I Seriously Need Help With This Background

[DoubleC]

I love some of the boxes people do on here so I decided to try and mold one with bricks. I decided I wanted a picture of my horse as the part that folds over the front. I cased a piece of leather last night and started as soon as I woke up today. I figured I'd have to draw it several times to get it right. Plus she was tied to a rail in her halter with a saddle on and I didn't want either in the picture. So when I finished and LIKED it, (some mistakes that will disappear with beveling around her and a background) I now don't have a clue to put in this 'other' huge area. I'm attaching the leather and the pic I drew it from. Any ideas for this, any at all? Thanks so much, Cheryl

[Tree Reaper]

Hi Cheryl;

To keep it simple I would bevel around the horse, when you stain it wipe off the horse right away and leave the back ground for 45 seconds more then wipe it off.

[Cyberthrasher]

Well, if you're going for realistic, I have absolutely NO idea. But, if you want something artistic, the first thing that popped into my head was clouds.

Something like the clouds in this picture (simple google image search for "tattoo clouds") could look really nice in the background.

http://www.tattoos-beauty.com/image-files/cross-tattoos-with-flames.jpg

[DoubleC]

  On 1/28/2012 at 10:37 PM, Tree Reaper said:

Hi Cheryl;

To keep it simple I would bevel around the horse, when you stain it wipe off the horse right away and leave the back ground for 45 seconds more then wipe it off.

[DoubleC]

  On 1/28/2012 at 10:37 PM, Tree Reaper said:

Hi Cheryl;

To keep it simple I would bevel around the horse, when you stain it wipe off the horse right away and leave the back ground for 45 seconds more then wipe it off.

Thanks Kevin, I was going to use dye on it. I did bevel it yesterday but not well, pic attached. I guess I wasn't clear, do you think I should tool something into the background? Or that just the horse is enough? I cut it as square as it's going to get because Sylvia said it was longer in the back, so I drew the hooves down to see how far off it was. That part will be cut off. Thanks, Cheryl

[DoubleC]

  On 1/29/2012 at 2:26 AM, Cyberthrasher said:

Well, if you're going for realistic, I have absolutely NO idea. But, if you want something artistic, the first thing that popped into my head was clouds.

Something like the clouds in this picture (simple google image search for "tattoo clouds") could look really nice in the background.

http://www.tattoos-b...with-flames.jpg

That would have looked nice Thrash if I hadn't taken a perfectly good picture, beveled it to death, then when Syl told me I had the back longer that the front, tried to cut it as square as i could from the piece of leather I had it on and no room for them now. I just need more practice with my tools. Fortunately I'm not going to need the whole horse and may be able to use from below the shoulder across to below the hips. Actually though, as much as I love going for the artistic, I meant tooling of some sort. since I may just get disgusted with this, I am going to try my basketweave between where the legs are and then just let it fade out after a few rows. If I'm going to mess it up, as I think I already did when I beveled it, might as well mess it up good, and get some practice in :-) Thanks for writing. Cheryl

[Tree Reaper]

Hi Cheryl;

What bevelers are you using?

When you bevel, put the edge of the beveler in the cut and tip the handle towards the horse so that the beveled portion doesn't wander too far away from the image.

Over all it looks ok, I wouldn't scrap it.

[TwinOaks]

Cheryl, do you know what pointillism is? If so, and you have a backgrounder, stamp in the outlines of a hill in the distance with maybe a tree in the foreground. Use heavier blows from the mallet to set these impressions a bit deeper and likewise with any details like clouds or tree branches. Then fill the areas between - sky has no tooling except for clouds. Meadow has some tooled in tufts of grass. You can do what I call "friction burnishing" by rubbing the face of the leather with a tight weave cloth and a good bit of pressure. You're giving the leather a friction burn, and it will keep the slightly darker color. Use that method to shade the area of the meadow. Use the beveler like a pencil and just drag in some lines suggesting taller grass.

The key to doing this in leather is to think in terms of negative space. All the elements of the composition are at the same level...you need to push everything BUT those elements 'back' to make them stand out. You can push the open space back through tooling, color, shading, etc. OR You can pull the elements you want 'forward' by stretching the leather (from the back) to make the elements stand above the surface of the leather- this is done by embossing, the use of lifters, and undercuts.

[DoubleC]

  On 1/29/2012 at 3:07 PM, Tree Reaper said:

Hi Cheryl;

What bevelers are you using?

When you bevel, put the edge of the beveler in the cut and tip the handle towards the horse so that the beveled portion doesn't wander too far away from the image.

Over all it looks ok, I wouldn't scrap it.

Bevelers? LOL. I have to B197 that came in my original starter kit almost two years ago. I beveled that spot to death, along with the other I'm attaching. I went back over it with the rounded end of my stylus a gazillion times and tried to bevel it better. I do hold it that way but at times it wanders out of the cut line and takes a trip. Maybe I'm not cutting deep enough or more likely clean enough around those parts. As you can see they're both rounded and small and I haven't used my swivel knife but a few times. I know that's the meaning of swivel but I don't have good control of it yet. Is there anyway to repair those before I dye it?

[Tree Reaper]

Well you already know that you can't expect great results without all the required tools.

You might be able to dampen the leather and smooth those areas out with a modeling spoon.

Just keep carving the head area, it has the most detail and will use less leather until you are happy with the results.

You might carve a half dozen before you are satisfied.

Practice on drawing straight lines and curves then bevel those on scrap leather.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=35327&pid=218874&st=0entry218874

Edited January 29, 2012 by Tree Reaper