Greetings!

[Ferg]

Your design is okay if you do not want any pattern to it. You have fifteen directions going on with most not being finished.

Holes aren't necessarily what I meant by being in a hurry. Your carry through of the design indicates you didn't give a whole lot of thought to what you wanted/needed to accomplish. Simply comes with practice and paying close attention to what you do each successive time.

Don't get upset with me for critiquing your work a little harshly. My intentions are strictly to help you get better.

ferg

Thanks for the input Ferg, but could you be a little more specific? What's screwed up? You are right about the drill for the holes. It's all I had, so if that's what you meant about being in a hurry, you're right.

[KAYAK45]

I made my earlier comments on your first,first piece. It was a good, maybe really good first piece. But like Ferg says the second was not up to what the standard is you want to achieve.

The shield was pretty O.K. Margins a little erratic. The border stamping started, stopped, ended, started again?

Basket stamps must have been an after thought to fill blank space, or not a previous thought? Shell stamps here and there with no pattern.

Try getting some hobby putty and make your pattern on it, first. You can just roll it up and try another if you don't like it. If you do..put it on leather.

Again great start and you have a future doing this stuff.

BTW, I like the holster pattern for that weapon. Good job with the pattern.

Kevin

[immiketoo]

Your design is okay if you do not want any pattern to it. You have fifteen directions going on with most not being finished.

Holes aren't necessarily what I meant by being in a hurry. Your carry through of the design indicates you didn't give a whole lot of thought to what you wanted/needed to accomplish. Simply comes with practice and paying close attention to what you do each successive time.

Don't get upset with me for critiquing your work a little harshly. My intentions are strictly to help you get better.

ferg

Hey Ferg,

I wasn't upset with you at all! I like a little "get to the point." I was just asking for something a bit more specific since "You screwed up" leaves a lot to consider. Did I screw up starting to work with leather? Getting out of bed? You get the idea I had an idea for the

design and found I didn't have the tool, so I decided to try basket weave. Clearly it didn't fit and I lost a lot of detail when I wet formed it. I was trying out a new tool and I had already made a few lines before I realized it was more difficult than I had anticipated. How do you lay out

your designs? Someone else suggested clay but I'm sure there are others. I am not sensitive, so don't worry.

Mike

I made my earlier comments on your first,first piece. It was a good, maybe really good first piece. But like Ferg says the second was not up to what the standard is you want to achieve.

The shield was pretty O.K. Margins a little erratic. The border stamping started, stopped, ended, started again?

Basket stamps must have been an after thought to fill blank space, or not a previous thought? Shell stamps here and there with no pattern.

Try getting some hobby putty and make your pattern on it, first. You can just roll it up and try another if you don't like it. If you do..put it on leather.

Again great start and you have a future doing this stuff.

BTW, I like the holster pattern for that weapon. Good job with the pattern.

Kevin

I see what you mean about the border. What do you do when the tool doesn't fit very well in the space left? I went around in one direction. Is there a better way? Over lap? I don't know.

[Northmount]

Bob Parks aka Hidepounder has a real good reference for developing and drawing designs. Book. It's for western floral designs. It will be money well spent. I would do a quick read of it, then go back and study and take time to try out building a new design using his methodology.

CTG

[Ferg]

Mike,

My plan of attack is based on what I have in my head. When I decide to design something I really get into it. My wife says,"next time will you please do something you can have fun with?" I usually make several designs on scrap even if the item isn't going to be carved. I am just finishing a purse for my wife. The design is very complicated for me. I have torn part of it out several times and started over. I don't sell much of what I do anymore, at almost eighty years young, I try to have as much fun as possible. :)Hands don't work as well as they once did but I have my mind and I see things in other folks work that need fixing.

You have a good beginning, don't stop asking questions and as I said before, PRACTICE!

ferg

1347150852[/url]' post='263667']

Hey Ferg,

I wasn't upset with you at all! I like a little "get to the point." I was just asking for something a bit more specific since "You screwed up" leaves a lot to consider. Did I screw up starting to work with leather? Getting out of bed? You get the idea I had an idea for the

design and found I didn't have the tool, so I decided to try basket weave. Clearly it didn't fit and I lost a lot of detail when I wet formed it. I was trying out a new tool and I had already made a few lines before I realized it was more difficult than I had anticipated. How do you lay out

your designs? Someone else suggested clay but I'm sure there are others. I am not sensitive, so don't worry.

Mike

I see what you mean about the border. What do you do when the tool doesn't fit very well in the space left? I went around in one direction. Is there a better way? Over lap? I don't know.

[KAYAK45]

Mike:

It's kinda like a person who cannot stand a quite place and has to speak up. You did good in a lot a places, and then felt you had to FILL IN the blanks. Blank spaces are OK. It's like being quiet. A pattern flows around the focal point. In your case the shield, which was quite good, BTW.

Stop when you are ahead.

Just keep working on it, and keep it simple, like your first piece, which had a nice main theme.

You'll get it. Keep trying.

Kevin