The Legend Of Arthur

Brian Hochstrat

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Nov 9, 2006
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Midvale, Id
Well, here it is. I finally finished this one up last week. This knife although small, only about 4 inches closed, became a big job. As you can see the scenes are all done in perspective, which can be a challenge to design and keep things in proportion. The knife took just over 30 days, 6 days of which were spent drawing. The theme is of course, King Arthur which presented a couple challenges in itself, firstly Ray Cover already did an Arthur theme so I had to be careful my ideas had not already been done, and look like a copy cat, and second it is a very vague and contradictory story. So to avoid things like the sword in the stone and lady in the lake, I went off in a different direction. It is not the original idea the knifes owner had envisioned, but when I submitted the rough sketches of the idea he liked it, and onward we went. I wanted to give the viewer an in the saddle feel, to make the scene more engaging, how many of us can say we have ever jousted, not many, but you can get an idea of what it would look like if you had the chance. Anyway, I made and submitted several drafts and we kept modifying and refining until we both were happy with the plan.

This ivy leaf design is something I have been playing with since this spring. I have always liked the ivy/grape leaves, but avoided it, being so many prominent engravers, such as Churchill, Coggan, and Lindsay, are known for their versions of that style and I did not want to just copy what someone else has worked to develop, it is sort of pledgerism and again I don't want to be a copy cat engraver. However, this spring while fishing, actually not catching fish, I was walking down the creek bottom and I spotted some Ivy, I stopped and studied the plant for a time and then picked a few leaves for further study. So I patterned the leaf after what I picked, now there are only so many ways to invent the wheel and I have studied what others have done so I cannot say I invented anything but, I feel I came about this leaf design honestly. In any event, I felt the ivy would work well with this knife being it grows on castles and such and would tie in with the theme.

Merlin and Gwenivere are in the pockets and we decided on using colored gold to help with the surprise inside effect. Gwens hair and Merlins staff crystal are 18K pink gold and Gwens cloak and Merlins staff are 14k green gold. Gwen stands behind Excaliber, kind of symbolization of a woman standing behind her man, and Merlin swirling up a spell against Arthurs enemy Mordred. Also the coat of arms are of Arthur and Mordred, Arthur's is obviously the three crowns. Anyway, hope you like it.








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fegarex

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Ludington, MI
Brian,
That is REALLY nice! WOW!
I have a rather dumb question however. What is the purpose of the "pockets" or removable panels? Is it a mechanical reason or just aesthetic?
Rex
 

pilkguns

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in the land of Scrolls,
Superb design and execution.

Rex, the pockets are done just to increase the engraving space to give a broader canvas to convey a story.
 

fegarex

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Thanks Scott,
I assumed that was what they were for but I'm not as knife savvy as I am on guns.
Rex
 

Peter E

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Canton CT
WOW...that is just spectacular Brian. The scenes are really amazing, especially considering the small size of the knife.

The pictures show it well.

Peter
 

JJ Roberts

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Brian...Absolutely beautiful...the prospective pulled me right into the scene with the jousters..you are a true "Artist". Keep up the good work.
 

joseph engraver

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Jul 31, 2007
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Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Brian, The work is beautiful, you may want to try manipulating the photos by reducing the brightness by approx 10% and increasing the contrast a bit. Congratulations on your dedication and talent.
Joseph
 

jlseymour

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Dec 22, 2006
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Mt. Dora FL
WOW!!! Brian, Your engraving just keeps getting better and better each time you share it with us...
Thanks,
Jerry
 

Big-Un

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Nov 10, 2006
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Eden, NC
Brian, you keep blowing me away with your design and execution prowess. My e-portfolio is getting better and bigger with your work...giving me a lot to study.

Bill
 

Brian Hochstrat

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Nov 9, 2006
Messages
708
Location
Midvale, Id
Thanks for all the positive responses. In the pockets those are thin plates that sit in a pocket, they are loose so you can take them out to engrave them, I did put a dab of bees wax behind the plate to help keep them in place once finished, Ray suggested against locking them in solid, being that you may never get them out if a repair ever needed to be done. As for the purpose, I think it is a novelty thing kind of a "what's behind door number two?" and as Scott already said, gives some more area to add to the theme.
 

Knifeologist

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Mar 12, 2008
Messages
7
Location
Overland Park, KS
Brian, superb. I can't wait to see it close up in person. Too all,

I am the proud owner of this work of art and I must say that it was a pleasure working with Brian on this project. He has great ideas and is open to input...letting me know if the input is appropriate to the spirit of the project as well as the artistic and technical requirements needed to complete the project in an appropriate manner. It was a wonderful process and I feel as though my contribution mattered while knowing all along that it was only a minor piece of the whole. Brian was great to work with and I am excited about receiving the finished piece once it is professionally photographed.

It is really cool to have a vision and not only watch it come to fruition but exceed the original vision that one had in one's own minds eye.
 

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