bronc
Elite Cafe Member
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mitch, that is a grand slam home run and then some. Very impressive.
:clapping::clapping::clapping:
Stewart
:clapping::clapping::clapping:
Stewart
18kt Gold Lake, Platinum-Inlaid.....
- Thread starter mitch
- Start date
Thanks for the reply Mitch.
Rose gold is notorious among jewelers for being difficult.
Your work raises the bar for everyone and is distinctive. Your work suggests new possibilities.
And to echo Sam, every photo should be saved RAW which retains all possibilities especially if one wants
adjustments to the image.
Thanks again.
Kevin P.
Rose gold is notorious among jewelers for being difficult.
Your work raises the bar for everyone and is distinctive. Your work suggests new possibilities.
And to echo Sam, every photo should be saved RAW which retains all possibilities especially if one wants
adjustments to the image.
Thanks again.
Kevin P.
mitch
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,636
I thought I'd post the answers to some questions others have asked about this piece- maybe some folks here might be interested-
The drop shadows are just dots in the 18kt gold, because i wanted the platinum leaves to cast nice brown shadows* on the gold, so the drop shadow areas aren't inlaid. all the work, including the rose gold pins in the pearl that appear to be tiny floating spheres, is actually as flat as your computer screen. there is no actual sculpting or relief to any of it- hence the use of the term "trompe l'oeil"- which i believe is French for "fool the eye".
*i don't use any ink or paint in the engraving. the shading & shadows would not look right if they were filled with black pigment. the silver-grey platinum should have darker grey tones and the gold should have warm brown tones, just like they would if you were looking at a sculpted piece of those metals. making the shadows black would completely ruin the effect. in fact, i even thoroughly cleaned the surface before taking these pictures- there's nothing in the dots & lines, not even oil.
the exception to this rule is in the drop shadows in the pearl next to the pins. making a dot/scratch in pearl doesn't make a dark indentation like it does in metal, it makes a light, almost white mark (like a scratch/pit in glass or plastic). filling them with black or grey paint would make opaque shadows that sit lifelessly on the surface of a translucent material- it just wouldn't look right. the shadow needs to 'sink' down into the pearl. after a fair amount of experimentation, i finally settled on a Prismacolor art marker in 30% cold grey (like graphic artists & designers use- my wife & i own more art supplies than some stores in that biz). it was just dark enough to dye the disturbed white/light surface of the pearl, while still leaving a translucent shadow that looks very natural.
some have asked how big this piece is? it's a pretty small Lake folder, overall length closed is about 3.25" and the forward bolster area is roughly 13/16" long- so the main engraved area at the fore would fit comfortably on a nickel. even i'd look at it out from under the microscope and think, "Dang, that's tiny!"
also, some folks have wondered how realistic this effect looks 'in real life'. to be perfectly honest, when you hold it at just the right lighting & viewing angle it looks so real it's almost creepy- like your brain literally cannot believe what your eyes are seeing. it is absolutely mesmerizing. i know it may be hard to believe, but photos do not do it justice. (and other than the aforementioned color correction, these shots are not retouched.)
THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS! (it helps make the brain damage of doing work like this worthwhile- y'all can visit me in the sanitarium...
)
The drop shadows are just dots in the 18kt gold, because i wanted the platinum leaves to cast nice brown shadows* on the gold, so the drop shadow areas aren't inlaid. all the work, including the rose gold pins in the pearl that appear to be tiny floating spheres, is actually as flat as your computer screen. there is no actual sculpting or relief to any of it- hence the use of the term "trompe l'oeil"- which i believe is French for "fool the eye".
*i don't use any ink or paint in the engraving. the shading & shadows would not look right if they were filled with black pigment. the silver-grey platinum should have darker grey tones and the gold should have warm brown tones, just like they would if you were looking at a sculpted piece of those metals. making the shadows black would completely ruin the effect. in fact, i even thoroughly cleaned the surface before taking these pictures- there's nothing in the dots & lines, not even oil.
