Showing posts with label zebra knife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zebra knife. Show all posts
Monday, June 08, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
the zebra knife
I seriously think this is the best thing I have ever done. My goal was to create the most awesome image I possibly could, and I really wanted to kinda mirror the damascus pattern a little bit in the scrim itself. Mission totally accomplished. I'm so excited. :-) The knife is going back to the maker, and he will have it at Blade Show in Atlanta at the end of the month. So if you're going to Blade Show, find Don Cowles and check out this knife!!!
ps- full color scrimshaw is really hard.
pps- remember you can click on the pics to see a larger version
ps- full color scrimshaw is really hard.
pps- remember you can click on the pics to see a larger version
Thursday, May 07, 2009
May 7 work in progress
I'm getting very close to my 1000th blog post. What do you want me to talk about?
The Cape Hatteras image is almost done, just a little tweaking still to do, and then all the final polishing. You will get to see pics of the entire gun, but I'm not sure when. I don't have it, I've never even seen it. These grips will go back to the engraver, and when he gets the gun back from the gunsmith he'll put the grips on, and take pics, and then it'll go to the Colt Collector's Association, and they will take pics for their magazine. This really is one of those once-in-a-lifetime things, and one of the rare cases where the word "opportunity" isn't just a line, it's the real deal. :-)
I started work on the blue areas of the knife today. If you were afraid I was talking about bright blue or something..ha ha no. The dark blues are very dark, and the lighter blues will be kind of a faded denim color. I'm still trying to get the right color mix... tomorrow. *yawn*
When these things are done I need to organize my studio. I'm accumulating more scrimshaw related stuff and it's driving me nuts having everything on the table top. I think I'll get one of those plastic organizer things with a zillion drawers from Staples. Could put it right there, but I'd have to move the little bookshelf, hmmm, where to put that. I frequently think about packing up the paints and easel, hmmm.
The Cape Hatteras image is almost done, just a little tweaking still to do, and then all the final polishing. You will get to see pics of the entire gun, but I'm not sure when. I don't have it, I've never even seen it. These grips will go back to the engraver, and when he gets the gun back from the gunsmith he'll put the grips on, and take pics, and then it'll go to the Colt Collector's Association, and they will take pics for their magazine. This really is one of those once-in-a-lifetime things, and one of the rare cases where the word "opportunity" isn't just a line, it's the real deal. :-)
I started work on the blue areas of the knife today. If you were afraid I was talking about bright blue or something..ha ha no. The dark blues are very dark, and the lighter blues will be kind of a faded denim color. I'm still trying to get the right color mix... tomorrow. *yawn*
When these things are done I need to organize my studio. I'm accumulating more scrimshaw related stuff and it's driving me nuts having everything on the table top. I think I'll get one of those plastic organizer things with a zillion drawers from Staples. Could put it right there, but I'd have to move the little bookshelf, hmmm, where to put that. I frequently think about packing up the paints and easel, hmmm.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
May 6 work in progress
I love this! :-D
I still think I'll pull this off in time, though it looks like the knife will not get an image on the back. Maybe something really simple? Just a border? I dunno. That tape is looking skanky to the max, I can't wait to get this done and untape it so I can see how fabulously cool it looks. Can't risk accidental scratches in the mean time though. I might do the blue color next, and then the brown. Hmm. I'm probably going to wish I'd done the blue first, but that's okay, it'll work.
The CCA grips are nearly done, just need to finish the clouds on the Cape Hatteras side (tomorrow, if all goes well). Then multiple coats of wax, and photo time!
I still think I'll pull this off in time, though it looks like the knife will not get an image on the back. Maybe something really simple? Just a border? I dunno. That tape is looking skanky to the max, I can't wait to get this done and untape it so I can see how fabulously cool it looks. Can't risk accidental scratches in the mean time though. I might do the blue color next, and then the brown. Hmm. I'm probably going to wish I'd done the blue first, but that's okay, it'll work.
The CCA grips are nearly done, just need to finish the clouds on the Cape Hatteras side (tomorrow, if all goes well). Then multiple coats of wax, and photo time!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
May 5 work in progress
I was missing my zebras, so I decided to get out of Cape Hatteras for the day and spend some time in the world of stripes. I've been pondering how on earth to do the background. It's complicated, very complicated in the photograph I'm working from. So step 1 is to simplify it somewhat.. I think the plan of attack is this:
1) solid dark stripes and ripples (done) (and by "dark" I mean this almost-black color, a mix of black, brown, and blue)
2) dark gradation areas
3) brown
4) blue
I'm pretty sure it's going to rock my socks. And yours.
