Critique Request new drawing

[Jared Eason]

Feel free to to comment. Thanks

 

[Jared Eason]

In the drawing with just the stem I realized the inner stem that comes from the spiral is not curved enough. In the later drawings I did some tweaking to it. Also the loop to the left coming off the Same stem is not going under the leaves. Again I fixed it on the final drawing. My shading is bad I know. The end leaf to the left I realize is an eye sore. And some of the little curles at the end don't quite flow right. I realized some of this after I posted the drawing . If anyone else has opinions just say them. Thanks

 

[Beladran]

I have been told the eye sees what it's ready to see so maybe I'm not seeing everything right. To me I can make sense of the right half but the left is just a bundle to me.

 

[dave gibson]

Honestly Jared, it's pretty rough. I think when starting out you can probably learn more and faster by tracing designs drawn by pros. There's a lot of important, subtle elements that are easily overlooked. I'm no expert but the majority of what I know about scrolls came from two great books by Ron Smith and a great video by Sam Alfano. These should be considered necessary tools for scroll engraving. The beautiful engraved scrolls that keep you coming back to the engravers cafe are not created in the manner you're approaching it, there's a definite formula and it's easier than your way.
Best of luck and keep posting what you're doing.

 

[monk]

you show a lot of practice has been done- that's a very good thing.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Jared

The good news is that it shows you can draw.

The bad news is that it's a mess. The reason the shading is no good is because the basic structure doesn't lend itself to shading.

Drawing is like anything else. It's not just a random act. It's a discipline that you have to nurture along from small beginnings and build up your skill level. You don't just plonk something randomly into the centre of a piece of paper and hope for the best.

So where to from here?............I suggest you start with a defined shape to work within. This can be a square, oval or even just a corner piece coming off the edges of the paper. Everything you engrave is going to be a defined area to work within so you may as well get used to that from the start. This will give you the discipline to work within defined parameters. This is really important if you are to progress.

Start with simple scroll. Yes, it's boring and everyone does it and there is nothing sexy about it. But.........it will give you some basic concepts about how a design flows and how things grow from one another. Learn to draw one good scroll and fill it with leaves. Then draw another scroll coming off that scroll and so on. Do that till you have a few basics.

Then start intertwining scrolls and making them more interesting and complex. From there you can branch out and be more creative.

If you try to skip those basic first steps then you are creating a very hard path for yourself.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Jared Eason]

Thanks guys. Sigh.... guess its back to the basics again . Maybe I didn't ( understand, quite grasp ) As much as I though I had the first couple Hundred Basics I been drawing. I'm going to hit the books again. I have Ron smiths first book. But plan to get his 2nd book I hear its a lot better. I also have Sam's DVD and Lee Griffith's book.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Jared

Don't worry, we all go through it. It's just part of the deal.

You can read, study and all the rest of it but sometimes when it's done to much it can be counter intuitive and the law of diminishing returns kicks in..........don't overthink it to much

Draw a shape, like a triangle and start filling with scroll. Make sure the scroll is well proportioned and that the scrolls flow off one another properly..........that is 80% of the battle. Then start filling with leaf.

You can do it as it is clear you have the ability. Learn how to learn.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

As Andrew said, keep it simple until you master the basics. Yep, you can draw and that's good...you're just not ready for a design of this complexity yet.

 

[Jared Eason]

Thanks Sam , Andrew. At least I know I'm making some progress. It really is hard to do just basic stuff. Its not so much I'm in a hurry to draw the sexy scroll. But I can see all these fancy patterns in my head and just can't help myself. Your right Sam Im just not ready for this level yet. I know it. If I can only convince my hands the same. Lol. Y'all have a Merry Christmas.

 

[Southern Custom]

A simple scroll design, as long as it's well layed out and well cut, is a beautiful thing to look at. I think a lot of aspiring engravers look at the work posted here and in other publications and assume that everything they cut must meet that standard. It took me a while to realize that I was looking at the best of the best. I was studying the exception to the rule. It wasn't until later that I realized not everyone here cuts that way every day.
It helped me tremendously when I did exactly as Mr. Biggs has suggested. Work one simple scroll at a time. Once you've mastered that, add another element or two and work with them till they look natural with no awkward spots. Keep doing this and eventually things start to get exciting.
I held myself back with poorly executed designs for years till I took this approach. Once it changed, my work progressed much more rapidly and I was able to understand and fix flaws more easily. I still keep my designing pretty simple. I let the work tell me when it's time to up my game.
Keep at it. It only gets easier every time you do it. As long as you take it in steps.
Layne