Knife bolster practice project

[Powderhorn]

Here is a ruff drawing for a set of knife bolster practice pieces. This my first attempt at a full from scratch drawing. Comments and criticisms welcome.

 

[Joe Mason]

Hi Powerhorn,
Nice smooth scroll. I think you could pull the left side in and down some. This would help balance the scroll inside the borders and get the end of the scroll away from the screw hole. Adjust the leaves and you are ready to go. Let us see it after it has been cut. Good luck.....

Joe

 

[Powderhorn]

Joe Mason, Jacques Herbst
Thank you for your reply's. I did a rework, that looks better to me. Let me know.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi powderhorn

Well, I think you are doing very well. Congratulations. You've drawn a nice smooth scroll and your leaf balance is good. The hard part with this sort of thing is at what stage do you say "this is the best I can draw right now" and start cutting. If you wait for the perfect drawing then you'll never put a graver to the metal. You have to start somewhere!!!

There are a couple of suggestions I would have. Just remember that these are my ideas and not everyone will think the same as me. So don't take what I'm saying as gospel...........

1. Try and make your scroll touch the borders. You could do this by redrawing, or by the looks of it, another line inside the border (a double border)

2.The base of the leaves inside the scroll. Make them a bit fatter so that they move away from the scroll spine and the leaf below it overlaps..........this will give you a lot more leaf to shade with.

3. The leaves outside your scroll. Some of them have no real shape and are rounded and no longer resemble leaves. Try pointing them a bit.........this will give them shape that the shading can accentuate.

4. There is a big bump at the very apex of your large scroll that needs some adjusting.

The most important thing is you have drawn it yourself from scratch and you seem to have a good eye for balance. I agree with Joe........let's see it when it's cut.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[pilkguns]

yip, what Joe and Andy said!

 

[Powderhorn]

Andrew, Pilkguns:
Thanks for your comments, Have reworked the drawing again, and will try it on a practice plate before I go for the real thing. I am a beginner, and self tout, by the frantic-fumbler method, and absorbing as much as I can from here in the cafe, and Rons books. If I can, hope to see you in Reno.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Powderhorn

Yip, the ratio of about a million reworked drawings to 1 engraving is about right

Cheers
Andrew

 

[threefingerdave]

Hi Powderhorn
I am new to engraving also but your drawing is great....it inspires me to do more drawing
thanks for the posting. Love to see your practice plate or the finished knife.
Dave

 

[Powderhorn]

OK, here is a practice piece that I cut from my redraw, I can see problems, but it came out better than I thought it would. I realize that it still needs,,, so comments welcome!!!!

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi PowderHorn

Well done. As time goes on you'll find that your cuts will become a lot more even and better contolled. The big thing is that you are doing it. As each project is completed your knowledge, understanding and skill level will grow.

Just keep at it

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Powderhorn]

Andrew:
I did this as a Quick and Dirty one to see how it looked in general, as in to much background, and how the design would fit overall. Now will take my time and go for a good one.

 

[Ron Smith]

Powderhorn, your spacing and ballance is excellent. Are you going to background around the scroll? If you are, I think it might be good to draw borders around the screws and that will also take up that little oversized background space in that spot. It isn't much off, and I am nit-picking, but that is a very good well done drawing. One other thing that might help would be to make the stem a little bolder as there is a shrinking phenominon where-as the pencil line becomes in corporated into the background if you do background and your design will shrink and your background will seem quite bold when engraved. If you are going to texture the background, it is a good idea to always blacken the background to check your spacing etc. This will show up some flaws and indicate slighty what I was talking about, the shrinking thing. If you are just goin t to shade the design without a background that wouldn't apply so much. Keep your leaf masses pretty consistant and I would recommend less leafs in the beginning of your spiral more proportionate to the rest. When you background it, this area is going to look a little cluttered. Hope this helps and they are only little refinements. I'm kind of a picky guy, but then, so are you..........
Go for it..........Ron S