GRS James Meek Squirrel

[sdcoxx]

Hello Cafe members,
Practice, Practice, Practice....
I would appreciate your input.
Then I'll Practice some more.
Stephen

 

[ron p. nott]

Hey Stephen ,, a great looking rabbit , the only thing I can see wrong is the ears are too long ..ha,ha,
ok you did great nice squirrel.. ron p

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Stephen

I really like it. Gold acorns as well!!! The bark treatment is very nice and I like the stylistic approach to it. The hair follows the contour of the squirrell very nicely.

There is one thing I would say, and that is it all looks a bit flat with no sense of depth. The squirrel also blends with the tree a bit. This could be remedied very easily with a few shadows.

I’ve taken the liberty of adding a few shadows in Photoshop for you to think about. What I’ve done is pretty rough but it’s there to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

By going back and adding a few more lines you could really make that little critter POP.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[monk]

i know how to catch this little guy : climb the tree and act like a nut ! seriously, pennsylvania squirells have a slightly pointed tail. other than that, this is right on ! did i misspell squirrel ? and also they usually park their tail just a bit above and slightly behind their head .

 

[Marrinan]

This is a lovely engraving-to good for a practice plate-would make a nice pendent or the like (even a coin)-Andrew-I may be mistaken but I beleive that the light source is to the left of squirel-based on both the shading on the leafs and were you placed you shodow-from the right and in front the shadow would be located behind the beast and the leaf sading would be incorrect-just a thought-could be mistaken though-Fred

 

[Dan Grubaugh]

Stephen, Where did you get the oak tree that produces golden acorns? I would like to get a couple! LOL I agree with Fred, this deserves to be on something other than a practice plate. Nice looking work.

 

[Christiaan]

Darling, Bring that squirrel rifle. There is a nice good looking tree rat eating our golden acorns. We will have stew tonight.
I like the shadows results of Andrew as well.

 

[sdcoxx]

Hello Cafe Members,
Thanks for the kind words...
Andrew, I see your point and will pay more attention to the shadowing on my next effort...Thank you...
I took the GRS bulino class in October. Each student received, as a bonus or homework, a pendant with a laser etched outline of this James Meek design found on a plate in the break room display cabinet. I put off engraving the pendant until attending the FEGA seminars in Reno. I hope to practice engraving this design a few times before taking GRS' shotgun engraving class this summer. During the course of the class each student will engrave a Stoeger Uplander Side by Side 28 gauge shotgun.
Are any other Cafe Members taking this class?
Are you having a difficult time finding this 28 gauge shotgun?
Perhaps I have the cart in front of the horse, however I thought a squirrel or rabbit would be an appropriate animal for the 28 gauge shotgun.
What animals do you think are appropriate for a 28 gauge shotgun?
I've attached the artwork GRS provided for the pendant.
Thank you for your input,
Stephen

 

[Ranchman]

Very nice engraving. The acorns are fantastic.
When I see a 28 gage I think upland game. Quail and dogs. Maybe Springer spaniels with long flowing coats. But I would imagine everyone in the class will be doing upland game so maybe rabbits and squirrels are a better theme. How about Beagles running rabbits?

Regards,
Jeff

 

[D.DOUGLAS]

Whats wrong with a cape buffalo. HA HA Dont anger the beast! Great job Stephen, i think some flushing quail would be perfect as jeff stated.

 

[michaelp]

looks good, I just finished mine, getting ready to post some pictures. losts and lots of hairs aren't there

 

[fegarex]

Are any other Cafe Members taking this class?
I think I will be there.....

It should be a fun class. As far as the shotgun, I know there is a list of dealers on the Stoeger web site.
It's a nice little gun for the money. I would think the squirrel would look good on the bottom.

 

[Ross]

Stephen I will be taking the shotgun engraving class this summer too. I ordered my shotgun from a gunstore
in Emporia. They had the best price and I didn't have to transport it to the class. I will look for their name and phone number when I go to work in the morning and post it here for you. Looking forward to meeting you and taking the class from Rex.
Ross

 

[sdcoxx]

Hello Rex,
We're counting on you being there...LOL
Your class offers a GREAT one of a kind opportunity.
It will be lots of FUN learning about gun engraving....

Hello Ross, any information on purchasing the Stoeger 28 gauge would be helpful.
Thanks, look forward to meeting you.

Hello Mike, I will be looking to see your pendant...
When I return to GRS this year, I will be sure to examine the James Meek plate more closely.
Good to hear from you.

Hello Jeff, I like Springer Spaniels.... good suggestion... Thanks.

Take Care,
Stephen

 

[Ross]

Stephen I ordered mine from The Gun Den phone no is 620-342-0711. I talked with a gentleman by the name
of Chad. Just have to pick it up when I get to Emporia.
Ross

 

[mdengraver]

Thomas Bewicks Squirrel Engraving for Comparison

Thomas Bewicks Squirrel Engraving for Comparison

 

[monk]

mr coxx, if i may: your engraving is without equal in many respects. the santa coin however, considering it got past the sleepy eye of the forum censor, is no doubt one of the best postings ever ! no matter what you post, or anyone else- the santa "taking one" is the alltime best ever ! jmho

 

[Big-Un]

When doing animals, we must pay attention to which one is indigeneous to the area. Some squirrels have tufted ears, some are large and black (Fox Squirrel) while the majority are the more common grey squirrel. Just a note about what to engrave for the area.

 

[Sandy]

Stephan,
The Squirrel is great. You can find the 28 ga at most Bennelli (spelling) Dealers. I have had mine for a couple of years. I really like that little gun. I like your idea of the squirrel on the gun. See you in July.

Sandy

 

[Ozgraver]

Here are a few more squirrel images to contemplate...