iPad Pro scroll templates / leaves ect...

Archie Woodworth

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Ok, from my limited experience so far, Im just wondering what everyone thinks about using a "scroll template " to assist in laying out the backbone. The template artwork can be copied and positioned / sized ect. on different layers and then joined / linked. Once the backbone is worked out then the leaves and supporting art could be drawn or once again a template of leaves etc could be utilized. Just a thought...
 
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C Driver

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John, is SPXE for windows or is there one for apple ?
Where do you fine it and is it a stand alone program or do you have to load it into another system to use?
Charlie
 

John B.

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John, is SPXE for windows or is there one for apple ?
Where do you fine it and is it a stand alone program or do you have to load it into another system to use?
Charlie

Charlie, I have it downloaded onto my Windows computer. Don't know if it also works on Apple, sorry.
 

John B.

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Let me understand this. Copy some ones backbone, Then copy some ones leaves, finally put them together and call yourself an artist. Is this really what the engraving art is becoming?

The SPXE software allows you to create your own scroll. It just vectors your line, taking out any elbows and also allows you to make as many or few rotations as you wish. You still design your own scroll, placement and composition.
And I would point out that great engravers including Nimschke himself have used "copy" books for hundreds of years.
 

Archie Woodworth

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OK let me try to explain better ... might not have done such a good job before. First off Im not suggesting copying anyones work .... I was only exploring the capabilities of the iPad to assemble the backbone and associated artwork. The scroll design is a mathematical formula and is the basis for the backbone...no copyright violation by using that. One can (with the iPad) take a scroll and create a backbone through duplicating and resizing the pieces to create original artwork. Sorry for any confusion.
Let me understand this. Copy some ones backbone, Then copy some ones leaves, finally put them together and call yourself an artist. Is this really what the engraving art is becoming?
 

Sam

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My only concern with scroll backbone tools like in Corel or Illustrator, is that each time you use them you're not learning to draw a correctly proportioned spiral, which I think is a very important skill to master (and it's not all that difficult).

If you want to make some spirals you can use on your iPad, this might work. Draw them with a spiral tool in Corel or Illustrator or John B's suggested SPXE app. Save as a JPG and then bring them into Procreate and trace over them onto a separate later. Then duplicate as often as necessary, mirror, etc.
 

Archie Woodworth

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Inkscape was the illustrator application that I was trying to think of earlier. It includes a scroll generator (PC & MAC versions). It is a similar program to Illustrator and is free tho somewhat "twitchy" but is very capable and is improving all the time with each version release.
 

Mike_Morgan

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I looked for all kinds of ways to "cheat" having to draw scrolls, with Sam Alfanos words ringing in my head... "you have 1,000 bad scrolls in you". And he's right, I had at LEAST that many lurking in there, but as he said, it's not that hard to master. All the short-cuts and work-arounds might get THIS drawing done quicker, and possibly even better, BUT are we drawing to make perfect drawings on the iPad, or are we working on our craft so we can more efficiently engrave metal? The more time I spend drawing scrolls, the easier they get. This has paid off in a big way, because I frequently draw directly on the metal I'll be engraving, without using transfer methods, because for me, getting good transfers is harder and more frustrating than drawing is in the first place.

As a result of heeding Sam's advice, on Friday I engraved an object by drawing directly on the metal, and I had the whole thing done in less time than it would have taken to draw it first, make a transfer, apply the transfer, then cut the design. The TRICK Snare Drum I engraved was also drawn directly onto the metal as well.

The short form of this, if you find yourself avoiding drawing scrolls, you should put effort into drawing them, instead of putting effort into avoiding them... Just my 2 cents.
 
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Big-Un

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I looked for all kinds of ways to "cheat" having to draw scrolls, with Sam Alfanos words ringing in my head... "you have 1,000 bad scrolls in you". And he's right, I had at LEAST that many lurking in there, but as he said, it's not that hard to master. All the short-cuts and work-arounds might get THIS drawing done quicker, and possibly even better, BUT are we drawing to make perfect drawings on the iPad, or are we working on our craft so we can more efficiently engrave metal? The more time I spend drawing scrolls, the easier they get. This has paid off in a big way, because I frequently draw directly on the metal I'll be engraving, without using transfer methods, because for me, getting good transfers is harder and more frustrating than drawing is in the first place.

As a result of heeding Sam's advice, on Friday I engraved an object by drawing directly on the metal, and I had the whole thing done in less time than it would have taken to draw it first, make a transfer, apply the transfer, then cut the design. The TRICK Snare Drum I engraved was also drawn directly onto the metal as well.

The short form of this, if you find yourself avoiding drawing scrolls, you should put effort into drawing them, instead of putting effort into avoiding them... Just my 2 cents.

I agree with you Mike about the time it takes to draw, print, transfer and cut a design. To me it seems I'm wasting production time doing all that which would be much better just drawing directly on the piece. Plus. I usually draw the main backbone and cut in the leaves later, depending on the complexity of the design.
 

candy2728

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tdelewis~
If you look at Nimschke's book and compare his work with guns from the previous hundred years and longer, you will find that he copied from earlier engravers. If you study the books "British Gun Engraving", "One Hundred Great Guns", "Rare and Beautiful Guns", and others of that ilk, you will find that new "contemporary" engravers learned from the "Old Masters" and altered parts of the old designs to suit their own opinion of "art", just as you have probably done.
 

jkleiber

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Is SPXE an acronym for something? Looked up SPXE on my iPad apps store and nothing. Searched Google for SPXE and nothing....

Found one link in this forum for SPXE and it just leads to a Russian website.
 

tdelewis

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There is a difference between studying and drawing a pattern that fits your project, and copying and pasting and printing out a transfer. At least that is my opinion. I will probably be attacked but the bottom line is learn to draw. At first I hand no idea as how to fill an area with scrolls. It took time and practice. I still cant match the masters but I'm learning and getting better.
 

Mike_Morgan

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There is a difference between studying and drawing a pattern that fits your project, and copying and pasting and printing out a transfer. At least that is my opinion. I will probably be attacked but the bottom line is learn to draw. At first I hand no idea as how to fill an area with scrolls. It took time and practice. I still cant match the masters but I'm learning and getting better.

Why would you be attacked for saying that learning to draw is the best solution? If our goal here is to better engravers, then becoming a better artist will go a LONG way in meeting that goal.
 

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