techniques

Hallo Johann, ein sehr schönes Teil hast du das gemacht. Da passt einfach alles. Gisela

You are doing wonderful work. Welcome here at the forum Gisela

Welcome here at the forum. Greetings from Germany Gisela

I love this case. It looks pretty good. I would also like to see the inside. Could you show us them, please? Greetings Gisela

Hi Clay, oh please, be so kind and give me Jan's address and telephone number. I will then try to call him and if I can reach him I will write a letter. It would be great if you could post some photos of the horn and hair class. I'm looking forward to see them. Greetings Gisela

Here are some pictures from a lynx holding a bird in it's mouth. The bird is a Eichelhaeher which is an European species of the blue jay. detail after hairing detail of colored lynx view of the whole picture

Dear Clay, thank you again for your advice. At present I haven’t time to finish the bear, but I will follow your instruction when I work on the bear again. I guess I have read here in the forum, that there are also videos and instructions from Jan are available. Last month I ordered some items from Hidecrafters and I asked them I there are video instructions or patterns from Jan Schoonover available, but they didn’t answer this question. They answered my other question, but not this one. Maybe they are yet on planning. I have also tried to write to Jan, but I’m not sure if I have the correct address, because I haven’t also received an answer, but maybe he is not at home or I had the wrong Email addy. I have also looked on you blog and read your description about your last workshop with Jan about horns, hair and feathers. I would appreciate if you would post some more detailed photos at the forum. Here are some photos from a lynx with Eichelhaeher (this is similar to a blue jay, but an European Species of the jay). This wasn’t made during a workshop. It is my own work which I tried out after I saw a drawing in a book. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=17874 Greetings Gisela

Hi Michael, this is not so difficult as it seems. The best way to learn this technique is to visit a workshop. For this technique Jan Schoonover and ClayB would be great instructors. And if you would like to learn more about filigree, appliqué leather and coloring so I can only recommend you to visit a class from Peter Main. But there are many other great leather workers which held workshops like Bob Beard, Paul Burnett, Kathy Flanagan, Chan Geer, Bill Gomer, Jim Linnell, Cheryl Smeja to name only a few of them. If you visit a leather show there are often held workshops and classes and you can choose between many styles and instructors. To work with leather is a lifelong learning. I have yet so many things to learn about leather and I'm interested on every technique. That's the reason why I have choosen my username, because I'm interested on all the techniques. Greetings Gisela

Hallo Johann, vielen Dank für den Link. Ich habe diese Technik von Robb Barr gelernt und dort hat sie auch Rene Berends gelernt. Dieses Bild habe ich während meines ersten Workshops mit Robb Barr gemacht an dem auch Rene Berends teilgenommen hat. Rene hatte den Workshop organisiert. Hi Johann, thank you very much for the link. I learned this technique from Robb Barr and there also Rene Berends has learned them. This picture has been made by myself during my first workshop with Robb Barr and there also Rene Berends has take part. Rene has organized this workshop. Greetings Gisela

this looks wonderful!! Peter did very special leather work and I'm so happy that I can take part on one of his next work shops. Only 11 weeks then he will held a filigree belt workshop here in Germany and I can take part. I'm looking forward all the time. This will become great.

Johanna, I wish you a Gisela

I have made several carvings from patterns and instructions from Paul Burnett and would like to show you some. This was a color instruction which was published at The Leather Craftsman Redfoxes are one of my favourite animals. This redfox was also published at The Leather Craftsman an was for a coloring tutorial. I like this pattern so much that I made 3 different items with it. First I made this picture in the year 1989 then the ringbinder in 1989 and at last this three-dimensional head in the year 1998 here is yet a side-view. Hope you like them. Gisela

Hi Clay, Thank you so much for taking a hard look on my picture. I will try to apply yet a wetter putty stuff in the gaps and will rework them all. I have yet often looked on Jan's picture in his gallery and could never find where he used putty and I envy you for the possibilities to take part on Jan's classes. Because this was my first leather work since many years I wasn't sure where to put the putty in and how much putty I should take. Therefore I have removed the putty for several times and have tried it again and again. Unfortunately I have smeared some of the putty onto the leather. I have to rework this before I stiffen and color the picture. Again many thanks for your critique. This is what I'm looking for and I appreciate your help very much. Gisela

