My first leatherbelt

[MadsH]

Hello

First I will apologize for my dan-glish. But, I hope it is still read and understandible.  This is not the first I have made but the first I feel I can show among so many skilled leatherworkers.  Critics are welcome, I would like to hear what and where to improve. I see something myself but would like to hear what others see. I know the style is somewhat different from most, but I like my nordic mythology and draw my inspiration from there. Usually I draw and paint but wanted something more psysical to work with and thought leather might be the thing.

The motif shows Sigurd Dragonslayer and Fafnir the dragon.

Anyway, throw in your thoughts :-) 

[DJole]

Nice design work!  (I recognized Sigurd and Fafnir right away, but then again, I have read widely in Scandinavian and Germanic mythology)

The colored edges look very good. Repetitive stamps like the dragon scales can be difficult to get right, but it looks like you've got the knack for it. 
 

[Tugadude]

No need to apologize for anything.  My father always said to never make fun of someone who had an accent,  because they knew more languages than me.  He was so right.  Kudos to you for contributing here!  And it is a nice belt.  Very creative.

Welcome!

[BigBore]

Well done!

[MarshalWill]

That came out good. Thematic leather work is always enjoyable to see. Nice, even on the scales, too. Like DJole said, not an easy thing to do.

[AlZilla]

First things first, it's better than anything I've done and I like it. But, you did ask ...

I think if the beveling around the figures (and really all the carving), were sharper, it would all pop more. Some of the guys and girls around here doing leaves and acorn themed stuff really get their stuff to pop. I think they almost undercut the carving.

I admire the deft hand at symmetry in your stamping. Very nicely planned and executed.

Does that buckle not require holes in the belt?

[chuck123wapati]

That is some nice work!! Leather is useful art, you will love working with it. It takes acrylics very nicely as well as dyes.

[dikman]

Ok, since you ask, at the buckle end you stitched across the belt, that is never a good idea as it makes a weak spot that could eventually tear. And yes, I wondered about the lack of buckle holes? I agree with AlZilla, more pronounced bevelling, and maybe applying antique paste, would really lift the carving.

Having said that it's a very impressive belt! The stamping looks great! Oh, and there's nothing wrong with your English.

[Cattleman]

Very nicely done piece of work!!

I will agree with others about the beveling... But will offer a different fix, as I had trouble with the same thing when I started. It may not be that your beveling isn't deep enough. But rather that your swivel knife work is too shallow... You can only bevel as deep as your swivel knife has cut.

I have found that many are hesitant to cut as deep as they really should with thier swivel knife when they are starting into leather carving. Maybe try cutting a little deeper in areas that you really want a nice crisp edge, but still feather that cut out where you want that edge to fade away. This will allow you to bevel deeper and add a nice crispness to your work.

But all around, you did a very nice job.

Edited September 27, 2023 by Cattleman
Typo

[Doc Reaper]

Love the work, how did you come up with that design, it's what most would call awesome 

[Hags]

Always room for improvement.  But, very nice!

[MadsH]

13 hours ago, AlZilla said:

First things first, it's better than anything I've done and I like it. But, you did ask ...

I think if the beveling around the figures (and really all the carving), were sharper, it would all pop more. Some of the guys and girls around here doing leaves and acorn themed stuff really get their stuff to pop. I think they almost undercut the carving.

I admire the deft hand at symmetry in your stamping. Very nicely planned and executed.

Does that buckle not require holes in the belt?

Yes I did ask :-) and is what I asked for, new eyes.

The holes I left out until I know the precise length of the wearer.   

[MadsH]

4 hours ago, Cattleman said:

Very nicely done piece of work!!

I will agree with others about the beveling... But will offer a different fix, as I had trouble with the same thing when I started. It may not be that your beveling isn't deep enough. But rather that your swivel knife work is too shallow... You can only bevel as deep as your swivel knife has cut.

I have found that many are hesitant to cut as deep as they really should with thier swivel knife when they are starting into leather carving. Maybe try cutting a little deeper in areas that you really want a nice crisp edge, but still feather that cut out where you want that edge to fade away. This will allow you to bevel deeper and add a nice crispness to your work.

But all around, you did a very nice job.

That is absolutely something to think about, dealing with the depth of the cutting. Thank you :-) 

[MadsH]

7 hours ago, dikman said:

Ok, since you ask, at the buckle end you stitched across the belt, that is never a good idea as it makes a weak spot that could eventually tear. And yes, I wondered about the lack of buckle holes? I agree with AlZilla, more pronounced bevelling, and maybe applying antique paste, would really lift the carving.

Having said that it's a very impressive belt! The stamping looks great! Oh, and there's nothing wrong with your English.

Point taken, thanks :-)

[MadsH]

4 hours ago, Doc Reaper said:

Love the work, how did you come up with that design, it's what most would call awesome 

I have been drawing, sculpturing, woodcutting and being creative my whole life, mostly in that kind of designs, so I just had to rework and compress a "telephone-scribble" into 30 mm and add scales to fill the empty space. It is not to sound arrogant but a small design like that is easy for me to create. It is when it comes to set it in leather and work in that material I am a real rookie and need to open my eyes and ears and learn from skilled people.  And thats where you come in :-) 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by MadsH

[Norik]

I like it very much. I would have probably tried to make the sword (Gram, Not(h)ung, Balmung) stand more out against Fafnir and chosen a more "heathen" belt buckle (at least tried to find one).

[Handstitched]

I so love the designs , they are great   . Reminds me of the Celtic designs I enjoy doing .The choice of buckle goes well too. 

On 9/27/2023 at 6:42 AM, dikman said:

And yes, I wondered about the lack of buckle holes?

My  very first piece I had to Judge at  my very  first Judging job at the Perth Royal Show  one year was a lovely belt, beautiful carved Oak leaf design...but ...no holes. One of the many criteria is,  it must have function .   But these are great, but prefer the buckle to be interchangeable. 

HS