I haven't been talking about anything else lately because there really isn't anything to talk about, this is all I'm doing. It's good though, I mean, I still don't like spending ALL day at the scope but it's starting to feel more routine. But I am definitely starting a drawing project when these things are done! I'm still not hatching chicks, haven't done anything exciting with the horses, no dance performances, no hot dates, no baking... Yup, I'm that boring.
More lighthouse time tomorrow.
When I finish these I will shoot some good photos in good light so you can really appreciate them! And they will also be professionally photographed for publicity.
1) solid dark stripes and ripples (done) (and by "dark" I mean this almost-black color, a mix of black, brown, and blue)
2) dark gradation areas
3) brown
4) blue
I'm pretty sure it's going to rock my socks. And yours.
I haven't been talking about anything else lately because there really isn't anything to talk about, this is all I'm doing. It's good though, I mean, I still don't like spending ALL day at the scope but it's starting to feel more routine. But I am definitely starting a drawing project when these things are done! I'm still not hatching chicks, haven't done anything exciting with the horses, no dance performances, no hot dates, no baking... Yup, I'm that boring.
More lighthouse time tomorrow.
When I finish these I will shoot some good photos in good light so you can really appreciate them! And they will also be professionally photographed for publicity.
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 27 work in progress
I feel like I ought to be talking about stuff, but this is about all I can manage right now.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
April 26 work in progress
I keep talking about this May 15 deadline, but it's actually sooner than that. The CCA grips need to be back in the hands of the engraver on or before that date, so I am planning to ship them out on or before the 11th, which means I need to be done on or before the 10th (and if you know me you know this probably means I'll be finishing about 2am the 11th, but let's hope not). I feel like I'm on track with this, just need to focus and work like mad for the next 14 days. The zebra knife also needs to ship out that week. Eek!
A little Q & A session:
Q: What's the weird light area/reflection on the grips?
A: That's the reflection of the fluorescent ring light underneath the microscope. The grips are sitting under the scope when I take these photos.
Q: What happens if you mess up?
A: Messing up really is not an option. Extremely minor messups can sometimes be sanded off and buffed away, or you can try to fudge it and somehow incorporate your mistake into something else. But for all practical purposes, it would be the end of the world. (Yeah, no pressure or anything).
Progress:
A little Q & A session:
Q: What's the weird light area/reflection on the grips?
A: That's the reflection of the fluorescent ring light underneath the microscope. The grips are sitting under the scope when I take these photos.
Q: What happens if you mess up?
A: Messing up really is not an option. Extremely minor messups can sometimes be sanded off and buffed away, or you can try to fudge it and somehow incorporate your mistake into something else. But for all practical purposes, it would be the end of the world. (Yeah, no pressure or anything).
Progress:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
April 25 work in progress
I did not work in the CCA gun today, just the knife. I went to visit J&L and baby C briefly this morning, then stopped at the fabric store and finally decided on some cute fabric. ;-) My grandpa is coming up to visit for a week, I have to do a bunch of house-cleaning tomorrow, boooo. For some reason his visits seem to coincide with MAJOR DEADLINES, hmm.
I am trying to figure out if I can go do a week of horsey stuff up north with JC next month (since our plans fell through in the fall). I really really really want to go, I'm just so pressed for time right now. But it would be after the CCA gun and knife are mailed off, and the next-in-line clients are not on deadlines.
Oh, "Thankful" got into the Horse Expo art show. (JC and JJ, I know you're wondering something, so let's just say it all worked out). That will be some good publicity in early June.
I have not been to the gallery since the opening reception, I'll go next week some time and see how it's going.
Still no word from the Miniature Show. I'm getting cranky.
Monday, April 20, 2009
April 20 work in progress, plus other stuff
Okay, I think I'm going to start incubating eggs on May 25. I'm still taking orders for Black Rosecomb eggs. BBReds are sold out for the season (if you're hysterically crying reading that, email me, I'll see what I can do for you, but no promises). Not sure how many I'll hatch, guess I'll see what I feel like! :-)
I did not have time to do the image transfer on the CCA grips today. I did a little practice on a plastic spoon (because I wanted to try out the new sewing-needle tool, and see how much detail I can transfer from the Wright Flyer image). I'm pretty optimistic about it, just need to take it REALLY slow and careful. It'll probably take me a couple hours just to transfer the images (same method as I did for the knife, paper printout taped on, dotted through). Animal subjects are so much easier, I can freehand so much of them!
These are the three sets of grips I have right now. The one on the left is for the Colt Collector's Association annual auction gun (which I refer to as the CCA gun because that's a mouthful). The other two are for a private client, I'll be working on those starting in late May or early June.
