immiketoo

It's raised just the right amount. Too little and why bother, too much and it looks unnatural. Scale is irrelevant, as each piece is raised just the right amount for the size of the carving, which is far more important that a static measurement of how far it's raised. Found that one out early on in my embossing career. I figured more is better, but it turns out there are physical limitations to embossing leather. Especially the trade offs between the stretch of thinner leathers and the extended depth you can get with thicker leather. This piece wont be colored, but grapes are easy. Peter gave me a class on this exact technique. Essentially, thinned spirit dyes in varying degrees of intensity. Looks difficult, but it's not.

yessir. September, 2012. Thank you! Thanks, turned out nicely. Thank you! Facebook wanted to tag several people when I took the picture! I have maybe 6 hours into this one? The hair took a long time. 6-ish. Thanks man!

You got plenty of time man. It goes quickly!

Ive only been at this for 6 years. Got my start right here. Yes, a sculpted leather plug fills the void.

Thanks, bud. It wasn't too long ago that I had those same feelings about people's work I saw here. I am always willing to help if I can so feel free to ask questions!

Like an angry Greek woman thing? Could be more accurate than you know!

You can always order online as well.

The single best piece of advice I can give you is be patient. Let things like dye, glue and finishes DRY completely before moving on to the next step. Read a lot, and practice before committing to a project. Maybe run down to Tandy and buy a few kits that catch your eye/. Good way to get started without breaking the bank.

LOL! I'm not sure what happened there...time to break out the modeling spoon. Must have miss hit something there EDIT: Took a closer look. Mostly a trick of the light, creating shadow where the mouth details are, but it did need some fine tuning. That face is the size of a finger nail.

This one took a LONG time to finish. I will change a few things if I do it again, but I am pleased with the result.

Can't wait to see what you make. Also can't wait to get my hands on some horween!

This is the best example of why learning new skills is important. That and keeping your sanity!

In reality, me too. I am good at a few limited things, and I need to expand the skill set.

Thanks, everyone. Hope it helps demystif-eye the technique

Well, shoes are as complex as saddles I think. It's normal to be intimidated by them. I'd like to make a pair or two as well.

Its probably stitched inside out and then turned right side out.

I have projects like that. But I say maybe one day when I'm good enough. I hate the waste of the learning process sometimes.

I hear you there. I can round braid pretty well, but only as lacing projects. Stand alone braided items elude me.

ME too. I classify those as pouches. Easy, or at least doable. I want to make wallets that arent an inch thick while empty, etc.

You make it sound so easy!

Peter Main

There are so many ways to express oneself in the leather world, I encourage you to try something new. Someone commented earlier that they don't tool. I asked why not? There are any number of legitimate reasons why not, but it sparked the thought that I HAVE to learn something new all the time. Right now it's bookbinding for me. It's a challenge that I have to learn. There are a lot of projects I want to do in the future. I'd like to make a bag or purse that a non-leatherworker woman would like to use. Not the same old tired Tandy kits that everyone and their brother has made. More like Hermes or something at that level of refinement. It's easy to get stuck in a rut or stick with what you know. What are some of the things you'd like to try but are afraid to venture into? As I said, bags intimidate me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the commitment to all the steps or zippered linings or the quantity of leather to learn? What about you?

Truth. Same goes for coloring.