Personal Opinion On What The Best Way To Learn Leatherwork Is

[sawyer1989]

I'm really enjoying leatherwork I like the concept behind it I like being able to. Make my own Stuff

And I have been at it for almost a year now but I feel like I'm going nowhere fast Does it just honestly take several years Before you can make anything Truly impressive like Something you would see in a High-grade store Is thats What it feels like anyways I have a learning disability Which makes my ability to retain Information learned form Demonstration. Just about impossible When I read up on how to do some thing in this art it Never seems to translate well onto the work Table. anyways Just Wanted to know how any of y'all come to be as good as you are Is it just simply trial and error

[camano ridge]

It's practice, practice,,practice. Find some tutorials on you tube or else where on something you would like to make, watch the tutorial geather up what you need to do the project and watch the video again. Start the project and follow the tutorial that way you can back up and watch over any areas you need to. Then do the project again until you get the quality you are looking for. There are some people that are just born with talent, however for many of us it is a learned skill that comes by doing.

Edited July 28, 2013 by camano ridge

[lightingale]

It's practice, practice,,practice. Find some tutorials on you tube or else where on something you would like to make, watch the tutorial geather up what you need to do the project and watch the video again. Start the project and follow the tutorial that way you can back up and watch over any areas you need to. Then do the project again until you get the quality you are looking for. There are some people that are just born with talent, however for many of us it is a learned skill that comes by doing.

Pretty much this.

Also, read up on Leatherworking things... Get some books (the Stohlman ones are affordable and very useful). Read threads on this forum, find YouTube videos, etc.

Also, while the quality in the high-grade stores can be approached by plenty of practice, you may need to invest in some better tools (not Tandy) to get that amazing quality. At the very least, work with the best leather you can afford.

While I would love to attend some workshops or just volunteer my time with a Leatherworking master to learn, it's just not realistic in my neck of the woods (Quebec, Canada). I think you can still get to the level where you can create amazing products being self-taught, though it might take a little longer than if you had a mentor.

[camano ridge]

You might also take some of the work that you have done or will do and put it in the critique forum. The people here will offer you helpful advice on what needs to be improved and how to improve it.

[bgl500]

Everyone has pretty much hit upon what's key; practice! If I could add some advice it would be to start a project that's within your skillset and finish it. Regardless of how shoddy the work appears to you, finish it. Remember, we learn from our mistakes.

[bluesman1951]

I have a different approach . Learn the techniques before making something . One at a time ,learn to cut straight and square ( for card holders and wallets etc) Learn to join two pieces together by sewing or braiding lots of ways to do this seam with a bead ,french seam, learn pattern making . Then with a half a dozen techniques under your belt a project is now possible . Good luck .

[Cyberthrasher]

A lot of it is practice and practice, but you have to practice right. Don't just keep doing the same things the same way and hope for better results. It will never happen that way. The key is to LOOK at what you're doing VS. what's commonly referred to as high end and find the differences to see what needs to be addressed. WHY doesn't your work look like that? Is it depth of cut, flow of cut, consistency of tooling, etc.... You can cut lines all day, but if you don't know WHY the last one wasn't quite right, you won't know how to fix it. For the basic, I highly recommend Paul Burnett's "realistic leather carving" available at the PaintingCow website. Stohlman did a good job, but I don't feel he addressed a lot of the intricacies required for good clean control. A lot of it is left up to you to discover. But, Paul's work actually walks through a lot of those necessary basics and exercises in knife and tool control.

One of my favorite exercises to recommend to people is one learned in pinstriping (and also covered in Paul's writings). Grab some scrap and cut several consecutive straight lines, focusing on making each line straighter and better than the last. Then do the same with "C" curves pointing both directions, then "S" curves. Do this every day. Then work on varying the depth of the cut while you're doing it. You'll be amazed at how much better you get. But, it will only work if you honestly stop and "overanalyze" the results with each cut.

[Steve75]

While all the advice that has been given is good, sage advice one thing was left out. Have fun with your leatherwork. If you don't you will lose interest and the tools will collect dust.

[lightningad]

for me, i find i learn better if i start with an idea of what i want to make, and then either try find a tutorial that shows the technique i need to learn, or look for an example that someone else has made, and study it to see how it was done. Often all it takes is to look critically and you will see what needs to be done to achieve the end result.

Then before i get too bogged down in learning - just jump in and start making. I always find that the learning will only really start when i am making the piece.

I started out using cheap leather as i didnt want to waste expensive materials on a learning exercise. Once you can make the cheap stuff look good, then its time to think about spending more on the leather.

And don't try to make your stuff like high-end products - aim to do better! Many high end products are not so brilliant (many are!!), they are just well marketed and branded.

The most important thing though is to HAVE FUN!!!

[Murf]

Everynight when i get off work I go into my basement (or as I call it my Lab) and I experiment. Each time I go down there I try something new, experiment. I replaced all the things I could with handmade work (wallet, Belt, utility pouch for work) so i look at it each day and use it, I can see the cosmetic and functional mistakes I have made and while im not in my workspace I can evaluate what ill do differently or spend more time on the next time I make one. As mentioned above True understanding comes through doing. You can read about something for hours but it will never truly click until your jumping into that project.

Ive been doing leather for 5 months now and every week I churn out something better then the previous week. Every week I also make mistakes, crooked cuts, bad stitching, and poorly burnished edges (wish Bearman would get back to me about those dremmel burnishers =). As cyberthrasher also mentioned Paul's books are an incredible resource for tooling work.

Funny you mentioned pin striping because thats what i practice when i cant get my mind into a leather project, just stripe and wipe until i get my creative fluids pumping then i pick up the pencils and the swivel knife.

Most of all, have fun. When im working im in my zone, got my music going, have the entire project mapped out in my head and it just seems to flow. An old saying my dad uses in the garage building harleys and drag cars "There are no problems, Only solutions.". Same goes for working with leather, except when you spill black dye across the tan lettering of the belt you just put 5 hours into.

In the end dont look at it like its junk, you made that, you cut that from a side of leathers and fashioned it into a durable item that functions as intended. "why yes, this belt holds my pants up." or "This wallet carries and protects my hard earned money.". Tell yourself "Thats the only belt of its kind in the world".

With the internet you have every resource at your finger tips and as far as im concerned this forum has been the best resource I have found, This is the "Brain trust" of leather work.

Ps. if anyone knows how to get black dye off the antiqued part of tooling work let me know so i can fix it in the future

Edited July 31, 2013 by Murf

[silverwingit]

sawyer,

I feel your pain. In my own case, there came a time when I sensed that I needed a big boost in my skills before I could be satisfied with anything beyond my simplest projects.

What I did was find a local Master Saddlemaker with over 50 years of experience and arranged to pay him a handsome price for one day's worth of 1 on 1 tutelage. This gent does amazing carving and is a walking encyclopedia about leather and its many construction techniques. I'm not into making saddles, so we never even touched on that subject. But I did learn about how pro's do everything from casing their leather to finishing their final products. I learned about where to buy professional-level tools (Barry King, etc.) and how to use and sharpen them. I learned of several sources for leather and about an upcoming Colorado Saddler's Association trade show (terrific opportunity to sample and purchase tools, attend seminars, meet other experts, etc.). I even learned from him much about the leather business and local consumer trends in ways that made me change my own business plan.

Best money I've invested in my leatherwork other than hundred of dollars worth of sharpening equipment!

Check out local saddlers for the real "skinny" about leatherwork. You'll waste more money on Tandy junk if you continue to feel your own way.

At least that's the way I see it.

Michelle