Layout Trick

glstrcowboy

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Apr 5, 2013
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I find it difficult to lay out backbone lines. Even sketching short line segments seems to leave me with some degree of lumps and elbows, plus after a couple revisions the once microscopic pencil line starts to look like something done with a super size sharpie. I have found that a q-tip with a drop of tap magic run around the inside of the scroll makes a very consistent space while cleaning up stray pencil marks. It also leaves a little cutting fluid where you are going to need it. image.jpg
 

Sam

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It appears that you're doing your layout on a brushed finished. If that's the case, your pencil dulls constantly. Your Qtip idea is interesting.

I'm a slave to extremely precise and accurate layouts and I hate fat lines. Winston Churchill does really coarse layouts much thicker than what you posted and his finished work is incredibly precise. I keep telling him he's doing it all wrong and he just laughs and says "I know!".
 

glstrcowboy

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Yes, the brushed finish is like drawing on a file. On my practice plates I make a cross hatch pattern with 320 grit paper, but I liked the way the knife looked out of the box. I doubt the coarse finish is helping my gravers any either. Oh well, I'll do something different next time.
 

Roger Bleile

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Below is an image of Leonard Francolini's drawing of inlaid scrollwork directly on a gun. You will notice that the lines are not exceptionally fine but the spirals are perfectly shaped. The other image is the finished work which began with the pencil lines. :drawing:
 

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rmgreen

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Drawing on a heavy brush finishes is as you say drawing on a file. I use stuff like Chines White or spray a thin coat of flat white enamel etc. This make a smoother surface to draw on and smaller longer maintained drawing points.
 

KCSteve

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I've found that my lines can be somewhat messy - I often tweak a line as many times as needed to get it looking right. If it gets too bad I'll do my best to 'erase' that section (easiest when I'm using clay to give me something to draw through).

But I find that when I'm cutting the line is more of a suggestion and the graver often runs along a better line than the pencil did. The graver has, of course, a lot more resistance than the pencil and I think that's the key to the smoother line.
 
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