Basic Leather Carving Tutorial

[The Major]

In case anyone is interested, I created a page which goes over tooling a basic leather coaster. Its geared for the new people just getting into leather. Enjoy and I would love to get some feedback on it. I am planning on creating more of these type things, and eventually video's.

So whatcha think?

http://www.squidoo.com/Basic-Leather-Carving

[resqman]

Good basic tutorial.

Interesting you chose a Mulesfoot instead of a shader as the 7th tool.

[sdkid]

Looks good to me.

[Rayban]

Great job on the tutorial....I like it lots!!

[pilotmill]

looks great, good starter project for my carving craving..

[TomSwede]

Excellent work Major!!

I was just thinking the other day that we need a good tut for newcomers to leather because it is very hard to explain to someone.

Tom

[skipj]

Thanks Major,

Good clear picturers. Should be helpful to beginners. The list of sources is important to me when I am learning.

SkipJ

[ponygirl]

This is exactly what I have been looking for. Thank so much!!

[pete]

Nice job! As always there will be 100000 questions for the beginner but this is a really nice, simple intro.

Question for you, though.

I have seen others who like to background before beveling. I zoomed in on the tutorial and couldn't see any beveling along the edges of the backgrounded areas. Is this something that you normally do, or on a more refined piece would you bevel the backgrounded edges also?

I have to admit that it lends itself to a really clean look but I wonder if it is as good as beveling first from a "depth" perspective.

If you beveled after, wouldn't it SMOOSH down the backgrounded edges?

pete

[kevinhopkins]

Hi...this is really nice of you to do! I think we all might approach our carving in slightly different ways, and perhaps with a slightly different order in which we use the tools. But what really matters when all is said and done, is whether or not it makes us happy, and how it looks. The person that helped me to learn how to teach western floral carving years ago, told me to remember a simple little rhyme: Cut, cam, shade, and bevel. Then vein it, seed it, and background like the devil!

I've found that over the years, students seem to be able to remember it...

thanks again,

Kevin