Guitar strap

[Tina]

Now, this is my really first try of making those flowers so be nice:-)

The long pictures might look a wee bit goofy, the strap was to long to get in one go so the photos is montages of several pictures.

I finally got the nerv to put some color on it to, I mixed Tandys antiquing middle brown and tan. I wanted some extra "yellow" from the tan.

This one is to my dayghter and no, her name is not Icaruz:-) That's her nickname playing one of them fr.... internet games.

[rdb]

Looks great!. Good color. I like the little conchos. I just got some today, myself. I have never seen the standard slotted strap with a buckle before, usually the slots are used to adjust the strap. Just goes to show ya, there's always a new twist.

[leatheroo]

You are a true artist.

[Tina]

Looks great!. Good color. I like the little conchos. I just got some today, myself. I have never seen the standard slotted strap with a buckle before, usually the slots are used to adjust the strap. Just goes to show ya, there's always a new twist.

It's called "Artisitic freedom" :-)

I liked the look of the slotted strap but was'nt to impressed with the function hence the buckle. In my "art world" any thing goes as long as you're happy:-)

I like the little conchos to..These are the once made for some bling bling rivets..Naw! So I had to use my little dremmel and got the hole bigger to fit a small size age bronze rivet cap instead.

[freak]

Very very nice Tina. I bet she loves it.

[pete]

Now, this is my really first try of making those flowers so be nice:-)

The long pictures might look a wee bit goofy, the strap was to long to get in one go so the photos is montages of several pictures.

I finally got the nerv to put some color on it to, I mixed Tandys antiquing middle brown and tan. I wanted some extra "yellow" from the tan.

This one is to my dayghter and no, her name is not Icaruz:-) That's her nickname playing one of them fr.... internet games.

Nice lettering. Are they your design?

pete

[Beaverslayer]

Very nice looking Tina, the color is great.

Ken

[Tina]

Hi Freak,

I don't know yet...I have to send it to her in Sweden but I do keep my hopes up she will:-)

Hi Pete

Well (yes) and no. It's actually ideas from 3 different fonts that I put together (just so everything gets extra difficult of course*S*)

And great thanks for your comment leatheroo :-)

Edited January 12, 2008 by Tina

[David Genadek]

Tina,

You have a nice flow line to your design. I would like to make a comment on the use of borders though because I see a lot of people on the forum doing it. That is as a general rule if you use a border you want the carving to touch the border.

Then you back ground everything that is not a border or pattern. That grounds the design and clearly defines the space. If your after a more airy feel then it you might want to try to invert the carving. I have attached a photo of a guitar pattern as an example of bringing the pattern to the border.

David Genadek

[howardb]

Tina, very nice strap! And it's not even naughty. I like it! -Brent

Tina,

You have a nice flow line to your design. I would like to make a comment on the use of borders though because I see a lot of people on the forum doing it. That is as a general rule if you use a border you want the carving to touch the border.

Then you back ground everything that is not a border or pattern. That grounds the design and clearly defines the space. If your after a more airy feel then it you might want to try to invert the carving. I have attached a photo of a guitar pattern as an example of bringing the pattern to the border.

David Genadek

David,

PLEASE don't take this as a flame, it's a legit question. Who says that the pattern has to contact the border? While I strongly agree that too much white space would affect the design, she's used some creative beveling to leave islands in the white space. If it was all backgrounded, it might look funny, but the islands sort of fill the voids, avoding, I think, the very trap you are talking about.

So, I can appreciate the comment, but still wonder "says who"? Maybe because I can appreciate it, I've answered my own question. How Zen of me...

I'm doing a checkbook cover (see critique threads) and the design overlays the border in spots. Jim Linnell did the original, and I adapted it to the checkbook cover. He put a specific pattern to fill in his white space, and I have been noodling on what to fill mine with. I will take your suggestion to heart though, and will look at filling it with specific design elements, not just backgrounding.

Brent

Edited January 12, 2008 by howardb

[Timbo]

The tooling and finishing is fantastic............but the part I like the absolute most is the shape!!!!!!!! I love the ends!! Very creative!!

Strap ends are usually so boring, but not yours. I'm always looking for new ideas for strap ends and belt ends.

Excellent!!!

Tim

[Tina]

Hi David

I have looked at the way you are talking about and think that's the best way in many cases. My idea for this one was to "steel" the flower design idea but make into a my own wine of sorts, just laying loosley across a sholder. Somehow to me that's more feminin for a girl/woman (?) But I do wish I had a few more tools to make the borders more interesting *grabbing a catalog to get me some* :-)

Then again, I seldom follow any rules or regulations in designs, for me that don't work..."Rules are made to be broken for developement" Ahhh, this might explain my love for the surrealistic art??? No rules Inverted though, that sounds interesting, hmm.

