ideas on improvement

mtgraver

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
680
Location
Dayton, Virginia, United States
Shawn,
Great job as usual and love the sketch idea. My only input would be to add some shading to the tips of the lower flower. It looks droopy, my thought is by shading the tips of the petals will bring more movement to the form, just a thought.
Best regards,
Mark
 

rod

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Nov 19, 2006
Messages
1,609
Location
Mendocino. ca., and Scotland
Shawn,

Your fountain of nice design ideas never stops flowing! Great!

This symmetrical arrangement is attractive, and nice place to put the leafy flower. I would want to see the lower leafy arrangement be bigger in diameter than the flower above it?

Regarding other ideas about shading, your's are always nicely cut, my only suggestion is maybe include some of that nice shadowing effect up at the top of the leaves, say, like Sam has on the bottom leaf here:

http://www.engraverscafe.com/showth...d-shading-exercise-2-by-Mitch-Moschetti/page4.

It is quickly added, by hand push with a bulino gravers, and gives a nice touch where appropriate. You will see lots of other examples in 'Sam' postings, and maybe his websites, not to mention many other cutters?

Just a thought.

Keep the good sketches a comin', Shawn!

Rod
 
Last edited:

John P. Anderson

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
309
Location
Havre, Montana
I like your work and think you do a great job. But seeing that you asked..... I was taught that light=closer, dark=farther. I would adjust the shading and lighten up the part of the flower closest to the viewer hoping to give the illustration a fuller form. Another way of looking at it is to better utilize and leave more white space. I would also ease up on the transition between the lightest and the darkest.

My two bits,

John
 
Last edited:

Doc Mark

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
1,284
Location
Hampton, Virginia
Ya know, I'm going to be a bit contrary. Even though I understand what Mark and Rod are looking for, I am beginning to feel that we "Modern" engravers (Don't ya' just love how I can generalize!) are going a bit overboard with shading sometimes. I know, this is anathema to some of the current thinking, but I like to see a bit of contrast in the work. Especially if there is going to be background removal. You need some "white" areas to contrast the dark and you need to gradate the shading from barely noticeable to dark black. I think floral and leaf presentations are the perfect place for bold but not overwrought shading. This cannot be a hard and fast rule, just an observation from the hinterland.

Edited to add: John you must have posted while I was typing my comments. I'm glad that I'm not the only one out here "crying in the desert".
 
Last edited:

Sponsors

Top