sonofagraver
Member
just a practice piece tell me what you think. just keep it polite please
Critique Request plane
- Thread starter sonofagraver
- Start date
is very nice job-- polite ? nice sort of look you have there.
Andrew Biggs
Moderator
Hi Sonofagraver
What you have done is pretty bad. There's really no other way to put it. Unfortunately this means there is nothing to critique and because it is such a mess it's impossible to give you anything to help make it better.
I suggest that you go back to a few basics and leave the planes alone at this stage. All you are doing is ruining them.
Pick up pencil and paper and start drawing scrolls and cutting them on practice plates. Do this until you get good at drawing scrolls and cutting them.........start with drawing/cutting one good scroll then add another and so on. I know that's boring but it will pay dividends in the future. There is plenty of good reference material out there to learn from.
When you have done this, put the occasional drawing up for critique and then you can be given some direction.
Cheers
Andrew
What you have done is pretty bad. There's really no other way to put it. Unfortunately this means there is nothing to critique and because it is such a mess it's impossible to give you anything to help make it better.
I suggest that you go back to a few basics and leave the planes alone at this stage. All you are doing is ruining them.
Pick up pencil and paper and start drawing scrolls and cutting them on practice plates. Do this until you get good at drawing scrolls and cutting them.........start with drawing/cutting one good scroll then add another and so on. I know that's boring but it will pay dividends in the future. There is plenty of good reference material out there to learn from.
When you have done this, put the occasional drawing up for critique and then you can be given some direction.
Cheers
Andrew
Look at the curve of the backbones. They should not have any sharp bends. They should look like the inside of a nautilus shell.
Also notice that the space between the spirals constantly gets smaller. They don't go from wide to narrow to wide. They always go narrower in a constant pace.
Also notice that the space between the spirals constantly gets smaller. They don't go from wide to narrow to wide. They always go narrower in a constant pace.
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The leaf border has potential. The scrollwork isn't ready for prime time.
sonofagraver
Member
thanks Steelhouse in fact in have both of these and i watch them both about once a week but I'm working with an old plane(and the customer loves what I did to it) that was covered in rust and was pitted quite badly.
Sam what do you mean by prime time?
Sam what do you mean by prime time?
It's just an expression. What I mean is that the scrollwork portion of the design is not good enough to be engraved on something of value. In fact, I think this has devalued the tool. I could pat you on the back and tell you how great it is, but that's not doing you any favors.
My advice is to hone your drawing skills until you can produce a good scroll, THEN tackle a job like this. And I don't mean you should only be drawing and not engraving. You can continue to develop your control and enjoy the process of engraving on practice plates.
Hey, we've all done it, myself included. Roll up your sleeves, sharpen your pencil, and hit the sketch pad.
Marcus Hunt
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Ditto Andrew and Sam's comments. Do you have Ron Smiths's "Advanced Drawing of Scrolls" book? I haven't seen Lee's book so I can't comment but Ron's book is great and will teach you a lot about what makes scrollwork aesthically pleasing and how to construct it properly. Unfortunately, everything about your design is wrong and as Andrew says, you just can't start a constructive criticism because there is nowhere to start from.
Southern Custom
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
You mentioned that the customer liked it. Quite often the customer is the least qualified to be a judge of good work. Many of your customers will be along for the ride with you. Years later when you can produce a balanced, flowing and well cut design, they'll take a hard look at the first pieces you sold them. At that point there will be two people saying "What was I thinking". I know. Like many engravers, I've made that mistake. I only wish this forum had been available and I had been given the same advice instead of listening to my wife and family tell me how beautiful everything I cut was. There are quite a few planes out there that I wish I could make go away. They'll haunt me till the end of my days. If I could do it all over, I'd stick to practice plates for a couple of years and spend at least 80% of my time sketching. For most, the ability to cut clean lines will come long before the ability to draw a well designed scroll.
Good luck, study and sketch hard. Letting the forum critique your sketches will go a long way. You can always erase graphite.
Good luck, study and sketch hard. Letting the forum critique your sketches will go a long way. You can always erase graphite.
Mike Fennell
Elite Cafe Member
As Marcus said, Ron Smith's book is excellent. I also have Lee Griffith's book, which clearly shows how to avoid ambiguity and trouble spots in scroll backbone layout and has an excellent section on designing leaf structures. I will be ordering Sam's DVD collection this week.
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