[Tina]

The tooling and finishing is fantastic............but the part I like the absolute most is the shape!!!!!!!! I love the ends!! Very creative!!

Strap ends are usually so boring, but not yours. I'm always looking for new ideas for strap ends and belt ends.

Excellent!!!

Tim

Thank you Tim and your welcome. I like to "fancy up" things a wee bit, even so I have to stop myself sometimes:-)

[David Genadek]

My intent with my comments was to get people thinking about the relationship between the positive and negative space, thats all.

Peter Mains work is great to study to learn this concept. He is one of the best I have ever seen even in his photo layouts he masterfully controls the movement from positive to negative space and vice versa.

David Genadek

[Tina]

My intent with my comments was to get people thinking about the relationship between the positive and negative space, thats all.

Peter Mains work is great to study to learn this concept. He is one of the best I have ever seen even in his photo layouts he masterfully controls the movement from positive to negative space and vice versa.

David Genadek

Hi David,

Don't worry, no offence taken and intent understud:-)

[David Genadek]

Floral carving can be pretty abstract so let me see if I can explain better by using a real life example. I have attached two photos of a baby elephant. Lets say the elephant is the floral carving and the fence is the border andthe back ground is the back ground. In the one picture the elephant is not touching the fence so it is actually distracting and really has no reason for being there, the photo would look better with out the fence. In the second picture there is a relationship between the elephant and the fence because he is touching it. Takeing out the fence in that picture would really detract from the shot.

David Genadek

[Tina]

Floral carving can be pretty abstract so let me see if I can explain better by using a real life example. I have attached two photos of a baby elephant. Lets say the elephant is the floral carving and the fence is the border andthe back ground is the back ground. In the one picture the elephant is not touching the fence so it is actually distracting and really has no reason for being there, the photo would look better with out the fence. In the second picture there is a relationship between the elephant and the fence because he is touching it. Takeing out the fence in that picture would really detract from the shot.

David Genadek

Hi David,

I understand what you mean and I wount say you're wrong at all.

To me personally it all depend on how you see the "frame'. I look at the leather more or less as a piece of canvas in this case and some others. Around a canvas is usually a frame that hopefully fit the painting but really has nothing to do with the artwork it self more than being a "nice frame".

Then again, if I would ever to do work like sadles and such, I would absolutley keep it in the traditional way (I think *S*) It all depends and I allowe myself an artistic freedom that might not be the way it's always done. For better or for worse? Well I guess it's all "in the eye of the beholder"?

So however we twist and turn this subject the answer is going to be the same, there is as many tastes and ideas as there is people on earth and they are all right :-)

Have a great weekend//Tina

Edited January 13, 2008 by Tina

[howardb]

My intent with my comments was to get people thinking about the relationship between the positive and negative space, thats all.

Peter Mains work is great to study to learn this concept. He is one of the best I have ever seen even in his photo layouts he masterfully controls the movement from positive to negative space and vice versa.

David Genadek

David,

Thanks for the follow up comments. I better appreciate what you were saying. I think we're all going to land on the same page, though we're coming from different directions.

My daughter is doing an art project for school where they are studying MC Escher and the relationship between positive and negative space. I think if I had paid more attention to her project in the past few weeks, I'd have caught on with your post a bit quicker!

Thanks,

Brent

PS: Oooo, now there's an idea... I wonder if I could tool up some Escher stuff? [brain going into overdrive...]

Edited January 14, 2008 by howardb

[David Genadek]

David,

Thanks for the follow up comments. I better appreciate what you were saying. I think we're all going to land on the same page, though we're coming from different directions.

My daughter is doing an art project for school where they are studying MC Escher and the relationship between positive and negative space. I think if I had paid more attention to her project in the past few weeks, I'd have caught on with your post a bit quicker!

Thanks,

Brent

PS: Oooo, now there's an idea... I wonder if I could tool up some Escher stuff? [brain going into overdrive...]

Brent,

If Escher came to mind then you totally get what I am saying about the postive and negative space but then I am also trying to bring up the point that we as humans detect and understand relationships based on how things are touching or not touching. Below are two shots of some fouls. Which of the two shots has the most emotional impact on you? I will guess the ones where the fouls are touching because it gives your brain more information about the relation ship. The third photo is the same two fouls with more back ground added. Adding the background doesn't really help the shot it just adds more distraction. Now look at the shot of the horse. It is a pretty crappy shot and doesn't do much for you but then put him in the context of his enviroment and it becomes a pretty cool shot. So you have to know when and how to use the negative space. In the case of the strap by losing the boarder and inverting the design and then combining it with the stamp that was used you really could get an Escher type effect betweenteh positive and negaive space. Now that may not have been what Tina wanted and that is ok. The design elements in this strap are really cool so I would just like to present an alternative way of combining them.