Samples and free downloads available at the same link. Best of luck with your Celtic knots!

 

[allan621]

Tsterling - I hadn't needed to buy your book since I gave up doing knot work when the apprentice showed she was better than I was at engraving it. But I would really recommend anyone interested in knot work to buy it, especially off of Tom's site. It has great reviews on Amazon but buy it from Tom personally. And the price is amazing.

Allan

 

[Crossbolt]

Great. Now I need to figure out ebooks . Looks very promising.