Critique Request Inlay knife design

Jan Hendrik

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Dagger henk1.jpg
I sat for nearly two hours drawing this dagger design until I came up with this. Kept redrawing the scrolls till they had a good flow. The aim with this design is to inlay the scrolls in titanium with fine silver wire hence the large negative space everywhere. What do you guys think?
 

Doc Mark

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I think the design is lovely. But why inlay silver into titanium? There won't be much contrast between the two metals unless you are going to "color" the titanium like Arnaud.
 

Jan Hendrik

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The titanium will be coloured a deep blue colour so there will be plenty colour contrast. Using fine silver will keep this project within my budget. Gold will simply be too expensive for me to use at the moment.
 

rayf24

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Jan
I really really like the dagger design that could be a stunner.
But the scroll I am going to stick my neck out here it just doesn't suit the piece its lifeless to me just a suggestion but trace it without the blade and just look at the handle as a canvas I think it need thought .
Ray
 

Thierry Duguet

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Critique......
1) I like the idea of silver, platinum would have give the same effect, being white which will recall the color of the blade.
2) The blade has a forward movement, being wider at the base make it seems heavier at that same location, I think that you could do the same thing with the inlay. The base of the engraving could be heavier, either with heavier (wider) lines or with more of them bursting (start light finish heavier) from the base. I also think that the last scroll should not turn on itself and contradict the direction of the handle, it should have a forward movement that the eye will follow beyond the handle.
 

Jan Hendrik

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I took Your advice and drew the handle on its own Then filled it with a design with some of the elements from the previous design. The flowers can be done in gold and the leaves in silver with the titanium anodised blue. Does this look better?
Jan
I really really like the dagger design that could be a stunner.
But the scroll I am going to stick my neck out here it just doesn't suit the piece its lifeless to me just a suggestion but trace it without the blade and just look at the handle as a canvas I think it need thought .
Ray
 

KCSteve

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I like it overall. I'm going to both agree and disagree with Ray. I think you have to take the blade into account in the design and that when you do there's a balance between the halves.

I do agree that there may be a bit too much looping back - I think it might look better without that very first loop back nearest the blade.

Fine silver against deep blue Ti should be lovely!

Edited to add: Oh sure, now that you've added the flowers most of what I said goes out the window. Except for the part about thinking it's going to be lovely.
 

Haraga.com

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We sat through this whole design idea thing with another member of this forum for at least three or four years now. To this day he is still asking for free advice.
My advice to you is to cut the damned knife. Learn from it and make the next one better.
 

Marrinan

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Dani Girl Hand a knife of similar shape in her recent post of knives. Check it out and see how she handled the shape. Yours will be very nice as well, Fred
 

Gemsetterchris

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The first is better but not right somehow.
A real bugger this designing isn't it!

I can't advise, but I'm hoping I'm correct in my assumption as it means I'm undertsanding stuff even though I can't figure the solution yet, but I reckon you'll have to start again from scratch.
 
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Mike Fennell

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I think Thierry's comment on flow applies to your second design as well. The flower nearest the blade is fine, but the flower at the tip of the handle acts too much like a punctuation mark, suddenly stopping the eye, interrupting the flow to the point.

Perhaps you could try it again without the second flower, or, in the alternative, use a progression of flowers. Keep the flower you now have near the blade, add a second, smaller, less mature blossom near the center of the handle, and finish with a gold rosebud near the tip of the handle, the rosebud pointing toward the tip of the handle and directing the eye onward, thereby maintaining a proportional and directional flow that complements the shape of the handle.
 

Jan Hendrik

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I took into consideration what you said regarding the flowers. I tried to angle the flowers in the direction of the flow of the scrolls and at the very tip angled the last flower facing the back end of the handle. The centre flower I left facing straight up at the viewer. This is the first time for me trying to draw flowers at an angle to simulate direction. I am quite pleased with the effect at the moment. Without a doubt there will still be critics of the design as it is now. But I veered so far of course of my original idea of keeping it simple yet elegant that I don't want to make the design any more complex than it is now.

Having said this please criticise away. I will read and file it in my mental notes.
I think Thierry's comment on flow applies to your second design as well. The flower nearest the blade is fine, but the flower at the tip of the handle acts too much like a punctuation mark, suddenly stopping the eye, interrupting the flow to the point.

Perhaps you could try it again without the second flower, or, in the alternative, use a progression of flowers. Keep the flower you now have near the blade, add a second, smaller, less mature blossom near the center of the handle, and finish with a gold rosebud near the tip of the handle, the rosebud pointing toward the tip of the handle and directing the eye onward, thereby maintaining a proportional and directional flow that complements the shape of the handle.
 

SamW

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Looking at the design rotated 180 degrees, blade down is more natural to me. In so doing I find the design quite pleasing. Keep in mind that too many cooks will spoil the soup, or however that goes.

It all boils down to what you think of it and I would say go.
 

rayf24

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Now that's getting g really close the best way to view is blade down handle up then it starts looking the business.
Ray
 

peteb

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What method will you use to anodize, heat or voltage? Anodizing close to a metal such as silver which is highly conductive using voltage may be a problem. Best to make a sample before doing that.
 

Jan Hendrik

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What method will you use to anodize, heat or voltage? Anodizing close to a metal such as silver which is highly conductive using voltage may be a problem. Best to make a sample before doing that.

I have seen people anodising titanium with gold inlay with no problems and we all know gold is highly conductive, but quite chemically inert. I will of course do a test piece with silver inlay first to see if it can be done with electricity.
 

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