Spending the day reading

[gunner312]

I've spent the day reading the interviews with all the engravers.

Marvellous interviews and many humerous stories.

I lived in Germany for seven years and spent quite a few days in the museums looking at the scrollowork and engraving on the firearms. on more than one occasioin I had to be hurried alon by the guides. Especiall at the Hunting Museum Kranistein in Darmstadt. I spen hours there and was impressed by rack after rack of finly engraved arms.

Also the Rifles and Shotguns in the rack at the museum in liege, Belgium. I spent a day there while my wife was shopping. Absoultely stunning engraving.

A German friend of mine named Lothar was a gun dealer and gueneral gunsmith and on occasion in his shop I had the chance to hold and examine many highly engraved and decorated arms.

Finally, I've the chance to take the time to learn the skill of engraving as I was forced dto retire from tool and general machine work. Hope I can learn, It's a intricate and painstakeing skill.

I still have my machines and plenty of time. I've been machine engraveing for some time but it's not a patch on the quality of work I've seen here on this site.

Hope to meet all of you sometime.

Jim Wright

 

[jlseymour]

Welcome Jim, You are at the right place, there's so much info and encouragement on this forum...
Get a chance try to get to the FEGA at Reno this month...
Jerry

 

[Ron Smith]

Welcome Jim, there is a multitude that you can learn from this site. Just ask away............Ron S

 

[mdengraver]

Scroll Book

Ron,

I really am enjoying your "Advanced Scroll Design Book". I was wondering what is covered in your beginner scroll design book that is not covered in the advanced book. The advanced book so well covers the subject.

 

[Ron Smith]

mdengraver,.........The only difference is the thoroughness of the material. I elaborated quite a bit on the advanced book and added a lot of dialog to the rules, etc. I went over the same things I had in the first book as I thought you must start at the begining to teach properly, so you can get about all you need from the advanced book It is just quite a bit more expensive.
Glad you are enjoying it. It just covers the subject more thouroughly and has a section on creative drawing and project developement and leaf progression drawings for more styles and more examples of my work, I think. Did you get the hard bound version? Have you seen it yet? GRS was responsible fot the quality printing etc. I am very pleased with it. The material in it has not changed, only the formatting of the text. I didn't know anything about using a computer and made lots of mistakes. It is a much cleaner and professional, overall. thanks for you interest............Ron S

 

[mdengraver]

Paperback

I have the paperback but I haven't seen the hardback yet. It's hard to believe you could improve much on it in the hardback. The original paperback is so good. This is the only design book I've found that really goes into a thorough discussion of scroll design and ornamental leaf design. It's a real treasure. The illustrations are terrific. It's the kind of reference book you can reference time and time again and learn something new each time. It's quite practical. I also think you did a wonderful job sharing your philosophy of life and engraving in a very profound and instructive way. It's definitely a bible of sorts for engraving, treating the subject in all its' honesty, purity and ideal artistic aspirations. It's great that people like you are participating in this forum to share your wealth of experience so generously.

 

[Ron Smith]

Well that is what life is about isn't it? I just believe that given a good understandable foundation will allow us to rise beyond what we ever can percieve for ourselves, and do it in record time. I have proven that so many times to myself, I cannot deny its importance. Just like the quality we so wish to produce, the begining and the speed of our evolution lies in the quality of that foundation does it not? And if we were not given a very good one, trial and error is the only option, without good teachers, and it is a shame that we must learn that way, but that too is life and we must rise above that also. A potentially good man will use his adversity as an excuse to rise. A potentially bad man will use it as an excuse to fail and blame others. Thanks mdengraver, it is always good to hear that you have done a good job. That too is life and the quality that you so wish to produce tells me that you are a quality person too. You cannot produce what you aren't, but you are bringing the future (your potential) into the present and developing it. Our (engravers) pursuit and passion for beauty and accuracy is a sign of love don't you think?...........

 

[mdengraver]

Leaf Ornamental Design

Ron,

I have a question about Leaf Ornamental Design I'd like to ask you. I'd like to learn how to make my leaf shading, dimension, highlights look original like yours but not just merely follow the procedures you've outlined in your Advanced Scroll design book. What I want is a way to take a real leaf draw it and interpret it and integrate it in my scroll designs. In other words I'm trying to better understand how the 3 dimensional drawing affect works so I understand it enough to develop my own sense of originality, or is that something you just accomplish and begin to understand with experience. I know your book and examples of others in books, metal, etc.is an excellent place to start. I notice that you and Sam seem to do this effectively with a real understanding of how to accomplish it. I want to be able to develop this on a more intuitive level to establish a real understanding of what I'm doing so I can make my leave renderings emerge from the page and engravings emerge three-dimensionally from the metal. I heard drawing a leaf that is dry and folding up is a good way to start. Also, some discussion on how to take a particular kind of leaf/plant structure acanthus, etc and reinterpret it for designs purposes would be helpful. Hopefully, what I'm asking for isn't too abstract to explain.

