Help-Drawing Your Own Patterns

[BarABarLeatherworks]

Okay you seasoned leather workers I need some help!

I am a newer worker and just have been tracing patterns, but I am ready to start drawing my own but let me tell you, I am having a heck of a time!

I need some tips and tricks to help me. I understand the general idea, but I have such a hard time making everything flow together. I would love a computer program, but would love to see books or illustrations and hear what everyone has to say!

Thanks!

Hannah

[Hi Im Joe]

You should try inkscape. It's a free vector drawing program (think adobe illustrator). Its pretty intuitive and very flexible. You should be able to look up some tutorials if you are having problems figuring it out.

I'm not an expert but I can get around in inkscape. If you do decide to try it out and have some questions message me and I'll try to help you out.

Good luck!

[DavidL]

if you know all the techniques (rolled edges, adding extra length for the curves, knowing leather characteristics) then when it comes to making a pattern it is easier for you.

Search product design on youtube for a quick look at how to get an overall idea of the look and then break it down into sections.

[Jim]

Hannah, this why I wrote a book - for folks just like you. I'm out on the truck right now but as soon as I can I'm going to get with you and help you on your quest. Now, being an old timer I feel it's best to start designing patterns by hand before you go to computer do you can get a feel for distances, fold allowances, and other stuff that goes into pattern design.

You will be amazed at what you can design with the simplest of tools.

Jim R. Simmons

Etowah River Productions

[dirtclod]

Put a center line on what your going to make your pattern out of and measure off of that. Cans, plates, washers are good for making corners and curves. If your attaching a gusset or something like that be sure and add a seam allowence, tape your pattern togeather before you cut leather to make sure things fit.

[billybopp]

Excellent advice from all three above posts.

To add to DavidL's advice, find a few cheap but nice items at flea markets, ebay, or even lying around the house and study how they are put together, or even take them apart to learn how they are put together. Ask yourself why the maker made each of their design decision. Was it an engineering decision, aesthetic decision, or cost/time saving. Analyzing a few items that way will tell you a LOT.

Consider finding a few patterns for free online, or buy one or two to see what others have done, and again, analyze their decisions. Once you understand this sort of thing, your own designs will come far easier.

I agree with Jim, nothing beats hand-drawing designs for learning how to do it. Graph paper is a big help in hand-drawing and you can find it just about anywhere.

When you are ready to do some computer based design, you'll find that there are a lot of advantages. Computer based designs can be done for cutting or carving. They are easily filed and organized without taking up physical space. They are perfectly repeated with every printing. They allow a level of precision that hand-drawing does not, although that is not always important.

If you have a carving pattern, you can make a fresh pattern every time you want to use it by printing onto paper, or even better printer transparency film. By printing a fresh copy every time you want to carve that pattern, it prevents distortions from creeping into your work with repeated use of the same pattern.

If you have a cutting pattern, there are a few options. You can trace the pattern into the leather to give you cut lines, much the same as a carving pattern. If you will use your pattern a few times, you can print it and then glue it onto thick cardboard, cut it out and use it a few times. George Hurst did a youtube video on this for Tandyleatherfactory. With time cardboard patterns can wear, but they are good for some things and limited use. Cardboard patterns can, of course, be remade from your original when they wear out, but that is an investment of your time. If you think you will use a pattern many times, it's worth investing in a laser cut plastic pattern. I've been very pleased with the work and pricing from www.blackriverlaser.com . The owner, Joyce is delightful to work with.

Hi Im Joe suggested Inkscape, which is will probably do nicely, and the price is right! The important part, though, is Vector Based. It's the only good way to get nice smooth lines. Avoid pixel based or raster based software. The differences are much too technical to get into here, but trust us on this one.

I managed to get an antiquated version of Adobe Illustrator that does all that I need it to do. If you go with Illustrator, there is an excellent tutorial in 19 parts on youtube by TastyTuts. There is a link to sample files which allows you to follow along with the videos in your own copy of Illustrator. There is not better way to learn than to do!! The videos are not leather-work oriented, and later parts not-so-applicable to what we do, but I watched them anyway and filed them away in my head as "good to know". When you are ready to take your earlier hand drawn patterns into the digital realm, you'll need a scanner. They're pretty cheap these days and useful for a number of other uses as well. I bought an all-in-one printer/copier/scanner and love it. You'll find the above-mentioned tutorials 13 - 16 useful.

