my carving has a sloppy appearance around the bevelled edges

[JohnD]

I've been busy for the past few months and have finally been finding some time to practice. I had been practicing for the past few days on the swivel knife and decided to doodle up something to carve. The main thing I've noticed (though not the only thing) is that my carving has a sloppy appearance around the bevelled edges. I'm taking my time with both the knife cuts and the bevelling, not rushing. My question is : Is there something I can do specifically to clean this up? something that I'm missing or do I just need more practice?

I'm aware of the sloppiness on the lettering and I believe I can remedy that with a smaller, angled blade, my concern is the general sloppiness around the whole carving. When I look at most of the folks' work on here, it all looks so neat and smooth and I just don't see that on my own. I would aprreciate any input or advice about that or anything else you may notice. Thanks,

John

Speaking of neat and smooth work, This guy is really impressive http://www.xianleather.com/Gallery.html

[Beaverslayer]

Hey John, when I do my skulls, I will not use the knife on most of the detail, like the teeth and above the eyes. I will only make cuts around the main skull amd the jaw bones. The rest I just use a beveler, and by hitting it with hard or soft blows will make it look more realistic.

Ken

[ClayB]

Hi John,

I dont see anything choppy about your beveling. When I hear choppy, I think of being able to see marks everytime you move the tool. What I can see in your picture is what some people call a "halo" around your beveling. The halo is more of a border away from your beveling caused by the back of the tool. You can eliminate the halo around most of the pattern by backgrounding right up to the cut lines. On the smooth areas inside the skull and bones, you can eliminate the halo with a modeling tool. The modeling tool can be used sort of like an eraser. You want to blend the beveling into the background gradually. Another way to get away from the halo is with the use of figure carving matting tools. These can be smooth or checkered and are kind of like a beveler with a larger surface. By tilting the tool when you strike it, it doesn't leave the halo at the back end of the tool. Matting away from your figures makes them stand out more from the background.

One other thing that you can do with the modeling tool is round your beveled lines. By running the modeling tool over the beveled line you can change the sharp edge to a round edge and that will cause your figure to have a round apearance instead of a flat one.

Hope this gives you some ideas to try. You carving is really pretty good and with a little practice it will keep getting better.

Clay

[JohnD]

Ken, Thanks for the response, that sounds like a good idea. I have a plan to come up with a skull design that I will practice until I can do it the same everytime, and just incorporate that design in whenever I need skulls on something,I just haven't had the time. So when I had some time last night I just doodled a quick one to get some practice with the tools. I will definitely try your advice though. Thanks.

Clay, Thank you too, for the response. I can see the halo and I usually do just what you said, with backrounding up to the bevel line or using the modelling tool to rub it out. The thing I seem to be noticing is the way my swivel knife cuts seem to spread from the bevelling and the side of the cut thats not bevelled tends to look sloppy, as in, the edges tend to look pulled and have little "scraps" or threads hanging from them. Maybe this is something that will be resolved as I practice. I will also, as you mentioned take some more time with the modelling spoon and see if that helps.

I have been practicing quite a bit with just my swivel knife, using the exercises Paul Burnett's free lessons. Reading the posts on this site is also an immense help.

Thanks again for the responses and for the kind words, I really appreciate all the help I get from you guys. Now back to finishing my basement.

John

[yaklady]

Hi John,

Lettering can be difficult, too. Sometimes it's better not to cut the short lines on the letters, but to simply bevel them, like Ken does with the teeth. A smaller beveller may be in order as well. A pointed beveller helps with the detail on the lettering and between the teeth. When you round everything out with the modeling spoon at the end, wet the surface just enough to make it more pliable and be more aggressive with the spoon. The best spoon I've ever used is Peter Main's. It will smooth out anything!

Kathy

[JohnD]

Thank you Kathy, I've looked at small lettering that people have done and wondered how they got it so neat. Now that you point it out it makes perfect sense. I have a pointed beveller as well as a small one and a few more modelling spoons and such are on my list. Thanks again to everyone responding, I think this web site is the best tool I have. I...I....I love you guys.

John

[yaklady]

You know what's really fun, John? Find some fancy lettering on your computer and print it out. Trace that onto your leather and carve it. You can get pretty creative with some of the fonts, and it will print out to the size you want. Don't bother putting it onto tracing film first, that takes away from some of the accuracy, just trace it right from your printout.

Kathy

[JohnD]

That's a good idea Kathy, I'll be making that part of my practice routine. That seemes to me to be a good way to practice several different methods of carving, some with a swivel knife some without, some using only a beveller or backrounder. Very good idea. plus just printing out the letters takes way less time than finding or drawing a pattern I want to practice with. Thanks for the tip.

John