I've never worked on anything as big and chunky as a pistol grip, and I don't want them rolling around on my little "table top" so I made this nifty beanbag. It's leftover flannel from my awesome pajama pants, and filled with rice. Yay, holds them nicely in place!
Progress on the zebra knife. I can't wait to see it without all this tape and stuff on there! If you missed that in an earlier post, it's wrapped in tape and felt so that I don't impale myself (it's not a folding knife) and also to protect the bolsters and back side ivory from any accidental scratches.
Oh, and Mr. Barn Swallow agrees with me that 96 degrees is WAY TOO HOT for this time of year. He's panting! This is photographed through the window right next to where I work all day, so he's all of maybe 6 feet away from me.
I did not have time to do the image transfer on the CCA grips today. I did a little practice on a plastic spoon (because I wanted to try out the new sewing-needle tool, and see how much detail I can transfer from the Wright Flyer image). I'm pretty optimistic about it, just need to take it REALLY slow and careful. It'll probably take me a couple hours just to transfer the images (same method as I did for the knife, paper printout taped on, dotted through). Animal subjects are so much easier, I can freehand so much of them!
These are the three sets of grips I have right now. The one on the left is for the Colt Collector's Association annual auction gun (which I refer to as the CCA gun because that's a mouthful). The other two are for a private client, I'll be working on those starting in late May or early June.
I've never worked on anything as big and chunky as a pistol grip, and I don't want them rolling around on my little "table top" so I made this nifty beanbag. It's leftover flannel from my awesome pajama pants, and filled with rice. Yay, holds them nicely in place!
Progress on the zebra knife. I can't wait to see it without all this tape and stuff on there! If you missed that in an earlier post, it's wrapped in tape and felt so that I don't impale myself (it's not a folding knife) and also to protect the bolsters and back side ivory from any accidental scratches.
Oh, and Mr. Barn Swallow agrees with me that 96 degrees is WAY TOO HOT for this time of year. He's panting! This is photographed through the window right next to where I work all day, so he's all of maybe 6 feet away from me.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
April 19 work in progress
It would have been a lovely day today, maybe for the middle of August! Low 90s in April? I'm not okay with that, I'd like to have spring again. Oh yeah, you're going to have to listen to me gripe about summer again...
On the bright side, I was able to give Jessie (dog) a bath today. Yup, Jessie's still hanging in there. Deaf as a doorknob, hobbles around when her arthritis is bad, but still a happy dog.
It's been a very busy weekend. I saw J&L and baby C again yesterday, then went over to JJ's house to try to find some feral kittens whose mama had been hit by a car. Unfortunately we could not find them, despite looking in and under everything we could find. A couple times I thought I might have heard something, but I think it was just wishful thinking, as there wasn't anywhere around me where I didn't look! Sad, but at least we tried.
This morning I was up at the crap of dawn to take a couple birds to auction (I did not put the GDW's in the auction, but I did meet their buyer there). Came home, zonked out for 2 more hours, FINALLY finished the drawings for the CCA gun, whew! I have to say that my knowledge of the Wright Flyer(s) has increased exponentially versus what it was a week ago. So, images ready, approved, hopefully I can transfer them tomorrow. It's going to be soooo hard with all the detail in the Flyer. I made a new tool today with a pin vise and an insanely-finely-sharpened sewing needle. I need the thinnest point I can get for this! You know much it hurts to poke yourself with a sewing needle? Well imagine looking at it at 10X magnification and decided it looks too dull. Weird, yeah.
And then I worked on the zebra knife, which is coming along nicely.
This is how scrim looks before inking, if you get the light reflected just right (kinda like how the bulino engravings will look black even without ink):
And this is how far I got today:
And I am going to bed.
On the bright side, I was able to give Jessie (dog) a bath today. Yup, Jessie's still hanging in there. Deaf as a doorknob, hobbles around when her arthritis is bad, but still a happy dog.
It's been a very busy weekend. I saw J&L and baby C again yesterday, then went over to JJ's house to try to find some feral kittens whose mama had been hit by a car. Unfortunately we could not find them, despite looking in and under everything we could find. A couple times I thought I might have heard something, but I think it was just wishful thinking, as there wasn't anywhere around me where I didn't look! Sad, but at least we tried.
This morning I was up at the crap of dawn to take a couple birds to auction (I did not put the GDW's in the auction, but I did meet their buyer there). Came home, zonked out for 2 more hours, FINALLY finished the drawings for the CCA gun, whew! I have to say that my knowledge of the Wright Flyer(s) has increased exponentially versus what it was a week ago. So, images ready, approved, hopefully I can transfer them tomorrow. It's going to be soooo hard with all the detail in the Flyer. I made a new tool today with a pin vise and an insanely-finely-sharpened sewing needle. I need the thinnest point I can get for this! You know much it hurts to poke yourself with a sewing needle? Well imagine looking at it at 10X magnification and decided it looks too dull. Weird, yeah.
