Critique Request Scroll drawing...

[AndrosCreations]

I'm still trying to develop a scroll style and get things to look pleasing... Please let me know your input on where I'm at... The good, the bad, and the ugly...

(also included is some 'improv' engraving I did on a nickel)

Thanks

 

[twhite]

the good: looks fandamntastic!
the bad: i can't do anything half that nice.
the ugly: i'm still looking and can't find any. beautiful work

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Hi Andy, I think it looks good. Can't see the detail shading on the coin though.

Here's a few things which may help out with respect to developing your own style .... the benefit is that it will become your identity and what people will remember most. True vindication, in determining whether or not it is "pleasing" (or works), definitely comes when it sells and it increases demand for your work. This is where one big "caveat" can come into play ... is it efficient enough to cut for it to be profitable while you are trying to get it into circulation to create that demand? Having a number of different styles (diversification) to cut is imperative as you're most likely to put the greatest amount of time into your own style. It will go through many changes and experience its' own evolution. It will become the Cadillac Escalade of your style offerings. You'll know what you need to charge for it but most won't understand why it is so much more. This is why I think it is important to introduce gold into your style as much as possible. Even at $1800 bucks per oz, just $20 of gold creates a perception of value that many will believe is significantly higher. That justifies the greater amount of time you have put into the most time consuming aspects of ornamental designs - background removal, shading etc..

The key to making money with your own style without increasing the price beyond the market's reach is to minimize the size and number of complex areas which require background removal. You can literally double your design time to create more complexity and still save time if it reduces the amount of background required to remove. Second is to use gold as efficiently and strategically as possible by keeping inlays that are integrated into the design as continuous as possible. This is where a filligree drawplate has been most helpful. As expensive as gold is and will get, with the right placement and size of inlays, you can achieve the same effect (with the same amount of labor) at much less cost. Ultimately, the goal is to provide something which is attractive and clean, undeniably yours, efficient to produce and still provides the highest level of perceived value to the individual buying your work either for themselves or to resell.

Finding the right formula to make your style work can sometimes be an arduous journey.

Hope that helps ...

Chris

 

[Ed Westerly]

First impression is very clean good lines maybe a little "heavy" with thick stems and leaves everywhere. But I like where you are going and look forward to the next step when it comes. You are definitely on the right path.

P.S. listen to Chris (everyone) that is some good advice there!

 

[jetta77]

awesome andy! you have it man! just believe in yourself and have confidence in what your doing and I forsee you developing not only great scroll styles but doing alot of break through engraving. J. Fava once said "I only do one kind of work, and that's my very best." stay true to that and all else will follow.

 

[thughes]

Really cool Andy, I like that a lot.

 

[K Frei]

Personally I like the one you cut better tha the one you drew, as it has one less revolution/ turn at your start point. It's beautiful, I wish i could see more detail. I often find that I cut different than I draw too, somehow thing feel different I front of the graver, than they do the pencil. K Frei

 

[AndrosCreations]

Thanks for all the great input guys....

Chris - Great advice... I certainly agree about the gold... I'm working diligently on that skill now but having some trouble with larger areas... I recently started a new thread pertaining to this difficulty. But, gold accents add such a highlight that I'm going to try to include gold in most of what I do now (except for any lower cost jobs). I remember talking to Jeff Park on the phone and he said he includes gold in almost everything he does now.... including wedding bands. I dig it...

...and as far as maximizing perceived value and appearance (be it with gold or just different techniques) while minimizing tedious tasks such as background removal...I'm trying to master that as well.

Thanks again all...

 

[AndrosCreations]

K Frei - "somehow things feel different I front of the graver, than they do the pencil" I totally agree... Whenever I draw scrolls with a pencil, it always makes me think that the human hand wasn't created to draw circular elements easily... It is a hard thing to do for my hands. I have to turn the paper, draw, turn, erase dog legs... make more dog legs... It's HARD. But, my square graver glides along perfectly in its 'track' as I effortlessly turn my turntable and scrolls appear with ease. Infact, the only thing drawn on the coin shown above was the backbone... I just made the rest up as I went. But drawing? tedious.

 

[Doc Mark]

Andy, I like your designs, very Renaissance in appearance. They are a bit heavy for some applications but I think the design on the right side would make a wonderful pendent (maybe turned upside down). But, really listen to Chris, particularly about efficient use of your time. He's absolutely correct as to the amount of time background removal and cutting and undercutting inlay channels take. They are real time hogs. Don't ask me how I know this!

 

[pilkguns]

I think your drawing and execution are excellant and I agree with what Chris said totally. However, there is a slightly different issue from the design side. If you use this pattern a single scroll like you have drawn or cut on the nickel, it looks good. If you try to apply this same scroll design over a larger area, say a bolster of a knive, or a worse, a gun, you are going to run into big problems fast. Not readily obvious at the size you have, but overall you have serious balance problems between scroll to background ration. This will magnify itself if you apply this larger areas, where you will end up with blotchly areas, and blackish areas where the scroll leaves are and the areas that do have background. The problem is you have too many leaves filling too much area, (I assume this what Mark was alluding to by "too heavy"). You need have an eveness of scroll to background ratio that applies across the whole pattern.

 

[AndrosCreations]

Good advice Scott... I've been playing with the way the leaves flow from the backbone and am still trying to comprehend scroll... It's amazing how long it takes to get your mind around what is aesthetically pleasing and what isn't.

So far most of my work has been on coins... They're small, always round, soft, and fit perfectly into a coin holder which goes right into my vice... When I venture out of the coin realm, I know I'll have to change and learn allot of new things and my design ideas will be one of them.

Thanks again!

 

[thekoabenchgoldsmith]

What I really liked about the work you show in this post, Andy, is how you took the rectangular drawing to the left and modified it to fit into the round coin, not olny changing the shape, but the size.

Thank you for sharing your work.

Robert Booth

 

[BrianPowley]

Andy....when are we going to get together? We're only an hour away from each other.