Latest Shading Attempt...

[Steve]

Hello Folks,

Well I'm back again seeking input from anyone that has any suggestions. Again the only thing I had to start with was the outline. All the shading came out of my head.

Steve.

 

[John B.]

Hi Steve.
Congratulations. Another great improvement from your previous post.
Keep on keeping on! You're doing fine.
One area of problem, and I'm sure you can see it yourself.
Where the long shading from the final leaf on the right hand scroll ends.
Where it meets the shade lines below it there is a little hump instead of a smooth intersection.
That and a few other small points, some of the cuts behind the tear drops need a little more attention.
But over all, just great work.
Those GRS outline plates are working wonders for you, training your eyes and hands.
Keep it up and do lots of drawing too.
Best regards. John B.

 

[Joe Mason]

Great job, Your cuts are real smooth. Keep up the good work.

Joe

 

[Ken Hurst]

Steve, you've taken a great leap forward ! I look forward to more improvement on your part shortly. Srrrms you are on your way to being a durned good engraver. Best regards, ken

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Steve, that looks great. One quick tip. Don't over shade, you can leave the back of the scroll alone so it appears white. Sometimes things can get too busy and you risk losing the effect you were after, some people might say "Over-egging the pudding!" Use shading to model the leaves and show shadow e.g. where one scroll passes under another and where leaves fold to give the 3D effect, etc. Apart from that, this is a really good effort. Well done!

 

[Big-Un]

Steve, I thought you had been sneaking over to Ken's place for some secret instruction, but apparently not, according to Ken's reply! Keep up the good work, you're progressing great!

 

[smays]

Looks great to me! It's amazing how our minds work.... before I received my equipment, I compared other peoples work to the professionals... because that is all I had to compare it to! NOW... I compare it to my own.. and it really makes me appreciate other peoples progress! Shading is tough, and yours is really looking good! Keep up the good work!

Shawn

 

[Swede]

So far I really like this forum, because of the gentle encouragement. It takes an expert to spot flaws, and we become our own worst critics as the art is elevated higher and higher.

Steve, what I am trying to say is that it is taking these expert engravers to find fault. To me, an utter novice, these plates are beautifully executed, and could grace any piece nicely.

 

[KSnyder]

Steve, great cutting & design.very nice! I ordered the set of plates as well & hope they push me to another level.
Kent

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Looking good Steve.

Your getting your head around the shading thing really well.

On the next one maybe you could take it a wee bit further with the main cuts by trying to "flare" them. Particulary around the ends of the leaves etc. That will give them a bit of character. Sam has a good tutorial on that.

Those practice plates from GRS are a real bonus.

Keep up the good work

Cheers
Andrew