Learning to draw

I'm attempting my first drawing of a Mauser floor plate.
I traced the border of the floorplate onto a piece of copy paper, and scetched a fair to midlin howling wolf in the center of it.
However, I am having trouble drawing the scrolwork on either end of the wolf. Seems every line I draw violates some unspoken rule I've drawn and erased the pattern several times now, and I'm frustrated.
I have tooled leather gun holsters before, but those features were gigantic compared to what I am attempting here. Making the pattern compliment the piece of steel I am working on is proving to be very difficult.
What are the rules for drawing scroll? Seems it's a mistake to have too many features sweep the same way without complimentary features to balance it.
Can you fellers give me some pointers?

goodsteel,
When I can I take a pull of the area that I'm going to engrave....I then put it in the copy machine/printer and blow it up 100% and do my design work and pattern making.....when you're done drawing put it back in the copy machine/printer and reduce your image 50% and you are ready to make a transfer.....drawing double size sometimes will fool you but after you have done it for a while you will get use to it.....

Roger

Thanks, that makes sense.

I gather that the idea is to imitate the chambered nautilus shell in the curves of the scroll work, and I gather that the main beams are based on this natural design.
Pardon me for asking such simplistic questions, but despite a fairly divers background in art, I have never done anything like this before.
Where does a rank newby begin? Is it best to copy the work of others till some sort of gestalt is reached? Any pointers would be helpful.
Thanks!

perhaps you're drawing attempts are too complex. the forum is loaded with such, and rightly so. maybe switching to a less complex design will come to you. as a more simplified scroll comes "natural" for you to draw, then you can begin to add additional elements to build on. when you can draw scroll without "thinking" about it, at this point you can begin to expand. if you look at any of sams' videos that show him drawing, i really doubt he has to think about it. it just runs out of his pencil end. practice alone, will bring this gift to you. we all have wasted time-- dental, doctor visits, auto repair shop, restaurants, at these times, a notebook and a few pencils make wasted time turn into learning time. hang in there-- it will come !

The two things you should practice - especially at first - are simple, plain scrolls, and leaves.
But do them separately. Work on being able to draw a nice. clean scroll that starts where you want, nicely fills the space, and has a pleasing shape.
As a separate thing, work on a handful of leaf shapes. Get them to where you can make them curve right, curve left, be long, be short, just generally get those things to be under your control.

Once both bits are going reasonably well, then start combining them. Draw your nice, clean scroll and then take one of your leaf shapes and use it to fill the scroll. First couple of times I'd stick with just the one leaf style, with the possible exception of right at the center. The end of your scroll will be a knob, and sometimes a leaf or two before that you'll have to go to a simpler version of the leaf style you're using due to the space.

If you want to practice some 'nicer' designs there are several threads (mostly started by our Benevolent Dictator Sam) on drawing and/or cutting a scroll. Some of those you'll want to print out and trace (put the printout under the blank paper and use a lightbox if you have it or a window if you don't).

Do this stuff for a couple of days and see what you think. I think that later today I'm going to spend some time on some leaves. Need to work on some of my leaves.

Goodsteel, The place to begin is the beginning. Drawing tools: 2H wood or mechanical pencils, a good eraser shield, appropriate eraser, straight edge, proportional dividers, tracing paper and/or Velum, Drafting tape, Light box (probably the most expensive piece of drawing equipment), a good drawing light (I personally use and like the 8.5 inch ring light with a magnifying glass center). The are lots of other drawing aids like ellipse and circle templates, scroll templates, compasses, proportional dividers and others.

Drawing: See Lee Griffith and/or Ron Smith-The first step is to learn to draw correctly shaped single or starter scrolls. Begin by tracing correctly shaped scrolls, this builds muscle memory. Purchasing Lee Griffith's book and DVD will be the best investment you could make in drawing. I am going to spend no time discussing drawing instead I am going to say that tracing and analyzing well drawn and attractive scroll design is a great way to learn. See the books by the experts.

My last piece of advice is the light box. Tape the outline down first (the floor plate outline) tape down the howling wolf. Both of these drawing could be inked or easier copied on photo copier to blacken lines. Next step is to cut the tracing paper into more user friendly size. I usually half my sheets at the least. Tape down tracing paper and begin. draw lightly and adjust constantly to perfection. Limit erasing as much as possible (that's why they are so much smaller than the pencil). Now add a new piece of tracing paper to the top of the stack, trace the lines you like and then remove the drawing underneath. keep going until you are ready to abandon the effort.

last note buy a bundle of scratch pads, usually come about 4x6 in packages of ten or twelve. cost a couple of $. buy a comfortable mechanical pencils (no sharpening) and carry one everywhere draw draw draw.-Fred

Fred,

thank you for the advice, very useful

Fred and Steve, thanks for that! makes perfect sense.
I'll try to find Lee Griffith's book and CD. That's probably enough for me to chew on for a while.
Very kind of you fellers to help me out!

Go to Lee's Web site. You will find it there. Might even autograph for you. Fred