No sketch but a design to feed my Chinese White skills.

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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To end the work week I started another design on a knife to feed my drawing on Chinese White skills.
As some of you might wonder why I quit using software, I don’t. As I want the design on the other side as well, I will use my scanner to make a picture at real size that I can manipulate to make a Damar bakery parchment transfer.
While drawing on the Chinese white, I also fine-tuned the use of it. So this time I started with one thin layer of Damar Varnish, that made it much easier to add the Chinese White layer with a soft paintbrush kids use. To make corrections while drawing I just used the paintbrush .
However, I will buy a good marten paintbrush for that use.

I didn’t draw complex leave structures as I think this is more than enough. The shading could add the extra complexity.
Although I didn’t push the critique button, critique is welcome.

arnaud

 

Eric Olson

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The eye is drawn to the single overlapping scroll near the center.
I would say either add more or take this one out for more consistency throughout.
Looks awesome though!
 

Big-Un

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The bottom right scroll seems to be coming off at an odd angle, like it is a "starter" scroll when maybe it should continue from the scroll next to it. Just my humble opinion.
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Shawn, Eric and Big-Un, you all are right and thanks for the sugestions.
Indeed I could take the out the overlapping one, in fact it is not the only overlapping, there is one more on the right.
Big-Un, indeed it is another starting scroll, it isn’t necessary , I just did to prevent leaves from pointing to each other.
Anyway, yes by making some changes it would look better, but I don’t know if I will make these corrections. After all it is just a cheap knife and the engraving surmounts its value even like this.
Other thing, I don’t yet draw that fast, so it takes too much time for this project. I prefer starting another design after this one is cut. And perhaps It will look better when cut and nicely shaded.

arnaud
 

Gemsetterchris

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A cheap knife becomes an expensive knife after a few hours work, just not as expensive as an expensive knife with a few hours work :D
I guess someone out there would pay for an engraved plastic picnic knife..It's just finding that person.
Titanium is cheap but you can sell that without problem once you put your skills & time on it.
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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I started cutting the backbone and the interweaving first making tiny correction with the graver.
The pencil line ain't that precisely, so it takes a bit of self-confidence to cut it better than the design, especially the backbone is important to cut smooth.
Once the backbone is cut there ain't much that can go wrong, I just will cut the leaves the way they touch the backbone were needed.

Anyway, I can recommend this way of working to all newbies once they are ready to cut a basic design.
For me drawing real size on the metal canvas made a big step forward in the amazing world of engraving
arnaud

 
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dave gibson

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Arnaud; Do you feel all the time with the software was well spent or do you think the time would be better invested with a pencil? I prefer the look of your more recent direct drawn scrolls, it looks more alive to me, looks more man made.
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Dave, the time spent using the software wasn't wasted. If you take a look at the engravings I did over the years, believe me I couldn't have done those if I wasn't able to transfer a tiny line to follow with the graver.
About pencil sketch, design or printed vectors, I do not care how they look and neither should someone else. I not even keep my pencil designs, too much paper. The reason we make a design is only because we need one that we will engrave.
So I really do not understand while over the years when I showed vector designs I was told they looked mechanical or too clean, no character etc.
It is just not an engravers goal to make pencil designs, it is about engraving designs. Same as fine English scroll, are they drawn first? I don't know but I suppose only the scroll is drawn on the metal.

I now have cut the main lines on that knife, the design isn't that special I know. Just ornamental decoration I hope. I did not follow all the pencil lines precisely that I draw on the Chinese White, I tried to cut them better than I draw them. By removing the background now, I will make other correction where needed. When shaded and finished it will look nice.

I'm not a full time engraver so it took me 4 years of self studying and practicing to have enough self confidence to decorate whatever. And yes, I'm still learning.

If anyone did better and faster than me, I don't care. We just can't be all a Einstein or Michelangelo.



arnaud
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Thanks Gun Nut, I like it too. And I know some areas would have looked better if I had made correction while drawing. But me too I'm learning from mistakes and now it will be another challenge to deal with those while shading.

arnaud
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Thanks all for your interests looking at what I'm doing. There will be another update once it is shaded.
I used one of my favorite styles to deal with the background, all lined in one direction. That is why I made two photos to show you why.

First of all a lined background takes the less time to do, it has a uniform color and no matter what angle you look at it, it always look good.
In the past some didn't agree that this way the background has a lower level (relief) and it will not wear of.
On top of that it is a fully covered engraving, also the background.

The knife is a polished stainless steel one, there are some tiny scratches that were already there, sure it isn't the Chinese White or the pencil that caused that . Once shaded it will be hard to see them I suppose.

I like it that far, hope you do too.

arnaud





 
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Willem Parel

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This looks awsome Arnaud, can you cut the lines of the background in one time or do you have to do a back cut?
I mean doesn,t the graver touch the leaves when digging in for the background
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Thanks Willem, no I don't have to back cut every cut. I use a short heel, something like half the wide of the main cuts. I put the graver tip with a bit too much lift, and while I make the cut I lower the lift not going deeper than needed.
I also start the cut on the side that is the most oblique (schuin) so there is only a small area that need a bit more attention.
You just have to avoid that the back of the heel touches the leaf behind the cut. When finished the other side I probably can do it with my eyes closed.
If it ain't clear I will have to draw it.

arnaud
 

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