And then I worked on the zebra knife, which is coming along nicely.
This is how scrim looks before inking, if you get the light reflected just right (kinda like how the bulino engravings will look black even without ink):
And this is how far I got today:
And I am going to bed.
Friday, April 17, 2009
April 17 work in progress
To sum things up: busy. I am in for an insane couple of weeks and I think my hand will need to go on vacation after the May 15 deadline. :-)
I usually blog at night. Wednesday I was doggie-sitting out of town. I met my super-duper-unbelievably adorable niece the next morning. OMG cute.
Last night I was tooooo tired to be even halfway intelligent about blogging. (then again, would you have noticed a difference? Ha!)
I spent most of the day doing the image prep for the CCA gun. It's not like I just freehand stuff with scrimshaw. As you have hopefully noticed, I have to create a drawing first! The lighthouse image is drawn and ready for transfer. The Wright Flyer, I have to say, is giving me fits. All those lines, gah! Makes me want to whack my head on the desk. I am reminded why I say I don't do nautical images, I think a ship would push me over the edge. But hey, I'll manage this. Just need to wrestle with it a bit more. :-)
I'm making progress on the knife too. Man, I gotta put all this on the fast track, time's going to be up before I know it. It takes more than one "pass" (to use a printmaking word) of scrimming to get enough dots to produce a DARK tone, so this was photographed after one pass. I'm actually farther along than this right now, just not at a point where I want to take a photo. It'll get there! I think I've decided to finish the zebras and then do the water, and it's looking like I'll be leaving the back side blank due to time constraints. That's okay.
I usually blog at night. Wednesday I was doggie-sitting out of town. I met my super-duper-unbelievably adorable niece the next morning. OMG cute.
Last night I was tooooo tired to be even halfway intelligent about blogging. (then again, would you have noticed a difference? Ha!)
I spent most of the day doing the image prep for the CCA gun. It's not like I just freehand stuff with scrimshaw. As you have hopefully noticed, I have to create a drawing first! The lighthouse image is drawn and ready for transfer. The Wright Flyer, I have to say, is giving me fits. All those lines, gah! Makes me want to whack my head on the desk. I am reminded why I say I don't do nautical images, I think a ship would push me over the edge. But hey, I'll manage this. Just need to wrestle with it a bit more. :-)
I'm making progress on the knife too. Man, I gotta put all this on the fast track, time's going to be up before I know it. It takes more than one "pass" (to use a printmaking word) of scrimming to get enough dots to produce a DARK tone, so this was photographed after one pass. I'm actually farther along than this right now, just not at a point where I want to take a photo. It'll get there! I think I've decided to finish the zebras and then do the water, and it's looking like I'll be leaving the back side blank due to time constraints. That's okay.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
April 14 work in progress
Taxes done and mailed. Whew.
Sooo, last time I did a color scrim piece (the peacock) I worked from light to dark and gleefully found that it CAN be done (most people will say you have to work dark to light). However, on this zebra knife I decided that dark to light will work better. I'm still debating whether do to the zebras and THEN the water, or just work on one color layer at a time regardless of where it's located. Hmmm, waffle waffle (mmm, great, now I am craving waffles...mmm... syrup). Uh, yeah. So I think there are going to be maybe 5 colors in this piece (black, brown, cream, and two shades of blue). I think. I'll figure it out as I go.
I am working on details for a spring art sale (via the website) but it's not exactly getting my full attention. I'll keep working on it though, so look for that happening some time in the next few weeks-ish.
Sooo, last time I did a color scrim piece (the peacock) I worked from light to dark and gleefully found that it CAN be done (most people will say you have to work dark to light). However, on this zebra knife I decided that dark to light will work better. I'm still debating whether do to the zebras and THEN the water, or just work on one color layer at a time regardless of where it's located. Hmmm, waffle waffle (mmm, great, now I am craving waffles...mmm... syrup). Uh, yeah. So I think there are going to be maybe 5 colors in this piece (black, brown, cream, and two shades of blue). I think. I'll figure it out as I go.
I am working on details for a spring art sale (via the website) but it's not exactly getting my full attention. I'll keep working on it though, so look for that happening some time in the next few weeks-ish.
