OrchidNoir

There is a game I play, it has an entire society that has grown around it, and in that society are awards to recognize various aspects. This award is a Masterhood in the Order of the Rose. Order of the Rose is an award "track" that was designed to recognize and show appreciation for service to the club, in as such, it is a very wonderful thing in my eyes. There is one of these that I previously posted from a year ago in this folder. I like to think I've come a ways since then, even not being able to give as much time to this as I'd like. The tooling is all done with the stylus tools from Tandy, no mallet work. I wanted to try it. The lettering was done this way as well, and finished with an antique stain. The color is acrylics. The wonderful Lady that was (finally) recognized with this one is even a member here, sadly I did not get to be there to see her face when she received this, but I was thrilled to learn she adores it.

Have a project due next weekend that has to be gilded, well... it's been almost as long since I did gilding as it was since I played with leather on the makin' end. It's a Christmas ornament for my tree, figured that was a good "see how I do after so long" project. Leather from a cheap belly black createx airbrush acrylic to give a better surface for the sizing (the sticky stuff) to bond to gum trag for edges and back (wanted a firmer finish back there for an ornament) sizing "gold" leaf (copper/tin fake gold, much cheaper, also easier to handle any mess ups.) acrylic "inks" (transparent acrylics with extra small pigment size) gilding spray sealer The design is just lined in with a scribe instead of full tooling as this was about the gilding and inking, and the circle isn't cut as close to perfect as I would have gone for on a "real" project... just not enough time to go for as good as I would have liked to if not for looming deadlines on projects for others. I love it on the tree. I'll likely end up making myself some more of these after the commitment projects are done. :-)

First "finished" piece after 17+ years out of this type of work. I know the edges aren't done, I'm having to get tools and stuff one or two every month or so, beveler and edge burnisher are next on the list. Sometimes I can be almost too patient. lol

This one was pretty much swivel cut and painted. I was cutting the time close and still had the special award (Amtgard Master Rose) to draw up and create. The recipient was very happy with it, so I'll call it that I'm happy enough with it. ;-)

There were two between this one and the first one (also posted), this one was done as the award for a challenge/competition for creating crowns for the officers of the game I play (Amtgard). I see decent improvement over the first one, PLENTY of room for impovement left, and the lady that won this one says "I absolutely love it ," and I'm proud of it, so there ya go: Improvement, can see room for more improvement, recipient happy, creator not disguhsted... not a fail in my book. lol And as stated on another picture, I don't have the stuff to finish edges quite yet, hence the unfinished edges. I don't ding myself on that, I just couldn't get the stuff to do it yet.

And this is what got me off my tush and doing more than just piddling around with some scraps to "get a feel for it again." In the game that I am a part of, Amtgard, the "Order of the Rose" is the award given to someone for service to, or done in the name of, the game. The Kingdom (or regional organizational body) sometimes decides that someone has done or achieved enough in one of the awarded aspects of the game to confer a Masterhood. This is not an easy thing to attain. I knew I would kick myself if I didn't do something special for this person, some things a printed out piece of paper just doesn't cut it for, and I had gotten the stuff to get back into leather tooling..... match made in Heaven. Tooling went fairly smoothly for the small number of tools I have to start with. I still need to work on getting those bevels to come out as smooth as I'd like. I need to get the right tools for the job at hand. I am thrilled with the rose and the background for it I went with. The painted knotwork... well, I think that would have gone better with the afore mentioned right tools. The rest of the Knotwork on the document border, as opposed to the rose border, I'm happy with for where I am on picking the tools back up. The antiquing gave me a little trouble. My last antiquing was doing ceramics, just a different set of skills I need to re-develop. Again, I am working on having the spare change to get the edge finishing stuff, so no finished edges on this. *sigh* The lettering, oh man, I haven't done calligraphy in almost as long as it's been since doing the leather. And it shows. lol All in all I am VERY happy with it. I was ready for my work to start back off at Jr. High summer day-camp project level, this is enough better to make me proud of it. lol The recipient almost cried when he saw it, and has since entered in competition (in my name) because he wanted it seen and recognized and for it to encourage others to get into this artform. Comments more than welcome. If constructive, they can't be as harsh on me as my GrandFather was when he was originally teaching me so many moons ago., so non-just-ego-stroking comments not only welcome but craved. ;-)