Critique Request Still trying to get the whole Scroll thing down.

[DiamondCactus]

I have been looking over the internet and everyone's works on here trying to get a better grasp on the leafs and flowers used. While doodling i started to get something, then today I drew a triangle and tried to fill it in. Please let me know what I can do better.

 

[pilkguns]

I would say that these are some nice drawings t. I do see lots of issues, but what I would recommend is your spend some time tracing out some complete scrolls patterns with pencil and tracing paper, to get a better understanding of leaf structure, balance and concentricity? Do you have Sam Alfano's or Lee Griffith's, or Ron Smith's scroll drawing resources?

 

[Birddog97]

I have found that its much easier to tackle the design part if I have an acutal piece to work on, or at least a canvas size/shape. I think your on to something with starting from the basic shape of your canvas (triangle) and working the design to fit. Please take this input with a grain of salt. My design and drawing skills are pretty rough still. Looking at the main flower in the center right, I would take the stem behing the leafs, and consider placing another small leaf in the top scroll. Looking at the bottom sketch, I really like the way you are using folds in your leafs and at the end of your scrolls. I have been having trouble drawing those to look right.

 

[monk]

if you cant afford the books suggested by scott, there's an approach i did years ago. get an inexpensive opaque projector. download some of the scroll fotos in the archive. blow them up somewhat, and this may help you some. i go against the grain here-- i'd suggest practicing the much simpler scroll at first. with the simpler designs, you'l likely get a better sense of flow and design balance. btw when i was using the projector technique, there was no internet. i bought gun magazines, and studied what scroll was shown with the projector. the archive has a heap of helpful fotos. copy them, send to "print", then enlarge from there. or just trace. good luck

 

[DiamondCactus]

Thanks everyone for the input, I will have to try them all. I am looking into getting Ron Smith's book, as I hear mention of it everywhere

Again Thanks for the input.

 

[pilkguns]

What I was suggesting about tracing was basically what Monk said. Although i was thinking more books or magazine pictures being the dinosaur I am. But yea online pics are just as good.


The books out now are resources I didn't have 30 years ago and tracing is what I did and what I still make my students do as homework

 

[Tundrwd]

My .02 - and take this with an extreme grain of salt - as I don't even know if I could rate myself as a "rank amateur".

First - probably helps to get the basic "scroll concept" down. Understand it, draw it a few times, etc.

Second - as the first gets boring (at least it does for me, as this type of practice isn't "real"), the approach you have taken (filling in a predefined space) seems to be worthwhile. This gets you into looking at the overall aspect of what you "intend" to do, and checking it for balance, etc.

Another thought for a resource. Somewhere on the site here is a link to a web directory of jpgs/etc. that are profile drawings of various firearms - pistols, couple rifles, shotguns. Might get those, and create "real" designs on "real" firearms.

Again - this is coming from a virtual "pre-noob", so take it with a grain of salt. My abilities have grown in the last 2.5 months. I can engrave a straight line (most of the time), control porpoising on those lines, etc. Still having trouble engraving scrolls. I suffer from trying to think of too many things at once, and manage to do almost none of them very well many times. So, I'm stepping back a bit to get to where several things are just "second nature", then advancing to the next step.

I will say that your approach also goes along my way of thinking/learning. I am in no way dissing the approach of "drawing until you've conquered", but, at least for me, that gets old pretty quick and I have to find a practical use - see what I've done, screwed up, and evaluate going "back to basics" (and just how far back) etc. An iterative learning process.

Engraving would be much quicker (as the author's of some books who divulge their hard-won wisdom) to sit at the feet of a master daily (the old apprenticeship route).

 

[monk]

scott brought to mind : go to the google homepage- click on images- type in your area of interest. you may find a valuable source there.
ah, and if it doesn't bring anythin useful, at least the "trip" was free.