Monday, April 13, 2009
April 13 work in progress
Much of the day was spent doing preliminary stuff for the pistol grips, which I received today. I was recently asked by engraver Mike Dubber to do scrim on the grips for the annual Colt Collector's Association auction gun. I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of the gun collecting world is pretty small, but I do know that this is a big dang deal and I don't quite have the words to explain what an incredible honor it is. It will receive some pretty serious publicity, be published on the cover of Rampant Colt magazine, etc. The subject of the gun is North Carolina. On one side I'll be scrimming the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and on the other will be the 1903 Wright Flyer. It's a big deal. :-)
But I did get in lots of hours on the knife too. You wouldn't think this stuff would take so long. But it does. First up was doing the transfer. I showed you the paper printout taped on there yesterday. Well first thing today was to poke through that printout on the outlines with my etching needle (lightly, but with enough pressure to make a tiny dot in the ivory). Put some ink on it, buff it down, and voila, the very subtle outline:
Next is the border, which I'd have to say is my least favorite part to do, because it's tedious. I measure and mark it in teensy increments under the scope, and then connect the dots with a whole heck of a lot more dots to build up a border (photographed through microscope):
And then play connect the dots with the zebra outlines so that I can actually see what I'm doing (eww, green fluorescent light):
You'll note I did not transfer the stripes or the water ripples. I'll just freehand all that. If I tried to transfer that much image information it would just be a hopelessly confusing mass of dots. So I just do the outlines and important parts, usually.
I wasn't nervous about starting this. I thought I would be, since this is my first knife and the first scrim I'm doing that isn't just on some random little bit of ivory. But nope, I feel totally confident in what I'm doing. This piece will be in color, so I am using India and colored drawing inks (well, so far just India). Not my favorite, I do prefer etching ink, but for a multi-color piece I need the drawing inks. Plus, because of the color and because this piece will get a fair amount of handling, it needs to be waxed (no, not like "rrrrrip oww!" waxing, I mean coated with a zillion layers of microcrystalline Renaissance Wax to seal the image and protect the ink, and etching ink can't be waxed til it's dry, which takes months, and I have barely weeks for this).
That's all I got today.
But I did get in lots of hours on the knife too. You wouldn't think this stuff would take so long. But it does. First up was doing the transfer. I showed you the paper printout taped on there yesterday. Well first thing today was to poke through that printout on the outlines with my etching needle (lightly, but with enough pressure to make a tiny dot in the ivory). Put some ink on it, buff it down, and voila, the very subtle outline:
Next is the border, which I'd have to say is my least favorite part to do, because it's tedious. I measure and mark it in teensy increments under the scope, and then connect the dots with a whole heck of a lot more dots to build up a border (photographed through microscope):
And then play connect the dots with the zebra outlines so that I can actually see what I'm doing (eww, green fluorescent light):
You'll note I did not transfer the stripes or the water ripples. I'll just freehand all that. If I tried to transfer that much image information it would just be a hopelessly confusing mass of dots. So I just do the outlines and important parts, usually.
I wasn't nervous about starting this. I thought I would be, since this is my first knife and the first scrim I'm doing that isn't just on some random little bit of ivory. But nope, I feel totally confident in what I'm doing. This piece will be in color, so I am using India and colored drawing inks (well, so far just India). Not my favorite, I do prefer etching ink, but for a multi-color piece I need the drawing inks. Plus, because of the color and because this piece will get a fair amount of handling, it needs to be waxed (no, not like "rrrrrip oww!" waxing, I mean coated with a zillion layers of microcrystalline Renaissance Wax to seal the image and protect the ink, and etching ink can't be waxed til it's dry, which takes months, and I have barely weeks for this).
That's all I got today.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
April 12 work in progress
I had in mind to do this very tidy photo progression as a sort of drawing lesson and whatnot, but it got a little disorganized. Sometimes I think if you could see my brain it must look like one of those Escher prints where things are right side up and sideways and upside down but still strangely connected. Or like the staircases in Hogwarts that change around all the time.
Yeah.
I've pretty much come full circle with this zebra thing. It started as a design for only the front side of the knife. Then I wanted a simple image on the back. Then I came up with two really "wowzer" images, one for the front and one for the back. Then I realized that's overkill (that and Don C. told me it wouldn't really up the selling price that much to do that). And besides, the "back" image is cool enough to be a front on some other knife. Don't put your good stuff on the B-side, right? So then I went back to thinking maybe something simple on the back. Or maybe nothing. Either is okay, really. It'll come down to time. I have two MAJOR projects due in early to mid May (this knife and a set of pistol grips) and each one deserves my full attention. If that means not doing the backside of the knife, that's okay.
So, while I sit here right now going tappity tap on the keyboard I'm not sure where this blog is going but I'll show you a bunch of pics and try to say something moderately intelligent and maybe when I'm done it'll make some sense and might even mean something to someone.