Hi Clay, thank you very much for the warm welcome. I had the pleasure to take part on some workshops with Robb Barr in the nineties. During the first workshop we made an eagle head and I decided to make sometimes a three-dimensional bird. Several years has gone since my plan come true. I made them in 1999 and showed my rooster in 2000 during a leather show in the Netherlands on which also Robb Barr takes part. He told that he was very proud on me, because I was the first of its students which has made a three-dimensional piece. This made me very happy. When I remember correctly Robb has then also tried to make three-dimensional work and this was his Looking Back Eagle. I'm sure he would have created many wonderful leather art, if he would still live. Robb told me also from a man in the United Sates who has improved his technique and made it yet more detailed. I guess Robb meant Jan Schoonover. I will try to write a description how I made the rooster as soon as I find the time. But be patient with me, because I have to work overtime for at least 5 months at the office. I will also post some photos from items which I have made after instructions and patterns from Paul Burnett. Paul has also made some three-dimensional birds which are one of a kind. You can see some of them in his gallery. For the future I have planned to make some three-dimensional birds and they will be a mixture of the techniques from Paul Burnett, Robb Barr and Al Stohlman. And I will then also try to take part on some of the formerly monthly challenges. Gisela

Hallo James, vielen Dank für Deine lieben Worte. Das ist ein tolles Forum da trifft sich anscheinend die ganze Welt. Ich komme aus dem Frankenland. Freut mich, dass Dir meine Arbeiten gefallen. Die sind alle noch im vorigen Jahrhundert entstanden. Die letzten Jahre habe ich nichts gemacht. Aber jetzt will ich wieder loslegen. Muss aber etliches erst wieder lernen. Besonders das Schneiden mit dem Swivel knife, da bin ich momentan sehr ungeübt. Auf Dein Angebot mir beim Übersetzen zu helfen werde ich bestimmt einmal zurückkommen. Hello James, thank you for your kind words. This is a great forum. It seems as if the whole world meets here. I'm from Frankonia. I'm glad you like my work. They are all made at the last century. But now I will do it again. But I have to relearn some things again. Especially the cutting with the swivel knife, at present I'm not skilled with it. Thank you for your offer to help me with translating. I hope you can all understand what I mean. Greetings Gisela

Hallo Johann, freut mich wenn Dir mein Giger gefällt. Mittlerweile kenne ich auch einige Leute hier in Deutschland die mit Leder arbeiten aber in den achtziger Jahren, als ich angefangen habe, war ich ziemlich allein. Da gab es auch noch kein Internet. Zum Glück ist das jetzt besser. Hello Johann, I'm glad that you like my rooster. In the meantime I know some people who works with leather but as I startetd doing leatherwork in the eighties I was nearly alone. There didn't exist internet. Luckily now it is better Gisela

At present I’m working on a picture from a black bear. It is a tutorial from Jan Schoonover which was published in the Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal. I like Jan’s leather work and would like to learn more about them. From 1995 till 2000 I had the privilege to take part on some of Robb Barr’s workshops. I guess Robb and Jan did nearly the same type of leather work although Jan did yet more sculpting the leather. Maybe his leather work looks different but I haven’t seen original work of Jan. I have only seen photos of his work. So I didn’t know it for sure. The black bear is nearly ready. I have yet to modelling the teeths and lips, stiffen the hairing, doing the backgrounding and coloring. But before I finish it I would like to ask if anybody can tell me how I can improve the bear or what could be better done. ClayB could you please take a hard look on the picture? I know you have taken some workshops from Jan. Of course critique from everybody is welcome. Please note the darker parts on the leather are those parts where I have filled leather putty in. Greetings Gisela

thank you for the kind words. Here are more photo from the rooster. They were taken in 1999 and my camera was not the best. In the next days I will make more detailed photos with my Canon EOS.

Hello, I'm a German woman and bitten from the leather worm again. I did leather carving for several years but have stopped, because there are happen some things which did me not more do leather work. But now I'm back and I have yet lurked at your forum for a while. As I started with leather carving over 25 years ago I did know anybody which I could ask or from whom I could learn. There are not much people here in Germany which doing leather work. Therefore I have applied to an American Leather Guild and have sent my leather work to America to ask people to critique them. I'm overwhelmed from the much information one gets here at the forum and the many great leather workers which shows their work and give tutorials. The next 5 months I have to work overtime at my job in the office, but after that I will do more leather work again. I have read that there are also monthly challenges, but couldn't find the actual challenge. Can anybody tell me more about the challenge? I will try to post some of my earlier work and hope it will work. Please excuse my bad English. Greetings Gisela from Germany This is a small ring binder and the mallard drake is a design from Paul Burnett. part of handbag threedimensional rooster Hope you like them.