Critique Request Newbie pattern practice

[Latergaters]

Wow, I am overwhelmed. Thank you so much. I appreciate all of the input. I cant wait to get working on it again. Wish it wasnt so late right now.

I did intentionally cross the border, I kind of like that look if it isnt over done. Plus I had Jake Newell as my instructor and he does that a lot. Is that a complete nono?

As to paying for things of value, that is why I became a pledge member awhile back.

Wish it wasnt so late or I'd head out to the shop now. Kids wont let me sleep in unfortunately.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

I did intentionally cross the border, I kind of like that look if it isnt over done. Plus I had Jake Newell as my instructor and he does that a lot. Is that a complete nono?

11. KISS..keep your designs simple to begin with. As you develop and refine your skill your designs will naturally become a bit more complex.

No, there's nothing wrong with crossing/overlapping the border..........knowing when to do it and when not to is the trick. As your understanding of the design process increases, then you can start playing with overlaps.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Southern Custom]

Oh, if I had only been a member of this forum when I started down this path years ago. Advice like what Andrew has offered is something I badly needed at the time but either didn't know it existed or didn't know where to look or who to ask.
If you really are set on doing this, I would say cut your final design on a practice plate. Cheap, easy, and you'll be able to see what it looks like in metal, and learn from the many mistakes that you will make.
The only guarantee is that if you continue on as a student of the craft, there will come a day, most likely in the near future, that you look back and say "What the heck was I thinking when I cut that." Better it be on a sheet of mild steel than a gun that no one has the heart to throw away. I have one of those in the back of the safe and one of these days the it will become substantially lighter from all the filing I'll do on it. It only took me a couple of months to realize I had made a mistake. Then a year to realize what the mistakes were, and another year to learn to fix them.
Remember, engraving is the easy part. Good design is tough to learn but thankfully, sheets of paper are easy and inexpensive to toss in the wastebasket, unlike guns.
Work hard. Have fun!
Layne

 

[monk]

you have a problem quite similar to mine. it;s called inspiration. no book, video, any manner of instruction can give this to you . one can become quite expert at drawing, but when faced with a blank canvas the mind may also go blank. years ago, i was quite proficient at painting oil portraits from fotos or live models. i would be wasting my time, if trying to do a portrait without "something" to look at. this problem of mine has diminished markedly with engraving. looking at the way it's supposed to be done, and then using books that show how to do it. how to make it work visually, has helped me. it has been an on-going thing for me, and shall be till i croak.
now to your drawing: it shows as chaotic. the engraving world likes to see balance and a gentle, pleasing flow to a design. this is "the rule". nobody has to adhere to "the rule", most do. if a design pleases you, whether great, good, bad or just plain ugly-- if you like it do it ! most here would retch if they saw my oval scroll. i like it, those receiving it like it, so the heck with :the rule" but at some point, one should try to learn different styles and design techniques.
i might actually like your design. for me to accept it, the leaves are inconsistent, the border design is inconsistent in size/shape, the scroll is rather crude. the feature on the right side, i call it tree-like, is not usually seen growing from a scroll. i could actually accept the concept, if it were done in a refined sort of way. i probably have not helped you much here, but i am trying. the best advice i can give is- never, NEVER, give up. if you do, you'll wonder the rest of your life if the decision to quit was the right one !