I feel like I should say something rather broad and general about drawing. It's the foundation for everything else. Well, not like everything in the world, but for engraving, scrim, painting, and at least for me it's the basis for sculpture. All the great technique in the world can't save a bad foundation, so all this preliminary stuff that some people complain about because it takes time, well my gosh this is perhaps the most important part, so you'd better get it right! :-)
Learn your subject. Understand your subject. Study it if you have to. Know it from the inside out. Understand the structure and how parts go together and move. When I draw chickens, I start a sketch by drawing (this is going to sound weird) but basically a carcass. You know, drumsticks and little wings all folded up. Mmm, I'll have to show this to you some time. It's just that if I can get the "underparts" correct, I can get the feathers in the right spot.
A familiarity with horses is definitely a bonus in this zebra project, but they are definitely NOT striped horses in terms of their conformation!
Okay, so as I said in an earlier post, I like to figure out compositions in Photoshop. I can easily move my reference material around until I figure out what works. (In the olden days I'd do a bunch of "thumbnail" drawings, and sometimes still do, but this is a timesaver, and we all know time is money... or so they tell me).
Ah, where to find photos! Man, I remember trying to find reference material back in the days before internet. It was... a pain in the asterisk to say the least.
Stock photo websites (some free, some not, I bought a couple of photos for this project):
http://www.istockphoto.com
http://www.corbis.com
http://www.morguefile.com
http://www.wetcanvas.com/RefLib/(I think you have to be a member to use this one)
http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/ and check the "creative commons" box
I'm rambling. Time to throw in some photos. This is a hodge podge of pics from both sketches, but I'll try to make some sense of it.
Gridding: this is a way to transfer an image. I'm not a slave to the grid though. I change things as I go, but it's a way to make sure I get the proportions correct, and make sure the figures are the proper size in relation to each other. The idea is you can then just draw one square at a time, but you REALLY need to pay attention to the big picture when you do this, pay attention to the curves and where the lines intersect, and think about the FORM you are making, not just "this line goes halfway through that square"). Understand what you are drawing. Give it life. When you're dealing with an image like this, particularly for something so SMALL, it's really important to get it all right! So first I draw a grid on the reference pics:
I use my cutting mat as a grid for the sketch itself (if I want 1 x 1 inch grids, otherwise I draw on the paper). I use tracing paper a lot. Not because I trace stuff, but I often end up layering sketches if I make corrections as I go, plus on something like this I have the knife outline (greatly enlarged) on one sheet but I'll use another for the sketch itself. And tracing paper is easy to erase. That may or may not make sense but here's a photo either way, and then of course when I put that top sheet down it makes one image:
And if I slip a piece of paper underneath I don't see the grid, which is what I do after I get the basic layout down:
This is actually the sketch for what was going to be on the back of the knife (and now likely won't be on this knife at all, but that's okay, I can use it elsewhere). First I've just got the basic shapes kinda roughed in, and the I add a little more detail, and then when I'm sure that's all good I go over it again to really solidify everything. I like this image quite a bit with the zebras splashing through the water. I did not get around to adding their stripes, because somewhere around here I was thinking I wouldn't be using this.
Here's the reference pic for side 1 with a roughed sketch. Again, not a slave to the grid.
La la la, got all absorbed in it and forgot to take pictures until I finished, and somewhere along the way I removed the foreground zebra head that was in the previous pic. If I'm NOT using the other image on this knife, I don't need to put 4 zebras on the front. I like 3 better anyway.
Both sides together. They're very neato together, but either will stand alone and it's water ripples that actually got me thinking along these lines anyway, that will go great with the damascus blade, and that's why I'm using the image that I'm using.
The knife is "muzzled" (as my mom said) with felt and tape so that I don't impale myself and also to keep all the parts I'm not working on safe from any accidental scratches.
I outlined the main parts with ink, scanned it, shrunk it, printed it out, and am ready to tape this to the knife:
Taped on and ready to transfer! My hands don't really have that green tinge, this was under the fluorescent microscope light, it always makes things look green in the pics.
That's all for today, this is WAY LONG anyway.
Yeah.
I've pretty much come full circle with this zebra thing. It started as a design for only the front side of the knife. Then I wanted a simple image on the back. Then I came up with two really "wowzer" images, one for the front and one for the back. Then I realized that's overkill (that and Don C. told me it wouldn't really up the selling price that much to do that). And besides, the "back" image is cool enough to be a front on some other knife. Don't put your good stuff on the B-side, right? So then I went back to thinking maybe something simple on the back. Or maybe nothing. Either is okay, really. It'll come down to time. I have two MAJOR projects due in early to mid May (this knife and a set of pistol grips) and each one deserves my full attention. If that means not doing the backside of the knife, that's okay.