You can also find a short youtube video by Ian Atkinson on how to take a simple hand-drawn design into Illustrator, although it is a little difficult to follow until you've learned a bit more about Illustrator. The general principals should apply to any software you choose to use.

PS. Jim. I'd love to take a look at your book! Where can we find it?

I hope that helps more than confuses!

Bill

[Jim]

I'm currently working on a deal with a fellow in Indiana. As soon as I have a grip on who in this world is carrying my stuff you folks will be the next to know.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Jim

[gunter]

as Always,

thanks for the heads up Jim!

[Tesla Ranger]

I tried making a cardboard pattern a time or two but found I was getting inconsistent results with it. It may have been the cardboard I was using but it just wasn't living up to my expectations. I've since made a habit of printing out patterns I intend to re-use on cardstock (usually 110lb paper, specifically) and then carefully cutting them out. This has the advantage of being cheap and relatively expedient and the patterns are easy to store and generally pretty durable. They're also a bit easier to trace than regular weight paper. Of course, if you're printing designs to transfer onto leather with a stylus or pencil then using something heavy like cardstock tends to work against you.

[camano ridge]

Jim, Double K has a lot of your patterns and your book http://doublekleather.com/index.php/shop-online/educational/books/the-book-of-leatherwork-detail. I ran across somebody else on line that was selling your book I will have to look and see who that was.

[dkbutcher]

I'm still very new to this and still trying to work out the design side of things. But... I have started using Inkscape and love it! Usually I scribble something down on paper, then try to work things out onto graph paper, then I'll make it based on my graph paper drawings. If the design works really well and I like it then I make another one but put it together with minimal glue and stitched enough so that it will stay together and I can verify that it's going to fit (really I only need to do this to things that I'm wet forming otherwise I can just skip making another one and start putting it into Inkscape) and then take it apart. Putting it together and taking it apart has the advantage of showing me where stitch lines ended up, snaps were installed, and tooling area boundaries are located.

Then I make my template:

I then make an Inkscape project and add everything into, including dots for approximate locations for some of the things I mentioned. I will write some notes on the template plus information about what it is and what weight leather I used. Then I save it as a pdf, print out a copy, take a bunch of painters tape loops and put them on the back of the template (I don't cut the template out... I just stick the entire sheet to the leather) and then tape it directly to the leather in the location of the hide that I plan on using. I cut the pattern out using a straight edge on straight lines as much as possible... I cut through the paper and the leather at the same time. Once I'm done "tracing" through the paper and leather then it is all cut out. I've been very happy with that method but I will be getting some acrylic templates from Joyce in the future, mostly for things with curves.

This has worked well for me so far (I just started doing this a few weeks ago) and it has the added bonus of print>tape>cut>done and you can do it as many times as you can print out your design

Dave

[BarABarLeatherworks]

You guys are so awesome!

Im good at my construction and allowing for the curvature of lines, I just have a VERY VERY hard time with scrolls. Drawing, carving and beveling....the whole shebang.

My flowers are decent, I just have a hard time getting started and piecing things together. I know what I want it to look like...if I could just get it out of my brain and onto paper! I am absolutely ordering your book Jim! Books and illustrations help so so much. I am just a t the point I want to create my own patterns instead of tracing them!

[Jazznow]

Hey Jim,

Any chance you will scan your book and sell it as an ebook?

It's hard to get here in Europe and shipping would be 20+ bucks.

[Jim]

After reading some of these posts I think I better clear the air a little. My book The Book of Leatherwork walks you through the process of designing patterns for various craft items such as camera or phone cases, knife sheaths, and holsters. It does not touch on the subject of leather carving or tooling patterns.

I would hate to think someone bought it and looked through it thinking "Where's the floral pattern section!"

Just so you know.

Jim

Edited June 26, 2014 by Jim

[bloggs]

I have a TON of 9"x13" chipboard (the pressed together cardboard stuff, not the wood product) left over from a previous business that I use for my patterns. I typically draw them out on my PC in one of a couple programs - Inkscape is great and free - and then print them out, double sticky them to the chipboard sheets and cut them out there. Once I have the patterns done, I use a combination of chipboard to simulate thicker leathers and some hideous upholstery fabric to make test runs from my patterns. It's not perfect, but you can punch and sew it well enough to at least make sure everything will fit together right when you're done without wasting any leather. The chipboard takes some getting used to so that the folds and bends somewhat mimic the way leather moves.

