knife bolster

[vilts]

Yippee, another free lesson

Here's my try on Sam's design. This time I learned really a lot.

First of all - never do important (and straight) shading lines after lunch nap with sleepy head. Look below to see what happens!

Second - look at the first one. Darn it, those straight shading lines in the middle ruin just about everything beautiful I might have going on here.

Third - you must really have a plan for shading and changing it the half way doesn't look too good.

But one thing I'm really happy about is the shading on those big spirals and even cross-hatching doesn't look too bad. That was my first time to shade something like this and using cross-hatch was facing my fears, before I've just ruined my 'beautiful' engravings with crossed out-of-place lines.

Thank you Sam for such a beautiful design and perfect engraving to learn from!

Justin, I think that for 3 hours and using push gravers you did real nice.

 

[jmcutting]

Vilts,

At first glance you'd swear it was Sam's... Your execution is superb! I am almost embarassed to have mine up here. You are doing a great job and really look forward to seeing what you come up with next!

I probably rushed mine a bit and think I am going to have to attempt it again and see if I can make things a bit cleaner. Doing the push gravers is a bit rough but I think I am learning how to work the tools properly and will get an air graver sometime in the future.

Thanks for posting, seeing your work makes me want to try even harder!

-justin

 

[jmcutting]

Okay this is probably a dumb question but could someone explain the stippling a bit? Possibly a picture of the tool you use too would be helpful. Using a rotary tool seems to be a bit rough and would like to try the stippling technique.

thanks,
-justin

 

[vilts]

Only dumb question is the question which you don't ask, that's what Sam said on our engraving class

Stippling tool is just sharp needle point, um, tool. With that you basically destroy the surface so it doesn't reflect any light back. You go over the whole background and 'punch' it as long as there are just holes left, then you get real nice matte background.

You might want to check this thread out: http://www.igraver.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1513

There the 4th pic is 901 handpiece fitted with stippling tool.

Okay this is probably a dumb question but could someone explain the stippling a bit? Possibly a picture of the tool you use too would be helpful. Using a rotary tool seems to be a bit rough and would like to try the stippling technique.

thanks,
-justin

 

[jmcutting]

Thanks Vilts! That makes more sense now... So basically you punch it until the area is completely covered which leave a flat rough surface. Which I see how the sharpie or black paint would adhere to much better than what I came up with last night.

Now I have to make a stippling tool tonight!

thanks again!
-justin

 

[vilts]

Yep, you got it right.

Actually I've never applied paint to stippled backgrounds I've done, but I think it should hold the paint well. Now if you wonder how I got so black background without paint then this is just a question of photography and light direction - if it's stippled well, then there's no way light can reflect from that surface...

Thanks Vilts! That makes more sense now... So basically you punch it until the area is completely covered which leave a flat rough surface. Which I see how the sharpie or black paint would adhere to much better than what I came up with last night.

Now I have to make a stippling tool tonight!

thanks again!
-justin

 

[Daniel Houwer]

Hy Vilts,

I can line up with Justin. You are a natural born engraver! Perfect Job!!

Just like Justin by the way, if you can produce something like that after 2.5weeks with a push engraver!!!
Though I am not really embaressed to post my exercise like Justin says.
The thing is, drawing does not come easy for me but I try to do my best. Nothing wrong with that. Have to buy a laser printer though for the transferring.

Justin, you shouldn't even have the slightest embarresment to post your engraving. What you did in 3 hours after 2.5 weeks is something I would have been proud about after having pushengraving lessons for a year 15 years ago at school.
Allas I could have had lessons in engraving from a bricklayer and it would not have made any difference. (she polished her engravers on the most coarse grinding stone there was!)
Of our little competition there is only one winner and that is you Justin! Or maybe both, for trying something that we would not have tried without the challenge.

Thanks Justin, and Vilts for your posts!