So, while I sit here right now going tappity tap on the keyboard I'm not sure where this blog is going but I'll show you a bunch of pics and try to say something moderately intelligent and maybe when I'm done it'll make some sense and might even mean something to someone.
I feel like I should say something rather broad and general about drawing. It's the foundation for everything else. Well, not like everything in the world, but for engraving, scrim, painting, and at least for me it's the basis for sculpture. All the great technique in the world can't save a bad foundation, so all this preliminary stuff that some people complain about because it takes time, well my gosh this is perhaps the most important part, so you'd better get it right! :-)
Learn your subject. Understand your subject. Study it if you have to. Know it from the inside out. Understand the structure and how parts go together and move. When I draw chickens, I start a sketch by drawing (this is going to sound weird) but basically a carcass. You know, drumsticks and little wings all folded up. Mmm, I'll have to show this to you some time. It's just that if I can get the "underparts" correct, I can get the feathers in the right spot.
A familiarity with horses is definitely a bonus in this zebra project, but they are definitely NOT striped horses in terms of their conformation!
Okay, so as I said in an earlier post, I like to figure out compositions in Photoshop. I can easily move my reference material around until I figure out what works. (In the olden days I'd do a bunch of "thumbnail" drawings, and sometimes still do, but this is a timesaver, and we all know time is money... or so they tell me).
Ah, where to find photos! Man, I remember trying to find reference material back in the days before internet. It was... a pain in the asterisk to say the least.
Stock photo websites (some free, some not, I bought a couple of photos for this project):
http://www.istockphoto.com
http://www.corbis.com
http://www.morguefile.com
http://www.wetcanvas.com/RefLib/(I think you have to be a member to use this one)
http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/ and check the "creative commons" box
I'm rambling. Time to throw in some photos. This is a hodge podge of pics from both sketches, but I'll try to make some sense of it.
Gridding: this is a way to transfer an image. I'm not a slave to the grid though. I change things as I go, but it's a way to make sure I get the proportions correct, and make sure the figures are the proper size in relation to each other. The idea is you can then just draw one square at a time, but you REALLY need to pay attention to the big picture when you do this, pay attention to the curves and where the lines intersect, and think about the FORM you are making, not just "this line goes halfway through that square"). Understand what you are drawing. Give it life. When you're dealing with an image like this, particularly for something so SMALL, it's really important to get it all right! So first I draw a grid on the reference pics:
I use my cutting mat as a grid for the sketch itself (if I want 1 x 1 inch grids, otherwise I draw on the paper). I use tracing paper a lot. Not because I trace stuff, but I often end up layering sketches if I make corrections as I go, plus on something like this I have the knife outline (greatly enlarged) on one sheet but I'll use another for the sketch itself. And tracing paper is easy to erase. That may or may not make sense but here's a photo either way, and then of course when I put that top sheet down it makes one image:
And if I slip a piece of paper underneath I don't see the grid, which is what I do after I get the basic layout down:
This is actually the sketch for what was going to be on the back of the knife (and now likely won't be on this knife at all, but that's okay, I can use it elsewhere). First I've just got the basic shapes kinda roughed in, and the I add a little more detail, and then when I'm sure that's all good I go over it again to really solidify everything. I like this image quite a bit with the zebras splashing through the water. I did not get around to adding their stripes, because somewhere around here I was thinking I wouldn't be using this.
Here's the reference pic for side 1 with a roughed sketch. Again, not a slave to the grid.
La la la, got all absorbed in it and forgot to take pictures until I finished, and somewhere along the way I removed the foreground zebra head that was in the previous pic. If I'm NOT using the other image on this knife, I don't need to put 4 zebras on the front. I like 3 better anyway.
Both sides together. They're very neato together, but either will stand alone and it's water ripples that actually got me thinking along these lines anyway, that will go great with the damascus blade, and that's why I'm using the image that I'm using.
The knife is "muzzled" (as my mom said) with felt and tape so that I don't impale myself and also to keep all the parts I'm not working on safe from any accidental scratches.
I outlined the main parts with ink, scanned it, shrunk it, printed it out, and am ready to tape this to the knife:
Taped on and ready to transfer! My hands don't really have that green tinge, this was under the fluorescent microscope light, it always makes things look green in the pics.
That's all for today, this is WAY LONG anyway.
Monday, April 06, 2009
so much for simple!
