Critique Request First scroll

[EliDa]

Hello!
It is my first post here. I have opportunity to try engraving for few hours. And I want to learn more.
From what I read it is really important to start with drawing designs and learn how to draw better. And for that there is no need for special equipment.
I started to play with scrolls, mostly trying different sizes and shapes of "backnone", but today I try to make it with leaves too.
Can you give me a feedback for it?
I really want to know if there are any visible mistakes..I want to improve.

 

[monk]

for a spine that size the first leaves are way too large.leaving a glaring background. it's good that you see the pencil as a tool. get a book on scroll design and development.. lee grifffiths created a good one for beginners. the book starts you on the "right way" to do design work for engravers.
such is critical, as engraving requires filling in odd shapes in a pleasing flow. keep at it.

 

[allan621]

Not bad for a first scroll, but as Monk said get a book and lee Griffith is a great book for beginners. The thing is you could spend a lot of time thrashing around trying to get things to look right but its better to get the book and understand some fundamentals when your starting.

The problem I have with your scroll is every vine that ends in a ball, isn't round. They have flat tops and the first even have flat sides as well. Before inking anything take a good hard look. I fine that taking a photo of you work is better than just using your eyes. Puts a little bit of distance that for me works. Keep sketching but have an eraser standing by.

Allan

 

[ByrnBucks]

Good evening EliDa, welcome and thanks for sharing.

Don’t know if this is a good suggestion or not, but maybe step away from the graph paper and restricting yourself to the mathematics that describe the scroll for basic understanding.

You may find it sets you free to analyze your backbones that end up a tiny bit flat when trying to conform to the edges of the rectangles set by the graph paper. If that makes any sense.

Just free hand several and see how they turn out, they don’t have to be perfect, just balanced to the one your drawing at that time.

Maybe one of our more seasoned fellows will weigh in on this suggestion. Good luck and have a great week. BB

 

[Dani Girl]

Top effort.

I see a lot of influnce from 3D work like wood carving in that drawing. I like a lot of what I see.

Most of the time when I draw, all or most of the elements at least, make it all the way to touching the scroll in the middle, whereas lots of your leaves stop short.

I like the heavy lines on the inside curves, that's how I'd cut that engraving too. Your drawing would translate well to sculpted engraving.

Main tip, turn the paper very frequently while drawing to help smooth out curves and make scroll turn smoothly and not be unintentionally oblong or have flat spots etc.