Update on my floor plate

M

Mark Knapp

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Apr 25, 2016
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90
Location
Fairbanks Alaska


Here's an update on my floor plate. Please don't judge me too harshly, I probably broke about a dozen cardinal engraving sins, I just don't know any better.

I have finished the outlines and shading and started to cut out the back ground on the bottom.

There's probably influences from western bright cut (from school) and Bulini from a disk I've been watching.

I'm experimenting with lots of different things. I tried veining the upper leaves, but I'm not sure I like it.

For some reason I can't get the pictures to look like the floor plate actually looks.

Comments and critique are welcomed, thanks for looking, Mark
 
M

Mnavarro

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Jul 11, 2016
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Santa Maria, Ca
I am a totally novice when it comes to engraving,but that looks really good to me. I noticed your bladeforums too. Too bad I live in california some of the handle material you offer is top quality stuff.
 
T

Thierry Duguet

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Messages
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Mnavarro said:
I am a totally novice when it comes to engraving,but that looks really good to me. I noticed your bladeforums too. Too bad I live in california some of the handle material you offer is top quality stuff.
Click to expand...

The one eye man with glaucoma guiding the blind!
 
Andrew Biggs

Andrew Biggs

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Hi Mark

Good effort. There are no obvious bumps and lumps and your curves are smooth. So that's all a good start :)

Your cutting seems to be okay and your technical skill will improve more with practice, as you would expect.

With this type of engraving the process generally is as follows

1. Main cuts
2. Background removal (Flat, bur etc)
3. Background texture (Stipple etc etc)
4. Shading (by shading after background removal and texturing it makes it easier to see where the shading will go)
5. Finishing

What is letting you down is the design part of it.

1. Stick to your borders and make sure they are even. Work outside the borders has its place but at this stage of your learning process stick within the borders. This will become apparent when you start removing background.

2. Scrolls generally alternate between one way then the opposite. Up, down, up down, left, right, left right.

At this stage I would stick to traditional scroll and leaves. That way you learn the discipline of design. Once you have that you can break out into anything. I would highly recommend Ron Smiths advanced scroll drawing book. It’s worth every penny.

All in all you are doing well………..Just keep practicing with the pencil and paper to get your design work up to speed and you’ll be just fine :)

Cheers
Andrew
 
M

Mark Knapp

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Messages
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Location
Fairbanks Alaska
Thierry Duguet said:
I am not trying to be difficult but! What do you want? Nice critics! If so what is the point of even showing your work?
Click to expand...

Thierry Duguet said:
The one eye man with glaucoma guiding the blind!
Click to expand...

Well, I think the second quote answers the question in the first quote. I was hoping not to get things like this. It serves no purpose but to hurt someones feelings (or make himself feel superior), this guy managed to kill two birds with one stone.
 
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M

Mark Knapp

Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2016
Messages
90
Location
Fairbanks Alaska
Andrew Biggs said:
Hi Mark

Good effort. There are no obvious bumps and lumps and your curves are smooth. So that's all a good start :)

Your cutting seems to be okay and your technical skill will improve more with practice, as you would expect.

With this type of engraving the process generally is as follows

1. Main cuts
2. Background removal (Flat, bur etc)
3. Background texture (Stipple etc etc)
4. Shading (by shading after background removal and texturing it makes it easier to see where the shading will go)
5. Finishing

What is letting you down is the design part of it.

1. Stick to your borders and make sure they are even. Work outside the borders has its place but at this stage of your learning process stick within the borders. This will become apparent when you start removing background.

2. Scrolls generally alternate between one way then the opposite. Up, down, up down, left, right, left right.

At this stage I would stick to traditional scroll and leaves. That way you learn the discipline of design. Once you have that you can break out into anything. I would highly recommend Ron Smiths advanced scroll drawing book. It’s worth every penny.

All in all you are doing well………..Just keep practicing with the pencil and paper to get your design work up to speed and you’ll be just fine :)

Cheers
Andrew
Click to expand...

This is more of what I was hoping for. Thank you Andrew.

I learned the sequence differently at the GRS school, we did the background last. I will try it the way you laid out on the next project and see if it helps.

No 1. I will do a solid border on the receiver and work on that a bit.

No2. I considered that, I wanted the stem to pass through the second scroll. I need to find a way to reconcile the pass-through and alternate the direction of the scrolls. I will make sure the alternating is a priority. Thank you.

I will order Ron Smiths book. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
 
Mike_Morgan

Mike_Morgan

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I'm a relative beginner at this art form, and speaking from my perspective, I wouldn't want the experts to pull any punches when asking for a critique. Each of the veterans on here have their own style of critique, and people really need to understand that some offer a more gentle and uplifting style, and others have a more abrupt method. Both are valid vehicles to deliver criticism.

Some will tell you what is right, while others will tell you what is wrong. Anybody developing new skills will need to hear both.

I feel compelled to add that some of the beginners in this forum don't take criticism very well. Do you want to be a great engraver some day? You're not going to get there by being told how terrific your effort is. You're going to get there by being told what the heck you're doing wrong, because THAT is the shortest path to excellence.

It doesn't matter what Thierry Dugets first engraving looked like. What matters is that professional engravers are willing to share their input with absolute beginners, and I feel that the beginners should act and comport themselves in a way that shows appreciation for the opportunity to have an audience with some of the best engravers in the world. I would FAR rather have a pro tell me I need to work harder, than to have a supportive bunch of amateurs telling me how delightful my effort is.
 
Sam

Sam

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Messages
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Covington, Louisiana
You can obviously cut so you have that part well underway.
Artistically this is not very good. You have much drawing practice ahead of you.
Most of us have about a thousand bad scrolls in us that we have to draw out. The sooner you start filling sketchbooks with scroll design practice the sooner you'll start working through them.

As a side note and as you have seen, it's often not well received to post a photo and ask people to go easy or be gentle with critique. We're all in this together to learn and improve. When you post a photo you'd better brace yourself for honest critique. And this critique is incredibly valuable and something most of us didn't have access to back when we started. We struggled blindly only to see each other's work, get inspired, and talk shop at a yearly show.

I leave you with a photo of the first knife I engraved, which isn't nearly as good as your floor plate.

first-knife.jpg
 
Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

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Philly
Interestingly Sam has chastised others for less negative posts. Do masters walk on water????
 
Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

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sam said:
Is there something you're unhappy with Crazy Horse?
Click to expand...

Sam, I would think you would be unhappy with those comments. I'm not the only one who found those comments less than an honest critique. Perhaps you might read them over again.
 
M

monk

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little to be learned (for mr. knapp) from petty bickering. so , please, keep the comments on the constructive side. to do otherwise, is wasting forum space. tyvm
 
Sam

Sam

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Messages
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Well, like all politicians, I watch the polls and govern accordingly. If you're looking for consistency I'm not your guy. ;)
 
B

Brian Marshall

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Messages
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Location
Stockton, California & Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico
You cannot see the faces, nor read the minds of those who post questions or reply to those questions...

For my part, if you ask for the truth - you are gonna get it!

And it's not likely to be delivered in a sweetened "politically correct" way.

I haven't the time or patience for that - and neither did most of those that I learned from.


Take what's useful, ignore what you can't use. (or may not understand yet?)

Be happy that you are mostly getting valuable information for free. That alone is worth a few bumps in the road.

Try to keep emotions out of it...


B.
 
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