the exception to this rule is in the drop shadows in the pearl next to the pins. making a dot/scratch in pearl doesn't make a dark indentation like it does in metal, it makes a light, almost white mark (like a scratch/pit in glass or plastic). filling them with black or grey paint would make opaque shadows that sit lifelessly on the surface of a translucent material- it just wouldn't look right. the shadow needs to 'sink' down into the pearl. after a fair amount of experimentation, i finally settled on a Prismacolor art marker in 30% cold grey (like graphic artists & designers use- my wife & i own more art supplies than some stores in that biz). it was just dark enough to dye the disturbed white/light surface of the pearl, while still leaving a translucent shadow that looks very natural.
some have asked how big this piece is? it's a pretty small Lake folder, overall length closed is about 3.25" and the forward bolster area is roughly 13/16" long- so the main engraved area at the fore would fit comfortably on a nickel. even i'd look at it out from under the microscope and think, "Dang, that's tiny!"
also, some folks have wondered how realistic this effect looks 'in real life'. to be perfectly honest, when you hold it at just the right lighting & viewing angle it looks so real it's almost creepy- like your brain literally cannot believe what your eyes are seeing. it is absolutely mesmerizing. i know it may be hard to believe, but photos do not do it justice. (and other than the aforementioned color correction, these shots are not retouched.)
THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS! (it helps make the brain damage of doing work like this worthwhile- y'all can visit me in the sanitarium...
)
KCSteve
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I can believe how real this can look - your mind wants to see things that are 3D.
I'm sure most of you have seen pictures of the incredible street art the one artist does where he creates large, intricate chalk drawings in the streets designed to look like 3D images from the proper angle. Even his small ones are amazing - I've seen a video where he drew a step across a sidewalk. The people coming from the wrong side just walked by (a few stared at it). Most of the people coming from the proper side stumbled when the 'step' turned out to not be there, then were amazed at the difference between what their eyes told them and the reality.
I'm sure most of you have seen pictures of the incredible street art the one artist does where he creates large, intricate chalk drawings in the streets designed to look like 3D images from the proper angle. Even his small ones are amazing - I've seen a video where he drew a step across a sidewalk. The people coming from the wrong side just walked by (a few stared at it). Most of the people coming from the proper side stumbled when the 'step' turned out to not be there, then were amazed at the difference between what their eyes told them and the reality.
mitch
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,636
"your mind wants to see things that are 3D"
you brought up an excellent point, Steve- your mind is hardwired to see pretty much everything in 3D (there's just not all that much 2-dimensional stuff out in the natural world), so the trick in 2D art such as engraving is to feed the brain what it expects.
as a strictly practical convention, engravers routinely employ what i call "universally advantageous lighting & shading". we disregard any specific light source direction/elevation, and just make low areas darker & higher areas lighter. it certainly creates a very localized, superficial illusion of depth- and obviously can be quite beautiful- but it falls far short of rendering what real 3D objects & forms look like, especially over an entire pattern.
the phenomenon you mentioned about the sidewalk artists (and yeah, some of those are mind-blowing!) is something i often experience in micro-miniature. as a leaf nears completion and the illusion becomes more fully realized, i sometimes catch myself reflexively lifting the graver up over something that isn't really raised at all.
you brought up an excellent point, Steve- your mind is hardwired to see pretty much everything in 3D (there's just not all that much 2-dimensional stuff out in the natural world), so the trick in 2D art such as engraving is to feed the brain what it expects.
as a strictly practical convention, engravers routinely employ what i call "universally advantageous lighting & shading". we disregard any specific light source direction/elevation, and just make low areas darker & higher areas lighter. it certainly creates a very localized, superficial illusion of depth- and obviously can be quite beautiful- but it falls far short of rendering what real 3D objects & forms look like, especially over an entire pattern.
the phenomenon you mentioned about the sidewalk artists (and yeah, some of those are mind-blowing!) is something i often experience in micro-miniature. as a leaf nears completion and the illusion becomes more fully realized, i sometimes catch myself reflexively lifting the graver up over something that isn't really raised at all.
ken dixon
Elite Cafe Member
Great job.
mtgraver
Elite Cafe Member
Mitch, a true piece of inspiration for all to see. By the way, after looking at this piece I've gone ahead and reserved the room next to you!
Mark
Mark
Artemiss
Elite Cafe Member
Stunning Mitch!
You've just added a whole new level (pardon the pun) to engraving! Like it a lot.
Jo
You've just added a whole new level (pardon the pun) to engraving! Like it a lot.
Jo
Ed Westerly
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Just came back to look at it again, and I'm still blown away!
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