 

[mdengraver]

Ron,

In response to your previous comments about what life is all about. I know I don't speak alone when I say you have managed to capture in words throughout your book the many sentiments many artists/engravers feel, but have trouble expressing as eloquently as you have in words. Hand-engraving should be more than just producing an image in metal/ wood, etc. It should allow us to derive a greating understanding and meaning of what we observe/see and feel about the world, to appreciate more fully the depth and breath of the life were so privileged to enjoy for our relatively short span on this earth.

 

[Ron Smith]

I hope that is pretty well explained in my book, but interpretation varies with each person, but here goes. Once you have a properly structured basic leaf, it can be altered and stretched without destroying the grace of it, by using add-ons which I describe in my book. Add ons will open doors that are very exciting to your creativity. Sometime subtle, slight, changes will surprise you as to their effect, once you get the laws of grace into your being. They are already there within you and experience will bring them out and develope them. I didn't get real creative un til I had an intimate knowledge of different leaf styles and such, but your sense of balance will emerge with experience, combined with your growing knowledge and your personality will emerge on its own. Don't worry about that right now. Learn good foundational principals of grace and work with them until the light comes on. Then you can break the rules without damaging your designs.
Shading is what gives you drawing life and deminsion and it is rather proceedural too. Let the leaf structure talk to you as it often tells you how to shad it, but you must lean to your spiritual interpretation rather than your human perception. I don't know exactly how to explain this, but once you begin to use this tool you will be amazed at the quality of your perception and interpretation. Add-ons will increase that interpretation, so learn all of the add-on shapes I have shown you in the book, learn how and where to add them onto the basic leaf and you will be surprised how quickly you will "see" how to shade the leaf.

By the way, if you post some of your drawings, I can point to some corrections and maybe help you to understand a bit, but it would be good for you to take a drawing class, but it needs to be an advanced one with emphasis on structural elements and the reasons and importance of those elements.
another thing....Every time you read through my book, you will learn something new, because with practice, you will find new questions and you can go in pursuit of them.
Learn the laws of structural grace and you can do anything you want and it will be beautiful............
There aren't any natural leaves in design usually, but they are all stylized to fit into the laws of grace as far as scrolls go.
Ron S

 

[mdengraver]

Good Explanation!

Thanks. You provided me with much to think about in my quest for greater understanding.

 

[Ron Smith]

Right on, ride on mdengraver...........Happy New Year! and many more

 

[Roger Bleile]

As Isaac Newton said "We are standing on the shoulders of giants." Along with Albrecht Durer, Nimschke, the Youngs, the Ulrichs, Kornbrath, I believe Renee Delcour, Ron Smith, Sam Alfano, and Steve Lindsay are the living giants who not only took hand engraving to higher levels but also have given of their knowledge to help the rest of us. I believe I own every book on the subject of engraving printed in the 20th century but if I could own only one to learn and understand scroll design it would be Ron Smith's latest work. If I had that book in 1974 I would be miles ahead of where I am now in my designs with far less struggle Thank you Ron!!!
Roger Bleile

 

[gail.m]

Ron,
There is much about your book that is good for the 'outside' of a person as regards the learning of the physical skill of engraving, but it is also insightful as regards the 'inside' or spiritual elements of the art of engraving. The design and execution of a beautiful work of art is indeed, if only subliminally, a spiritual experience. Thank you for sharing your philosophy as well as your techniques. For those reasons it is my favorite book on the subject.
gailm

 

[Ron Smith]

Thank you Roger and Gail, yes and the beautiful thing about it is you already have it in you, it is there, but you must dig deep to pull it out. Actually you have already done that as you are searching. Now all you might need is time and developement.
The structural standards for art, or any creation for that matter, is the same ones for human existence as you have probably already found out, and it was through this art that I found out about real life (grace). That is why I made the connection in my book. A correct foundation is what truly developes your self esteem and assurance that you are on the right track. This is a powerful faith that allows you to stand strong and solid in your beliefs, and in my opinion, everyone on this forum is very perceptive and insightful as to the laws of eternal creations. Grace flows through you and out of your fingers, and that is proof. Just because you are not where you might want to be, it doesn't matter. Time will help you. It is your "spirit" that is perfect in its desire to conform to the laws of grace, and passion that gets you there, and in that way we are all the same. Passion is the power behind the speed and effeciency in which you develope, and you guys blow me away with your intensity and determination........That is what it takes............Chip away my friends........Ron S