Hello everyone!

[Miranda Hoffmann]

My name is Miranda, I am a member of the FEGA. I am just starting out with engraving and I'm very excited about it! I am originally an oil painter (on canvas) but my father-in-law who restores guns steered me in this direction. I just mastered (or at least, figured out) how to sharpen the gravers properly and start making decent engravings. So I'm sure that I'll be picking everone's brains to try to figure all of this out. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!

Miranda

 

[Otto Carter]

That's great to hear. I also came into this art from a painting background. Did you go to a school? If so, which one? What graver grind do you use mostly? What kind of tools do you have? Do you have a website for your art? See what a big can of worms you opened by posting on this forum?

 

[Don Cowles]

Welcome,Miranda!

 

[Darren]

HI Miranda!

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Miranda

Glad you got that Gravermeister going. Welcome aboard

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Miranda Hoffmann]

WOW!! I didn't expect such a quick response!! Thank you for the welcomes. To answer your questions Otto, from the top, I took some classes from a very brilliant painter (last name Amarante) when I turned 16 for a couple of months and then he left. I figured the rest out on my own. Graver grind...as in sharpening?? Mostly the 600 grit and then the ceramic lap for the heel. I bought Sam's DVD on sharpening gravers. As for my equipment, I have the GRS Gravermeister with two hand pieces, one new one on the way, the dual angle sharpening fixture and a dual grinder that my husband bought for me for the taper. I am working on the website right now...a lady that I work with does a great job and is currently working on my husband's website for classic car restoration (www.clearcreekrestorations.com, if anyone is interested...for fun) so when she is done with his I should have more pictures to really get started on mine. Do you have a website??

 

[Joe Mason]

Welcome Miranda. Glad to have you here.

Joe

 

[monk]

my begining in art was portrait painting and sculpture. i could barely get the price of the oil and canvas back from a sale. i finally found the creative outlet of engraving was enjoyable and could bring in some cash. i hope your endeavors bring you the rewards we all enjoy ! like us all, you will spend many hours seemingly without any compensation. but down the road when you look back, none of that time was wasted- it was time that defined who and what you are ! we all joke, but i've never encountered an engraver that was miserable with his or her lot.

 

[Ron Smith]

Hi Miranda, Good to see the ladies envolved. Good to have you amongst us. It is a great bunch, Good company. Welcome!
Ron S

 

[Tira]

Welcome to the cafe. Almost everyone finds their way here from some other discipline (artistic or otherwise). Post often so we can see your progress.

 

[KSnyder]

Miranda, welcome.
we're sort of neighbors, I live in Toledo. I cut h & c.
I've painted w/ oils, tempra, waters, cut linoleum block , soap, wood, cast metal (lost wax) build guns for over 20 yrs. (18th cent) thats what led me to engraving.
Some of the work you see on this forum will blow you away.
again, welcome from the banks of the great lake Erie.
Kent

 

[Swede]

Hi Miranda, very nice to meet you! I am a beginner as well at engraving. I appreciate your background as a painter. My daughter is 14 and has taken some lessons from an excellent artist. It is incredible how quickly younger minds pick up things like art, music, and perhaps engraving, if I can get her interested! Here's a retriever she did when she was 13...

Anyway, I don't mean to hijack your welcome, but being a Dad, I'm proud of her work. I do see a bit of a parallel here! Our family is full of scientific/engineer types, and I'm glad she's pursuing her painting, which will lead to great satisfaction, as well as form a foundation for further artistic pursuits.

I'm also in the process of setting up shop, and the hard part for me is going to be the art rather than the tools and the technical side. There's some great info here, good people, and the old threads are a fantastic resource. Welcome!

 

[JJ Roberts]

Welcome Miranda,

You have come to the right place..lots of good information and some very sharing folks. Sam has created a very friendly and useful site. I checked out your husband's website, and it brings back a lot of old memories..vehicles I grew up with..ones you could recoginize when you see them. Keep us posted.

Yours truly,
JJ Roberts
School of Artistic Engraving
Manassas, VA
www.angelfire.com/va2/engraver