I've been doing lots and lots of preliminary thinking about the knife scrim. I do my thinking in Photoshop, by cutting and pasting in reference material, playing with the scale, moving things around, adding, deleting, and generally pondering the composition until I get it just right. It saves me lots of drawing time. Photoshop, though often used and abused, is a FABULOUS tool. Once I get the compositions how I want them, I print them out, and then (here's where I am right now) I will sketch them out by hand. Could I trace photos? Sure, but it feels like cheating. And hand-sketching allows me to correct photo distortions, add detail, simplify areas, etc. Plus the forms just come out with so much more... life! I'll go into more detail with the drawing stuff when I work on that. Oh, I'm a firm believer in using a grid to transfer an image. I suppose some people can whip out freehand sketches that are proportionally 100% accurate, and with practice I probably could too, but when I want to be SURE I've got everything right, grid it. (Don't worry, I'll talk about what this is).
Okay, so the knife scrim image/design/subject was left entirely at my discretion, which is as supremely cool as it is daunting. I finally picked subject matter (zebras), and came up with a real showstopper idea for the "front" of the knife. I didn't like the idea of leaving the back blank (though I need to talk to the knifemaker and be sure he's okay with a front and back design). So I was going to do something really simple on the back. But it just didn't feel right to have this wowzer image on one side and boringness on the other. So now I have come up with a showstopper image for the back as well. Because I'm crazy like that. But I'm going to email Don right now and see if he actually wanted me to leave the back blank.
Here's the knife if you forgot what it looks like:
I am mind-bogglingly excited about this knife, and determined to give it my best effort and make a masterpiece (and hopefully it'll sell soon so I can get paid, I don't get paid til it sells, but my goal is just to do the BEST I can do). It's also under major time constraints, since it will go to Blade Show even though I won't.
My mind was even more boggled today when I received a request to collaborate with a very respected engraver on a hugely significant project. The downsides: same deadline as the knife (yikes!) and it won't ever pay, BUT the publicity is going to far outweigh that! I'll tell you what this is when I get the box in the mail! :-)!!!!
I gotta get these stupid taxes done so I can do nothing but scrim for the next month!
Okay, so the knife scrim image/design/subject was left entirely at my discretion, which is as supremely cool as it is daunting. I finally picked subject matter (zebras), and came up with a real showstopper idea for the "front" of the knife. I didn't like the idea of leaving the back blank (though I need to talk to the knifemaker and be sure he's okay with a front and back design). So I was going to do something really simple on the back. But it just didn't feel right to have this wowzer image on one side and boringness on the other. So now I have come up with a showstopper image for the back as well. Because I'm crazy like that. But I'm going to email Don right now and see if he actually wanted me to leave the back blank.
Here's the knife if you forgot what it looks like:
I am mind-bogglingly excited about this knife, and determined to give it my best effort and make a masterpiece (and hopefully it'll sell soon so I can get paid, I don't get paid til it sells, but my goal is just to do the BEST I can do). It's also under major time constraints, since it will go to Blade Show even though I won't.
My mind was even more boggled today when I received a request to collaborate with a very respected engraver on a hugely significant project. The downsides: same deadline as the knife (yikes!) and it won't ever pay, BUT the publicity is going to far outweigh that! I'll tell you what this is when I get the box in the mail! :-)!!!!
I gotta get these stupid taxes done so I can do nothing but scrim for the next month!
Monday, March 23, 2009
March 23 work in progress
I'm tired. A good tired, it's been a very productive day.
A pic from the weekend:
I spent my weekend down in Ventura helping with the Avian Bowl competition at a 4-H field day. It was fun and I'm glad I helped out, but it really ate up a lot of time, hence the loooong hours today.
The paintings are done and varnished and scanned. You can see them all here. I will write more about this another day.
The drawing in progress (D, I am going to try to finish this tomorrow):
This is the knife I received. It is a Don Cowles knife with ivory scales. I don't know yet what I'm going to do with it, but I have about a month to get it done (so he can take it to Blade Show) and that doesn't leave me a lot of time to think. I feel like I don't even have time to think right now.
I have not even started working on my taxes. Aaaaaack.
Stressed, I am.
A pic from the weekend:
I spent my weekend down in Ventura helping with the Avian Bowl competition at a 4-H field day. It was fun and I'm glad I helped out, but it really ate up a lot of time, hence the loooong hours today.
The paintings are done and varnished and scanned. You can see them all here. I will write more about this another day.
The drawing in progress (D, I am going to try to finish this tomorrow):
This is the knife I received. It is a Don Cowles knife with ivory scales. I don't know yet what I'm going to do with it, but I have about a month to get it done (so he can take it to Blade Show) and that doesn't leave me a lot of time to think. I feel like I don't even have time to think right now.
I have not even started working on my taxes. Aaaaaack.
Stressed, I am.
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