What is good work ?

[speeedy6]

I've often looked at some rough and ragged engraving and wondered why I like it so much. I cut a simple daisy on a knife bolster on my personal knife and did it quickly with no plan . It came out nice but clearly sort of rough. I catch myself looking at it all the time wondering what the appeal is. Is it because I see it's handcut and not of a machine ? Can an engraving be too perfect ? I see intricate and near perfect engraving by professionals and appreciate the talent and artistry of the person and how it enhances the item it's on. But I also look at some more simple cutting and imagine the engraver bent over with his face inches from his work with a hammer and chisel in his hands and think of his or her passion and desire to create. I'm not talking about a beginners crude and untrained first attempts. I mean the work you can look at and see the person's vision that was in his head and now it's on steel. I'm not planning on stopping my attempts to improve my work but, I'm wondering if a person that can do better work can appreciate a piece they see such crudeness or primitiveness in .

 

[wowilson]

You should read this book. It's basically an essay on this very topic.

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0060589469

 

[Sam]

Quality design and less-than-perfect cutting trumps flawless cutting and poor design any day. And even quality design and flawless cutting can result in sterile looking work.

This example of Korbrath's work is a perfect example of fabulous design, and if you could examine it under 10x, it would be crude compared to what today's microscope engraver can do. But it lacks nothing and looks incredible.

Winston Churchill's work is another example. In addition to amazing design, the cutting has character and texture that a microscope user probably won't get.

Look at Aleksey Suburov's hobo nickels on Google images. Some carvers go to great lengths to create flawless finished pieces, and Aleksey embraces the hand wrought look. And I like his best of all...he's a fantastic artist and engraver.

Like anything else, your mileage may vary. It just depends on what you like and no particular way is superior to the other.

 

[jerrywh]

I think I am saying the same thing as Sam in a different way. Don't be confused between good work and good art. They are not the same thing. Without the art the engraving is not much. I can teach a person to cut in 30 days. Some people never become artists. Without the art one might as well engrave license plates.

 

[Chujybear]

I spend a lot of time in dingy museum archives looking at old pieces. Mind you they are northwest coast (mostly Haida) but the design principles and values runs very much parralel to what is valued in scroll. I have been surprised by how the pieces that speak to me are, superficially, crude. But they are not crude in the sense of the application of the rules of proper design(in our tradition) and later copies- executed much cleaner, read flat and more sterile.

A totem pole I ran into, that I only knew from old pictures. With the smoothing cause by the picture resolution it appeared flawless, but on close examination it looked like it had been carved with stone tools (probably because it had). But when you look across a plane it is indeed flawless. Much more difficult, in fact, than when working with a perfectly smooth surface that you can check w a ruler.

 

[Idaho Flint]

It is all perception. One thing I learned, is as you study and draw more, and more, your perception on what is good and what is not will change. I find it interesting or a little frustrating being around people who really can't tell a good engraved gun and a lifeless rolled or stamped gun or poorly engraved gun. When they say it is a great engraving, I just want to say "No it is not, it is horrible, let me show you some really good engravings". I use to think they where good, just as they did. Now I know better.

 

[speeedy6]

Ok, I learn something most every time I look on this site and certainly every time I post. It really makes sense now. I can get this out of my brain now and move on. Thank you to all that posted.

 

[Marrinan]

About the only transferring I do is to duplicate something. I try to follow the rules of good design at al times but I just put wax on the metal and draw directly there. I believe that the reason I choose this rather than all the transfer methods hinder the personal effort put into the work. I know lots of people put a lot of effort into the art but I have chosen a path in the art. also it is much easier to make things reach the border ha ha. Fred

 

[Omar Haltam]

As the saying goes " good things come to those who wait " in other words keep at it, in if we are patient hopefully our work will get better, our art will get more refined, and our cutting will get better with time just like aged wine.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Thierry Duguet]

I do not think that craftsman deliberately try to do rough work, they work with the limitation of their time, their tools and their talent and all do to the best of their ability regardless of the end result. To answer the question I think that the craftsmanship is in the service of the art, art cannot be judge rationally, craftsmanship can, where the second finish and the first start is left to the appreciation of the viewer. Good work is the conjunction of craftsmanship and art.

 

[mdengraver]

Excellent book. I read it in college in philosophy class. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maiden ancestors.

 

[Brian Marshall]

Those who don't know the book... ain't gonna "get" what you did there...

B.