Critique Request Flare cut brass snuff can

[ctague]

After a full day of doing some western bright cut engraving I decided to try some more flare cut engraving. This is a brass snuff can that was my final project yesterday. This is my third flare cut project. Please feel free to critique my project. I would like some advide on how to make the design look better. I also wanted to state that I took the basic scroll design off of a design that Diane Scalese cut. I just cut my leaf structures different. Thanks and have a great day. Cody

 

[Beathard]

I really like this piece. I haven't been a big fan of the flare cut, but this piece is nice.

 

[mrthe]

Very nice!what is the size of the plate?

 

[claxton]

It looks great, the only thing I see is a few flat spots on the scroll spine. I have trouble in the same area. May I ask were you got the lid or did you make it.

 

[ctague]

The diameter is 2 3/4 inches

 

[ctague]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I got the cans and lids from track of the wolf .com

 

[rod]

Howdy, Cody,

Do the enclosed photos look familiar?

I think maybe you are engraving my design of a gold and silver cap for an 18th century boxwood flute that I am still making today in my shop. It is going to one of the world's great players of this particular style of flute, and used for the music of Bach, Handel, etc.

However, please press on, I am honored, and I like the border, one which Diane does very well.

Diane and I stay in touch, and since attending two of her excellent classes, I send her some of my attempts at improving my skills, including my gilded flare technique that you see here. I am particularly fond of a pendant design of Diane's, and with her permission, have been doing practice pieces of it many times, as it is bristling with good teaching points. I cannot say enough about Diane's combined qualities of great engraver, teacher, designer, rancher, and all round great human being!

Rock on, Cody, watch out for the smoothness of your backbone scroll shapes.

Lookin' good!

Rod

 

[ctague]

Hey Rod. I am very sorry for calling this Dianes Design. After i researched where i found it it was on one of your posts i did not see these pictures at first i only seen the black and white one. It is an excellent design. I had fun cutting it for practice. I had no intentions of engraving your design to make a profit. It was purely meant to be some practice. You do a great job. And i hope to be there some day. Thanks Cody

 

[rod]

I am still very much on a learning curve, Cody,

And like you, getting value and having fun practicing anything that might improve my understanding and skill, so we are both on the same track!

Here is a tip that might be of interest. I start with a sketch, as that is fast track to coming up with an idea. Since I want to learn just the bare minimum of vector drawing, I pull my sketch into Adobe Illustrator, and put some scrolls over the top of my sketch, sometimes I just transfer only the backbone onto metal, and improvise from there. Cutting then becomes a design process, and the good backbone gives confidence. The photo shows rough sketch ideas on top of smooth scrolls...

best

Rod

 

[rod]

I should add, Cody,

The three element leaf you see on this practice sketch, will be recognized as Mitch's nice practice idea for us all to work on (thank you, Mitch!). The central flower outlines are from one of the practice elements Diane gave us.

Eventually, I concluded this arrangement was a bit too busy, but I may return to it.

Rod

 

[monk]

good lookin work.