[Leather Press]

Anyone here use a press to punch holes, set rivets/snaps/etc? Anyone have a preferred manufacturer/retailer?

[Armor Chest Piece]

Thanks for the advice. I did have to hold off on some things to keep it from being too much.

I'll look into the deviant art account. I've currently got it up on Etsy right now. I had success selling my last set there so we'll see how it goes. Here's a link to the Etsy page:Check out this item in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/208503594/hand-crafted-leather-chest-piece

[Armor Chest Piece]

Thanks everyone for your support!

First off let me say that I'd snatch that sucker up and be running the instant you took eyes off it. The scales are awesome for a watery theme, and the storm over the ocean carving is fantastic. I really like the grooved lines in the abdominal plate, it reminds me of charting lines on a map. I'd like to see that taken onto the back, probably in the spot that's about the same height where you have scaling. (obviously you're not going to change it now, but it's something to keep in mind)

The thing I'm not a huge fan of is the twisted rope. While rope is obviously a nautical thing, it's also a celtic thing and it doesn't quite mesh like the rest of it. If you have thinned it out and made it kelp-like, or maybe added in rope texture (way more work of course for both of those) then it would really gel with your theme. Last quibble is the head of your sea serpent. It doesn't quite fit in with how ornate the rest of the emblem is, it's almost blank looking. I'm not sure if putting some texture on it would help, or just rounding out the shape of it.

Like everyone is saying though, incredible work!

(edited to add, I think it would be even more awesome if you added in some silver leaf to the lightning bolts, but I'd carve a practice piece with that to test that out first)

Thanks for the constructive criticism I appreciate it. There's definitely pieces that I would do differently. This is actually the second set of armor I've made and I made some improvements on it in this one. It's funny because the rope braid part is actually one of my favorite parts haha. It definitely has some celtic feel to it (the braid that is) which made me hesitant when I first thought of it, but then I actually found it was a common theme in roman tile work/art which is why I used it. (Ex: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/86/3d/47/863d47f51a5867a740169ba3d4d4245a.jpg) So that's kind of the inspiration behind the rope.

The sea serpent I was proud of on paper. Then I put it on the leather and wasn't as happy with it, but mostly because that's one of the few parts I drew out entirely by hand and it felt cartoony to me. I'm not at all a drawer of any skill so I use templates for a lot of stuff. That being said now that I look at it I would definitely like to have put more fine detail on the serpent, perhaps putting some scales on the body.

I thought about putting some color on it and actually debated over it back and forth for probably almost a full month. I just couldn't find any color that I could live with. I really like the color of my dye and I didn't want to brighten the piece up too much with color. If I could have figured out a good way of doing it I definitely would have put some highlights on like you mentioned and even perhaps on the trident on the chest.

I do have it up for sale if anyone's interested or knows someone that is. I can post a link here or can message it to anyone that's interested.

Thank you all again for the positive support. I do this at the kitchen table in my apartment and don't hear much feedback except from family so it's nice to hear from others what they think.

[Armor Chest Piece]

I've been a lurker here on the forums for a bit and wanted to post my most recent creation.

My original inspiration was "Son of Neptune," a bit of a "What a demigod might wear" type setup.

Constructive Criticism is welcome. I'm happy to answer questions.

I found that my image files were too big so I linked them through Imgur I hope that's okay.

Front

Back

Detail Shots

[Problem With Eco-Flo Gel Antique]

I primarily use the Gel Antiques. I had the same problem of having the dye being drawn out as I ran my sponge filled with finish over it. Here's the solution I came up with, and after figuring it out I wouldn't use any other method. I use an air brush with a 50/50 acrylic resolene/water mix. I never have bleeding issues. The only time I get cracking is if I have pieces that require LOTS of movement (like trying to make lace and braiding it.)