Sheridan Style Drawing

[Cowboy316]

howdy guys and gals

woke up not feeling good at 4 am so i decided to play a little with Sheridan style drawing and got as far as the flower

i think i got the flower part ok but just cant figure out the scroll part of the drawing so if anyone out the can throw

their .02 cents worth in id be greatfull ive also included a sample carving of the flower i just whipped out advice would be well

taken on any changes to the tooling part of this flower

thanks again for all the support and advice given

Cowboy316

Edited March 4, 2010 by Cowboy316

[JLSleather]

Tough to design from anywhere but YOU, since you're the one who knows what you're trying to end up with. A suggestion, though ... I really thing your flowers will look more natural if you bevel the lead petal the other way (lines marked in red beveled TOWARD flower center) and use a little smaller stop tool.

[Cowboy316]

howdy JL

thanks for the inbut ill take all i can get when it comes to drawing carving patterns

Cowboy316

[JLSleather]

Actually, it's Jeff ... and I should mention that the shading and the "decorative" cuts look GOOD.

[Tkleather1]

I agree I would lose that stop tool I have yet to see one that looks natural to me. bevel the other way and as far as drawing paterns you are on your own I cant hardly draw my own name so when you get it all figured out let me know.

Tim

[terrymac]

Cowboy,

You are a better artist than I am. I just know the whole Sheridan pattern is based on circles with the flower being the center of the circle, and the vines and leaves being the connecting devices in a flowing pattern. Sounds easy, but it gives me fits.

Terry

[electrathon]

Loose the stop, completly wrong made and unnatural looking. Correct the beveling. Use a cam tool and make lines radiate out from the flower center. Your decorative cuts are great, that is one of the hardest parts.

Aaron

[Cowboy316]

ok Gang heres a pic of the modifyed flower i changed that stem a bit but stil not happy with it needs to be a little thinner

thanks for all the feed back and tips

Cowboy316

[JLSleather]

I like that much better. One step further with the lines you reversed ... when you cut the design, make the lines you changed PART OF the foremost petal ...

Instead of this ...

This ....

And maybe a little wider, to help with the illusion that it's closer, so that you have this ...

Or, short version, something like this ..

[Hilly]

Here's my take on drawing a Sheridan flower. Others may do it differently than I do, and my drawing kinda sucks, but hopefully you will get the idea....

Step one:

Step two:

Step three:

Step four:

Step five:

This is just a basic Sheridan flower. Joining two or more together is difficult to explain...

If anyone else has something to add, please feel free!

Edited March 5, 2010 by Hilly

[TimDreamer]

Wow, Hilly..... that is a great tutorial for drawing Sheridan flowers! In looking at other patterns I have noticed in most of the patterns that other people carve that they take the stem of the flower and curve it either (from the one you have drawn) up and to the left reversing direction so that the next flower mirrors the one you just drew or else down and to the right again reversing direction and mirroring the flower below it. However if you have a large enough area to work with you can use "S" shaped stems and incorporate large leafy areas. Am I wrong in this?

[electrathon]

Better, but:

The cam lines radiating out from the flower center. They touch the flower center (to look like they are part of the center) and only go out about 3/8". Do not stack the tool out farther, just the first row. Barry King has a tool that is used for this that is better than a cam tool. Looks sort of like a thumbprint but the ends are differant shaped.

Aaron

[Hilly]

Wow, Hilly..... that is a great tutorial for drawing Sheridan flowers! In looking at other patterns I have noticed in most of the patterns that other people carve that they take the stem of the flower and curve it either (from the one you have drawn) up and to the left reversing direction so that the next flower mirrors the one you just drew or else down and to the right again reversing direction and mirroring the flower below it. However if you have a large enough area to work with you can use "S" shaped stems and incorporate large leafy areas. Am I wrong in this?

I think some people interpret things differently than others. I always see figure eights. One circle (or vine) spinning clockwise, the next spinning counterclockwise. The flowers themselves may appear at any angle within the circle, as long as the vines and stems spin opposite directions from adjoining one. Sometimes I forgo a flower, and stick in a large leaf or two within the vine swirl. Empty areas can be filled with scrolls, buds or acanthus leaf. One of the ideas behind a lot of Sheridan work is to leave as little background area as possible, but this is not necessarily always the case. I also feel that the more texture there is within each separate flower and vine, the more interest it has for the viewer. I commonly use lined thumbprints, interesting veiners or wigglers, flower center shaders, leaf liners, varied flower centers, cam tools and deco cuts to add interest. Also, balance in the design itself is important.

I just wish I didn't have so much trouble drawing my own designs. It sounds easy, but to me it is not easy. I might work on a new design for weeks before I feel it looks okay. Maybe I'm too critical. Anyway, I hope someone can get something out of my little tutorial.

