Question: Advise? to the "Newbie" engraver.

[Bob West]

In Sam’s post on “Advice and words of wisdom” we are encouraged to learn the basics, practice, and be patient.

I am curious. There are so many aspects [or disciplines] in engraving, what do each of you consider to be “the basics”?

It seems like a legitimate question and a fun topic to debate.

 

[Ed Westerly]

Bob it is indeed a fun topic to discuss, and that's why it's been dicussed numerous times. I may be wrong, but I don't see you getting much feedback on this. Sorry.

 

[Bob West]

That's OK Bruce. It was just a thought.
Thank You,

 

[JJ Roberts]

Bob,Start by learning how to draw and practice,practice,practice till you get good.Get with an engraver who be willing to guide you and don't engraver any guns or knifes for practice. J.J.

 

[Jared Eason]

Drawing, sharpening, tool control, the feel of different metals, straight even cuts , tapered cuts, fine line cuts, crosshatch, shading, proper inlay techniques and there are more than one, overlay, curved cuts , layout, transfers again more than one technique. Flow, even spacing. Hummm did I miss anything. Well this is what I have found to be the basics anyhow.. o yeah practice till your sick, then practice some more. Till you can do it without thinking about what your doing ,

 

[Bob West]

Thank you JJ. I will!

Do you have a list of basics beyond mentorship and drawing?

 

[Bob West]

Thanks Jared. That is a long list! Do you find any one or two skills more important than the others?

Drawing, sharpening, tool control, the feel of different metals, straight even cuts , tapered cuts, fine line cuts, crosshatch, shading, proper inlay techniques and there are more than one, overlay, curved cuts , layout, transfers again more than one technique. Flow, even spacing. Hummm did I miss anything. Well this is what I have found to be the basics anyhow

 

[Jared Eason]

Well if I had to personally pick one I would say drawing. I have found it gave me a better understanding of scroll . I'm still working on drawing . I can draw good leaves but putting everything in a single balanced pattern is still hard. Flow is very important, proper spacing , cutting isn't as hard as drawing in my opinion. Its not exactly easy though.
I will say I have been told this many times to slow down keep it simple. Not easy to do. But when that advice hits you it hits hard. You will get a lot of different options from a lot of great engravers on the same subject , its up to you to pick what advice you follow. Everything is important to learn and understand about the art of engraving. Get some books on engraving and read them multiple times..

 

[Jared Eason]

And graver geometry ( sharpening) that to is a must

 

[Sam]

DRAWING. With today's tools, anyone can learn to sharpen a graver perfectly and cut lines in short order. Those that learn to draw are the ones who excel in the art. Those who are a slave to transfers will always produce work that looks like a transfer. I realize that there are many folks who just want to engrave pretty things and don't care where the design came from. That's fine and there's nothing wrong with that. But the one skill that every master class engraver has is ability to layout beautiful designs and lettering of his of her own creation. THAT is what makes their work stand out from the crowd.

 

[Jared Eason]

Couldn't have said it better Sam .

Bob if you anything like I was, save yourself time and frustration and slow down, enjoy the learning process. It took me awhile but I finnaly got off my high horse. Lol

 

[Jared Eason]

http://engravingglossary.com

This link can help you understanding what everything is. Great place to see examples of different types of engraving mentioned on the forum.

 

[Bob West]

DRAWING. With today's tools, anyone can learn to sharpen a graver perfectly and cut lines in short order. Those that learn to draw are the ones who excel in the art. Those who are a slave to transfers will always produce work that looks like a transfer. I realize that there are many folks who just want to engrave pretty things and don't care where the design came from. That's fine and there's nothing wrong with that. But the one skill that every master class engraver has is ability to layout beautiful designs and lettering of his of her own creation. THAT is what makes their work stand out from the crowd.

Thanks Sam!
I have always admired anyone who can simply draw what they want to engrave. Especially those who can draw directly on the object to be engraved. It is like anything else in life. Practice, practice, practice. The advantages must be endless.

 

[Bob West]

Couldn't have said it better Sam .

Bob if you anything like I was, save yourself time and frustration and slow down, enjoy the learning process. It took me awhile but I finnaly got off my high horse. Lol

Thanks again Jared. I am too old to be in a rush any more. I promise to both, take my time and to accept the advice I receive here.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Basic hand engraving can be boiled down to two things. Technique and design.

The former can be learnt through practice and is a process of learning how to use the tools. This includes sharpening, making your own tools like punches etc. As you get more proficient and confident with the tools your work tends to naturally get smaller. It doesn’t matter what the tools are. Burin, hammer, chisel, air assist. Each have their own quirks to them but like any tool, they can be learnt through repetition, trial and error and a bit of clarity of thinking.

There are 3 cuts that you need to get to grips with. A straight line. An anticlockwise curve and a clockwise curve………everything is based on that. The only thing that varies is the length,depth and width of those lines. Plus the particular tool that you use to achieve the desired effect.

After that comes specialty sub headings like inlays, carving, chasing, etc etc. These are all simple enough in theory and just require different techniques. All of this can be learned with practice and patience.

The design is the hardest part of the whole thing. The pencil is the hardest tool of the lot to master. If you can’t draw a decent scroll or leaf……then you can’t cut a decent scroll or leaf. It really is that simple.

If you look closely at the difference between top quality work and less than average work……….it is the design. Yes, the execution of that design is flawless, but if the design is crap, then all you will have is a well executed crappy engraving. However, if the design is good, then you have a master engraving. That is the difference between the two.

If you look at some of the Italian engravings, they can be rough when seen up close through a microscope. But to the naked eye, and with an excellent design, the engraving is world class.

So learn to draw and draw well. The rest will follow. If you ignore that one fundamental then you will always be frustrated and your engraving will always be less than mediocre.

Having said that, have fun, enjoy the process, get your hands dirty and just do it. Most of your questions will be answered through trial and error.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Bob West]

Thank you Andrew. That was well said.

 

[Ed Westerly]

Well, Bob, it looks like my work here is done. Now you have some answers... Off to my next triumph!!

 

[Bob West]

Thank you all! I will take your advice to heart. I know that it will make a huge difference in how I progress. This is truly a great group of professionals.

 

[Dan W]

Good info.
Thanks for starting this thread Bob.

Dan