Storm

Well done! I love this work! The tooling is great! The pine cones are primo!!! Storm

Tim, I think the sharing that goes on helps us to be better at what we do and allows us to help other people all around the world to share and meet! It's a good thing. Storm

Well Tim I think that you could go with anything that tickles your fancy. I like Dogwood but anything where you can get the other foliage to work with it should be good. I have tried out Hibiscus but have not found anything that really talks to me yet. I always wanted to go back home to Hawaii and do leather and saddles with a local style to them like Hibiscus or orchids and ferns. A really nice California Poppy is also good. As in figure carving it is all up to your imagination. What you can concieve of and believe in you can achieve! If you want to see someone stepping out of the box look at Bobby Park's work. He marches to his own tune and does it superbly. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showuser=7682 Storm

Hi Tim, The time factor is not long for the most part. The idea for the center piece was sketched up around 10am and the completed design tooled on leather before 4pm. It depends on what I have to do and what cuts into the design time. The larger corner, piece five or six hours from the point I came up with the idea until I finished it. So in answer to your first question:Hours The flowers are from my own imagination. Even if you used a photograph it is going to end up being stylized, if you will, rather than exact. Now also take into consideration that even after I carved this latest version I can still see places where I want to improve or fine tune or tweek. Storm

In graphic design and layout they use the term "White Space" to describe the areas in which you do not find any type or images. In this case let's say that the negative space or white space are the areas in which you use your backgrounder tool. If you have too much negative space then the design looks a bit spindly and unsubstantial. So the positive space contains the flowers, leaves, scrolls, stems and so forth. Now some of the early Spanish and European leatherwork was a style with lots more open space and it was delicate and open. What I am aiming for is a more modern style of western floral which came into being in the late 1920s to 1930s and for the most part carries on to this day. I want to try and come up with a variation on the modern western floral but with my own distinct look. Maybe I will get there and maybe I won't but I am going to try. Better to try and fail than to never try and never have the possibility of success! Storm

Both of these started out as pencil sketches on 5x7 index cards. Getting a little better ratio between the negative and positive space. Doing this, you understand how long it must have taken to perfect some of the florals and patterns that Al and Ann Stohlman gave to us. I wish I become half as good. Hope you like them. Storm

Agent 00Chimp who likes his banana daquiris blended not shaken! Suprisingly the client wants me to take a picture of a tattoo he has and create something from that. Back to the coconut grove!

Awesome piece of carving and the finished product looks reall fine too. Keep it up! Storm

Thanx all for the kind words. I had a lot of fun doing it!!! HA! Storm

Very very nice work. You always have such unique art and construction. Great stuff as always!!! Очень очень приятно работать. У вас всегда есть такие уникальные искусства и строительства. Great Stuff, как всегда! Storm

Each one is work of art! The Osrich really blew me away. I almost thought that it was Croc! Storm

Beautiful work David! The art is primo as usual!!!! Storm

The first one went so well that I have been asked to do another.Word of mouth is the best advertising. This ia a bit more involved than the first. Which went over well. Thanx Dave for the help!!!!

I have to say it is unique and I love it! The whole thing has a good feel about it and it works. As I am an American made from mostly some Scottish parts who has tasted the hagas and tossed a caber or two I have to say I like it. Kind of reminds me of something a Scottish Mountain Man would fashion for himself from something off the trap line. Suffice it to say beaver's just not right. I love the knot and the braiding. Nice piece of work!!!! Storm

You need a new handle!!!! Perhaps Master Racing Saddler!!!That is one elegant piece of work. Excellent craftsmanship!!! Storm

Happy Holidays Ed, These look super! I don't know anyone that wouldn't like anyone of these. But you did not need to say that all your wife's friends were drinkers. LOL! The gifts are self explanatory. Now are you going to charge them all up with their favorite holiday cheer?!??!?! HA! Beautiful and unique! Cheers, Storm

Wow Gus! She's going to be a real heart breaker. All the very best to one and all. But Ed's right! Say good night to a regular nights sleep. On the brighter side of things...someone will likely be around on the site at any given point in time. I think that you have got the best "Show Off" of the year and you had a big hand in creating her! Merriest of holidays dude!!! Storm

Bevan, Spot On!!! That is a sweet bunch of fish! Oh I don't know....looking at the size of them perhaps it might be possible to consider something like Bevan's Cod Whips! Glad to see you're the sporting sort. Besides using such light tackle do you also let your dog reel them in? Those are real beauties!!!! Thanx for sharing!!!! Storm

That's a real beauty!!!! What was it built for? Smith & Wesson 44Mag? Very nice job!!! Storm

Hi Bob, Yup it's me again! Figured your latest deserved at least two replies in one day and it ain't even midnight yet. Now I don't usually say this but if you ever decide to open a school let me know. I will try to beg, borrow and or run afowl(HA!) of the law to sign up. Your work is way beyond Peter Main, in my humble opinion. I am always coming back and checking out your site. I always wish the picture were bigger but I do have a magnifying glass and my vision is still intact. So nice to see a cowboy carrying on a tradition the way you do. Thanks again for always raising the bar. Storm

Wahts up Popper, Just go to GOOGLE and enter"roman sandal pattern". There are a lot of places to help you out. Storm

Bob, Another stunning piece of work! The carving and the construction is primo! But you decorative cuts are pure artisty. I wish mine were half as good as yours. You are an inspiration. Your work is da bomb and you are da man! Storm

These are very nice indeed! The thought that hit me is that I had forgotten that coasters could be square too. Now that;s what I call thinking outside of the Rounder! A sweet way to use the scrap pieces. Thanks for the Krylon tip too. Storm

Hi Noah, I did try the hemp I found at Walmat but found that batch to be a bit uneven and it broke. I am looking into getting some Irish hemp shoe thread. Trying to unravel the stuff was near to difficult(Got to leave it as you find it) and best used as is. Interesting aside...did you know that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both grew hemp and that Ben Franklin had a American paper mill which used hemp to make our paper. I still wonder what they did with the leaves? Jefferson wrote the original drafts of the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. Storm

Cheers Mate, To be honest I would love to do what you do.... as it is top drawer whip crafting! I am also reminded of the old Asian adnomition to...."Chase only one rabbit." You know what happens when you try and chase two rabbits? Well they usually get away and then they start to breed...as rabbits are likely to do and before you know it the whole country's overrun with the little furry buggers. Then at point we all know that the idea of "Going Out Clubbing" takes on a whole new meaning. It may invole beer but quite possibly a cricket bat. Suffice it to say...you are bloody good at what you do. Tah for now, Storm