[Cowboy316]

howdy Gang

i think third time is a charm for this ole flower time to move on what do ya think LOL

Cowboy316

[Cowboy316]

howdy gang

me again took me most the afternoon but i got a pattern for just a coaster like thing dont not sure how good it is but ill show ya just for the advice LOL

thanks for all the help

Cowboy316

[electrathon]

The vines look good. Enlarge the flower and over lap some of the leaves. You want minimal background.

[Cowboy316]

ok Gang after several trys and retries i think ive got the hang of it here is a pic of the latest attempt and sheridan style drawing

all and any pointers are welcome

thanks for the help

Cowboy316

[Hilly]

ok Gang after several trys and retries i think ive got the hang of it here is a pic of the latest attempt and sheridan style drawing

all and any pointers are welcome

thanks for the help

Cowboy316

Almost there. Now take the leaf directly left of your stem and bring it to the main vine, and either bring it outside, or tuck it under (study the flower in my tutorial). The way you have your vine right now is reminiscent of a coil, not a circle.

The way you have some of your little stickers ending in scrolls is unique. I like it a lot.

[hidepounder]

Cowboy 316,

It would be well worth your time and money to acquire "Sheridan Style Carving" by Bob Likewise. It costs somewhere around $30, I think. If you will read that book and follow Bill Gardners examples as he teaches drawing Sheridan patterns you will jump forward by leaps and bounds. The book addresses tools as well and provides a lot of great tooling examples from some of the great Sheridan style toolers. I have been tooling since the mid sixties and I still refer to this book from time to time. If tooling were a college course, "Sheridan Style Carving" would be the text book. I have no affiliation here, I just know how much great info is in this book.

Hope this helps...

Bobby.

[GAP]

Cowboy 316,

Like Hidepounder suggests... study that book and anyones work you can!

I commend you on taking the time and initiave to take a piece of scrap and see what you can do, and how it works out, then ask others what they think. It's where you improve and get ideas from!

I somewhat recognize styles and where they come from, but I'm pretty limited on what/where I speak from. I'm also on dialup, so that kinda limits the time frame I take to dowmload pictures.

I did download your last picture, and it did look good! The only thing I would change is where it ties back into the circle. IMO it should have no beginning nor ending in that type of arrangement. If you want to continue it on, you can bring it out in place of a stob, or make a crossover. Just throw some feeling at it!

There are times that you can start out of a corner, or "hidden spot", but you have to finesse the beginning to make it look graceful. I went down to the dungeon and pulled some scrapings off the wall to hopefully give you an idea of what I mean. The beginning of the right one could have been better "finessed" to amke it appear more graceful. These are just scrap/cut offs pieces that I've played on when I had a chance.

Never waste a piece of leather if you want to improve your stamping... it all takes time, patience, and fortitude. I hope I never get to the point where I'm done improving.

Gary

[Double U Leather]

Amen to what Hidepounder said about the book. When I first started trying to figure Sheridan style out, I about pulled my hair out. The book helped tremendously. I was also fortunate enough to have someone sit down and show me the "path" or flow of the vines. Once I had that figured out, it became easier. And, just like the man who showed me the flow said, I've been drawing circles and flowers ever since.....on napkins in restaurants, scrap paper, etc. Once the "light" comes on, it becomes very addicting!! If you'd like, you can send me an e-mail and I'll see if I can draw up a flow diagram or whatever and see if it makes it click. By the way, the gentleman who showed me is on here. I think he is CLH. His name is Clint Haverty, and he's a good man. Anyway, good luck and if I can help let me know. I will say however, I'm by no means an expert. Hidepounder is by far more accomlished than I am. As is Mr. Haverty and countless others.

[hidepounder]

I just want to add a couple of comments here. I sometimes get the impression that folks think a flower inside a circle is Sheridan style carving. That couldn't be farther from the truth. A flower surrounded by a vine in a circle is simply one form of western floral tooling and has been around for many, many years. Sheridan style tooling is typified (is that even a word?) by a particularly delicate, elongated petal utilized in the vine work and by delicate flowers which require a lot of use of the bruiser along the petals. Additionally specialized tools like steep bevelers, bruisers and generally smaller more refined tools are typically used on Sheridan Patterns. Patterns drawn in circles are simply what preceeded Sheridan Style tooling.

Just wanted to clear that up.....

Bobby

[MarkB]

Bob

Well put thanks for the input that helps me a lot.

Mark

[Cowboy316]

ok finally actually did a pattern for my spur straps with tha guidance of MarkB what a guy to have as a friend

but fell free to down lod and alter if you see fit and show me your suggestion

thanks gang

Cowboy316

[Cowboy316]

hey gang

just drew up a different leaf design i think i just and wanted to post it to see what you guys thought and any changes that might be needed on it

thanks agian for all the help lets keep this thread growing

Cowboy316