My first real practice plate

[vanknife]

Good day to all out there,

This is my first real practice plate appart from the obvious mistakes please advise me on how to better my engraving.
I think the biggest mistake i made was to switch from a 110 Deg engraving point to a 120 deg on the same pattern, That i think is the main reason for the "Dog legs" in the spine?

Thanks in advance

"VAN"

 

[Ron Smith]

Van, I like your designing skills. I see a lot of good potential in you there. The one glaring thing I see is the space in the loop of the spiral that is crying for the background to be removed. I think this would improve the effect of your design drastically. Try it and see if I am right. Re-post it after and see if everyone agrees. The other stuff will improve with practice, but here are some more tips. Black (stipple) the teadrop, shade a little more where your elements overlap, and a good thing to remember is: The more you shade an element, the more it drops into the backgrond. The less you shade, the more the unshaded portion appears to be raised. You create intensity in shading by placing lines closer together and cross-hatching. Lines mean things and they must make the leaf perform some task such as rolling or curling, concave or convex illusions, and three dimensional effects. Leave highlights along the edges of your leaves for definition and seperation of the different elements in your sdesign, unless you are trying to creat a certain effect otherwise. ....study your leaf structures and remember you get balance with equal leaf mass and background spacing. You create flow with parallel lines and anything that does not adhere to this principal will break that flow...............very good first practice plate...............Ron S

 

[vanknife]

Ron,

Thank You very much for the help will do some more practicing and try to incorporate what you have said. The design is not my own but i will draw and try to see it the way you have explained. By the way i have asked a Mr. Bill Lundy to order the book on scrolls that You have written. Can,t wait to get it.

Cheers

"VAN"