Critique Request some scroll engraving practice

[GTJC460]

The first picture is today's work. The second picture is from many months ago

Inspired by watching Sam's video, I decided to do some practice this morning. I laid out a stacked scroll in illustrator then filled in with some familiar elements.

I will note that I only transfered the scroll backbones to the plate, then drew in by hand all the elements. I used the scroll practice design from several months ago as a guide but winged it made up some other elements. I also printed the scroll on paper and drew the filler first on paper with some shading, then went to the metal for the engraving.

I put the picture up of the first time I cut the scroll practice design to show the difference in my engraving from then to now.

I'm not crazy about the way I treated the center element of large scroll at the bottom, but I'm working on it.

 

[didyoung]

nice and round!
i would say that the area where the big scroll and the med. scroll seperate is one place that you can work on.
to improve this you need to show some seperation of those elements.(the 3 elements....big scroll ....leaf...and med. scroll.)
you can trick the eye into believing this by leaving a white or unshaded area.
the picture that i have here shows that area that i am trying to explain.

your leaf blends in with your large and med. scrolls.

i really like your work so keep going with it.
i am also learning and dont really understand the finer points of shading, so dont be put off by my ideas.

 

[Sam]

Bert, I'm proud of your progress! Definitely getting better as you go, and this is no exception

 

[bthomas]

I see what you see...progress.

...you have done a good job and managed to self critique some design areas that you do not like [your statement "I'm not crazy about the way I treated the center element of large scroll at the bottom"]

Shawn has taken time to focus your eye on another juncture and posted an example work around that lets the viewer's eye more easily sort out the way elements stack/emerge

...you are on the way making progress and getting good suggestions from the community.

I am not an experienced hand and therefore can't really offer any design suggestions but perhaps I can recomend yet another good reference. Lee Griffith's Art & Design Fundamentals book. Lee has a lot of content in this book including lots of different ways to manage leaf structures where they join the backbone or spine of the scroll. I haven't got it worked out but used Lee's examples to practice variations ....IMO I found this helpful and I can recomend his book

Again you are doing very well , its easy to encourage you as its obvious you are working to get better. Offer the book suggestion just because I think it is helping me. Keep cutting

 

[GTJC460]

Thanks Shawn, Sam and bthomas.

I'm trying to push further with every cut I make. Also doing tons of drawing and studying of various images, castings, books, etc.... I'm really trying to develop a basic scroll design that I can use virtually anywhere and cut with a high level of proficiency.