Todays Doodle for Critique
- Thread starter Zito
- Start date
Zito, very elegant leaves quite lovely. Maybe a few less shade lines… a tiny bit of white space next to the leaf line, and not completely filled in on some. Have a good one
Thank you thank you!!!! May I ask what is the leaf line? My apologies if that’s a crazy question. Thank you again for the response… exactly what I’m looking for.
Zito, your drawing is far beyond what I am capable of. Only reason I made the suggestion is from watching Sam’s ”Advanced shading master class” DVD.
apologies I doodled on the drawing, the red lines on the left are the “leaf lines” if Im not mistaken. On the right side by the arrow I poorly shaded one leaf, just running a parallel line next to that line and leaving a gap of white space. Hope thats not bad advice… I would recommend that DVD or download for a greater understanding of shading in general. BB
apologies I doodled on the drawing, the red lines on the left are the “leaf lines” if Im not mistaken. On the right side by the arrow I poorly shaded one leaf, just running a parallel line next to that line and leaving a gap of white space. Hope thats not bad advice… I would recommend that DVD or download for a greater understanding of shading in general. BB
Goldjockey
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Good morning, Zito. Your drawings s show a fundamental knack for good scroll design, and a real enthusiasm for the complex nuances of ornate scrollwork. You definitely have a feeling for what you want to express, but currently need more of the “how” - the nuts and bolts of how to get there.
Sam Alfano, the forum owner, has an excellent instructional video which will take you from the basics of good solid scroll construction through the processes of creating intertwining scrolls, and shading best practices.
Once you have the fundamentals under your belt, your work will blossom, and the sky is the limit.
The video I started with, and recommend for you is ”The Essential Guide to Drawing Scrolls”. It’s the best $60 you’ll ever spend, and you can find it here: https://www.masterengraver.tv/
I agree with goldjockey.. You have a pretty good idea of the individual elements, a lot of good leaf work, but its more like a bunch of individual elements heaped together. It's not a growing scroll. I'm not really an expert but for a better idea go back a few posts to Goldjockey's study for silver iphone drawings. It has many of the same leaf elements but in a more dynamic form. It's a fine piece of composition. And look at the way the scroll backbone has a clear unmuddled ending with the inside of the vine visible. You're close but the Sam's dvd is excellent way to get a little clearer about the objectives. I learned a lot of from it and I don't do scroll work at all.
Allan
Allan
Thank you VERY much!!! Feel free to do what you wish the and critique as you wish. I just want to get better. Thank you for the suggestions.
PAHAHAHA... I've seen your stuff... I WISH I was that good. Thank you for the kindness though.
Thanks you sir, execution of cutting and practicing would be my stronger side. But Im standing on the shoulders of other’s fine artwork. Been a while since Iv seen it said here but for sure is a fact, “A good design engraved poorly will always look better than a poor design engraved wonderfully“.
Therein lies where your aptitude for design will serve you greater than I, with a better understanding of creating a more balanced and living scroll. Elements that “grow” from one another in a manner that seems more natural, like each leaf sprang forth from the last and coexist together In harmony.
Less in the way that seems to be a collage of beautiful flowers that have be picked from they’re homes and placed together in a shadow box, yes they retain they’re individual beauty but when taken as a whole are stacked and glued together.
I‘m always delighted to gaze into someone’s design and decipher each element that your lizard brain automatically finds appealing because for all they’re complexity nothing jumps out or distracts from the design as a whole.
This is where it will be hard for the seasoned and gifted artist that belong to this community to critique and help refine a rough draft or practice drawing. Maybe pick a canvas for your next design, a blank knife handle, and create a design for that shape. Once you are happy with the broad strokes of the design, post it and let the masters here guide you toward a tightly refined work of art. This will get you critiques and help further your understanding, the difference between filling all the spaces with something, or creating something beautiful that will stand the test of time.
Ron Smiths Book “Advanced drawing of scrolls” is another great resource to seek out. Anyways have a great week and keep at it. BB
BB,
Thank you so much, once again, for a great reply. I understand what you are saying. I mainly just want to draw one thing that looks truly professional. I will try a canvas like a cell phone case or maybe a 1 in by 2 in rounded rectangle... the loading port on my pellet gun. I would love to have that spot engraved. Thank you for all your help! z
Goldjockey
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A word of advice for this goal, and it’s a good one. Start with one element. A really well drawn scroll backbone, and just the backbone.
Right now your work looks like scrambled eggs, and that won’t change until you learn to start with a well drawn backbone.
Do nothing else until you perfect this one element. It is the foundation from which every element of a professional looking scroll design grows.
There are Youtube videos that cover this topic. Stop what you are doing. Watch the videos. Keep drawing backbones again and again and again, until you have something you feel is really good, and then post just that backbone, with no other embellishment here for critique and mentoring. That’s where you start.
Thank you. I will do exactly this. z
This is the best backbone I can do. I learned quite a bit. I have never noticed that there is a "center of balance". I know it's not perfect, critique PLEASE! z
EDIT: OOOOOOh yeah..... I can see already that the spines shapes the leaves not the other way around. All of the leaves will be wayyyyyyy easier to get right. I am also starting to "see" the necessary white space near the spine.
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Goldjockey
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Good start. However, you‘re rushing to get something out rather than really taking your time to perfect your backbones which are foundational to everything else which follows. Each scroll must flow from the other rather than just being stuck on the top. Patience and perseverance are key. Keep drawing (repeatedly) until you get a series of nice even scroll backbones, each flowing from the other. Don‘t rush, and take the time to perfect each scroll and segment before moving on to the next. Come back in a few days, with examples of how your work is progressing. Don‘t worry about putting them on any sort of template yet. Your goal is to perfect your scroll backbones without thinking about putting them within a container, or template. Just the scroll backbones, please.
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Yes, sir, backbones only. I believe you that it's best for me, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help. I know that you understood me when I said "professional." It is admittedly hard to just do backbones, because I have always kinda thought that good leaves could fix anything, so why bother making it perfect. I, of course, am starting to see how dumb that is. Small errors in backbone in one place causes catastrophic damage at another. I will study your pic and follow all of your advice. Thank you, and yall, for your time. z
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