Damien Connolly & Jerry Fisher

Thank you for your appreciation of my work guys. Kind words are always good, but those from peers are special. And if it wasn't for Jim, the pictures wouldn't even be here! Thanks again Jim. This is only the first side of the pistol, but I'll post more when it's complete.

Damien, I seem to remember a photo of a cape buff some time ago that impressed me. Wasn't it yours?? Perhaps on the other forum?

Sam, might have been here(top of page 2)

http://jimkelso.com/journal/

page 2: http://jimkelso.com/journal/?paged=2

That is amazing stuff Jim and thanks!!

It is amazing, thanks

Here are two shots of Damien's design rendering on paper:

Thank you for a bit of back story art. Wonderful artist at illustrating as well. Fred

Thanks Fred. Here's a description of Damien's rendering technique:

The rendering is a combination of pencil, guache, and pastel pencils - the latter used mainly to apply highlights that round out the pistol's form a little. Also to indicate the areas of wood carving on the grips. I must stress, that this is not a finished picture in itself. It's just sufficiently realistic to give true indication of how the engraving will look.

For me this is very important in balancing the amount of gold that shows, and its relation ship to the overall design.

Initial layout is done at life size, copied up to 2x, traced over on a light box, then refined at that size. If the design is not started at life size, drawing at 2x can result in a design that appears too dense when reduced.

Generally using the two or three finest size brushes I can find, I paint in the leaves and scrolls in a pale shade of the chosen color, then outline all elements with a black drafting pen, before blocking in the background with a brush. With the design starkly contrasted, I spend a lot of time shaping the elements, and balancing the amount of background showing, relative to the overall layout. It's easy to experiment here, simply by changing the shape of a leaf with paint, and then nibbling away to the desired shape with the black drafting pen and brushes.

Shading greatly affects how a leaf's shape is perceived, and how it relates to the design, and so I develop this as I refine the shapes. Generally the shading is done by applying a tiny streak of black and then spreading this with a wet brush, though occasionally I'll use some soft pencil. Guache lends itself to this very well, with its opacity, quick drying, and easy re -wetting.

Keep copying the design down to life size to keep a check on the readability of what you're doing.

This method works for me, and I enjoy it, but to be worthwhile, you need to have a template that is accurate, so that no changes need be made to the design when copied onto the steel. I use dividers to ensure that all relationships are maintained accurately, plotting vital points of all lines, from fixed points on the frame. I go to great trouble to ensure that the days I spend on the drawing are not wasted by a sloppy layout. All the decisions are made on paper, and the engraving is simply translating then to steel.

But, I know all this would drive many people mad. I make a great deal of what I engrave, and always work from careful drawings. This a just an extension of that mindset, and it prevents the leaf squashed into a corner/line flattened against the border syndrome.

Jim, Damien, Thank you very much for the detailed description of the artist steps in developing what is a beautiful piece of art. I to use a light box and work at full size and 2 times full size to prevent planning something that will appear jammed in when scaled back to full size or to prevent drawing something with such detail that I can't deliver when cutting.

I know many engraving artists that only design scroll backbones then let their years of experience fill in the elements. Some do quit well commercially with this technique. I am no artist. I am one of those rare people who, when I close my eyes I can see no beautiful landscape. I can se a fountain and the detail of the fountain or a leaf in great detail but I do not see the whole picture. My ex was a psychologist and pointed out that this is a rare condition found in a very small group of people some of which are found in newspaper and television news stories (Before anyone asks I take my meds). I approach my drawing and design work much like a draftsmen, very mechanical in nature. I am not able to draw the free flowing long beautiful leaves of the your most recent work, I must plot them carefully with proportional dividers concentrating on that line only then move to the next. But I press on and renderings such as yours I am understanding your process a little more. I do not use the computer as a design/transfer tool. I am strictly old school in transferring and sometimes only a single element in a single transfer based on reference points. Very mechanical not artistic in my design work. Thank you both for your time in answering my question. Gratefully, Fred

Jim,

it is amazing work, thanks for showing

I wrote and posted this before I read page two. Damien, if you read this I wonder if you could help this 83 year old “old man”. Your work is just phenomenal and should inspire all who has the pleasure of seeing it in photos or in life. Sorry to learn of Jerry Fisher’s passing. He was a few years before me in gunsmithing school in Denver, Colorado.
Cheers Richard

Resurrection of an old thread. Damien’s wood carving was also mentioned. When he lays out his carving patter it appears he paints the wood first with some kind of white paint...would it be “Kilz” by chance? Also his sub miniature files, anyone know how he “embossed” the file texture? I’m sure it’s done before hardening. I’m going to try placing the file face part on a piece of 220 or 360 wet or dry and tapping it with a brass punch to see if the grit pattern will transfer, maybe it will just crush the silicon carbide. Any ideas on the file. Like Sam said he’s one of the best of the best.
Thanks for the help.
Cheers Richard

I may have answered one of my questions...just tap the soft file blank on a file that has the texture or tooth count you desire...
Richard