Wolf & Hound Celtic Knotwork Belt

[swivelsphinx]

This is the most complex leather carving I have done to date. The design work took over a year to complete.

I do not draw knotwork well, so I spent a great deal of time looking at existing zoomorph designs in media ranging from manuscripts to metal castings. Once I found features in several different zoomorphs I liked, it took me awhile to blend features from the master images into composite creatures with 2 different graphics programs. The moons were easier. I based them on small half-moon castings from a pair of sterling earrings.

After multiple redrawings, the final version was scanned, and the printout transferred onto the leather.

The leather I used was a 10-12 oz reject sole bend from a shoe factory that was somewhat tan/brown to begin with. I had to remove a heavy, dark waxy coating from the flesh side. I did that with a palm sander and a "Super Skivver" prepped it by casing first in a solution of vinegar & water, then a solution of Lexol conditioner &water.

The carving was *really* tricky. I used swivel knives, X-acto, and even an old fashioned cuticle knife on the outline, and several mallets of different weights to do the stamping work.

The coloring was fun! I blended Fiebing's Tan, Lt. Brown with just a spot of Mohogany. I cut the resulting color by about 1/4 with reducer. I applied this dye to the entire project with brushes. After this dried, I applied an acrylic antique. The final color was Fiebings White Dye. I applied that in multiple layers, which gave the image a lot of depth.

I finished the white areas first with satin shene. I waited overnight for it to dry, then added 3 more coats. After another night of drying, I applied a few layers of Atom Wax to the whole thing and buffed between coats.

Finally, applied TLC Saddle conditioner to the flesh side to increase the belt's flexibility.

Please feel free to critique this piece. ( see photo compostition below)

Edited May 9, 2010 by swivelsphinx

[dscott]

nice work

[Wyvern]

Now THAT is some detailed work. I likee!

[MADMAX22]

Great job on the carving and coloring of this project.

Question, why did you go thru all the trouble to use that leather though, was it because you happened to get it and needed to do something with it. Seems like the process would be alot easier with just using some skirting or thick tooling side.

[leatheroo]

i love the detail of your carving and the color is great....i noticed that the leather has gone a little bit out of shape where you have carved and stamped....did you have it mounted on a back board while working it? it will help stop the leather from getting out of shape while working it....also a tip from peter main....cut the belt wider than you need and then trim it to the size you want after the carving is finished, this will give you a very nice straight edge.

cheers

[hivemind]

Terrible work. Send it to me for disposal immediately.

[swivelsphinx]

Great job on the carving and coloring of this project.

Question, why did you go thru all the trouble to use that leather though, was it because you happened to get it and needed to do something with it. Seems like the process would be alot easier with just using some skirting or thick tooling side.

Hey MADMAX22!

You are absolutely right! It would have cut down on the prep time had I used "fresh from the tannery" skirting or similar. I probably would have if the project had not taken nearly 2 years to complete. I had the stuff sitting in my leather pile for a few years, and I wanted to experiment to see what it would take to make it useable for carving. I got my answer!

[swivelsphinx]

i love the detail of your carving and the color is great....i noticed that the leather has gone a little bit out of shape where you have carved and stamped....did you have it mounted on a back board while working it? it will help stop the leather from getting out of shape while working it....also a tip from peter main....cut the belt wider than you need and then trim it to the size you want after the carving is finished, this will give you a very nice straight edge.

cheers

Hey Leatheroo!

Good tips! Thank you. Yeah, I *had* this heavy belt on posterboard initially, but at some points it popped off, and I would just keep going on like that for awhile. I have been considering using a long thin piece of plywood instead to mount such projects in future.

I will try that Peter Main tip on the next piece I do! I appreciate advice that will improve the quality of my work in the future.

The Swivelsphinx

Terrible work. Send it to me for disposal immediately.

*laughs*

[swivelsphinx]

Now THAT is some detailed work. I likee!

Hi Wyvern!

Thanks for the encouragement! At the time I wanted to start doing leather carving, the closest location for instruction was an hour away and I had no car. I taught myself using Stohlman's books. I would like to be taught more about "traditional" carving styles, such as Sheridan, so I can expand my skill set.

[swivelsphinx]

nice work

Thanks!

[Penden]

Love the colors

[swivelsphinx]

Love the colors

Thank you. The background is a tan with yellow and a tiny bit of orange added. The white is layers of Fiebings white dye. I used a black acrylic antique to fill in the cuts.