[Skwerl]

Jim, Double K has a lot of your patterns and your book http://doublekleather.com/index.php/shop-online/educational/books/the-book-of-leatherwork-detail. I ran across somebody else on line that was selling your book I will have to look and see who that was.

I tried buy his Leatherwork book from Double K they said his items had been discontinued.

[Treed]

If you are going to try and go anywhere in this business with tooled items you need to learn layout and hand drawing. There will be many times that you will have a unique size or shape to fill. The computer help is useful but cuts into profit with the amount of time involved..... Its just cool to do your own and if I can learn it then most everybody can. Start with Bob Parks book and go on from there, is book will make the rest of the books make sense. Learning to draw your own will also give you a better understanding of the layout and flow improving your tooling outcome.

[Hi Im Joe]

If you are going to try and go anywhere in this business with tooled items you need to learn layout and hand drawing. There will be many times that you will have a unique size or shape to fill. The computer help is useful but cuts into profit with the amount of time involved..... Its just cool to do your own and if I can learn it then most everybody can. Start with Bob Parks book and go on from there, is book will make the rest of the books make sense. Learning to draw your own will also give you a better understanding of the layout and flow improving your tooling outcome.

I can make a pattern in inkscape in a 1/10th of the time it would take me to draw it out by hand. This is just plain wrong. Also, when I do it on the computer I know it is exactly correct because of math and vectors. No worries about the ruler slipping etc...

This is my opinion...or .02 cents or whatever....YMMV.

[kwelna]

My only sage piece of advice is to remember to allow for the thickness of the leather. Especially, any time you fold it over. As the leather gets thicker, the radius of the fold gets bigger and the greater the allowance you will need. Skiving an edge helps, but you still need to make sure you have suffecient material to start with. You can always trim it if it is too long\big, Many a time I have drawn up a design and then had it come out just short of the mark when realized in leather because I forgot to allow for the thickness of the leather....LOL

[Treed]

Joe Its not the first time I have been all wet behind the ears! I know that it has taken me over 40 years to just get to the point I am now with work and study. I do know that I have studied work of the masters in leather crafting and have had the pleasure to work with some of these guys.and have never seen a computer used and most were well before computers were around. I have to wonder what computer mother nature uses when she does layouts. I guess I had better get off my butt and look more into this with using computers thanks for pointing out how wrong I am.

[Deanimator]

Okay you seasoned leather workers I need some help!

I am a newer worker and just have been tracing patterns, but I am ready to start drawing my own but let me tell you, I am having a heck of a time!

I need some tips and tricks to help me. I understand the general idea, but I have such a hard time making everything flow together. I would love a computer program, but would love to see books or illustrations and hear what everyone has to say!

Thanks!

Hannah

I use Corel Draw X3 (I think it's up to X6 or something now).

It's a vector drawing program (also comes with a bitmap editor, among other tools). The nice thing about it is that you can pretty much endlessly modify, combine and break apart shapes, as well as scale them.

When designing, I create the separate parts of my patterns, then put them together. This shows me how things are going to fit together (more or less) when assembled. I print the components on card stock, cut them out and trace them onto leather. If necessary, I'll glue or paper clip parts of a pattern together to see how they [should] fit together.

In fact, I'm picking up a 13"x19" Canon inkjet printer today to replace the one that died on me last week. The larger than 8.5"x11" will make it much easier for me to do larger holsters, like the OWB for my 4" S&W 29-2 that I wanted to develop.

The nice thing about Corel draw is that while it's not free, OEM versions are VERY reasonably priced (I paid around $99 for mine). It's also a very well known program with a large user community.

[Deanimator]

If you are going to try and go anywhere in this business with tooled items you need to learn layout and hand drawing. There will be many times that you will have a unique size or shape to fill. The computer help is useful but cuts into profit with the amount of time involved..... Its just cool to do your own and if I can learn it then most everybody can. Start with Bob Parks book and go on from there, is book will make the rest of the books make sense. Learning to draw your own will also give you a better understanding of the layout and flow improving your tooling outcome.

I'm a lousy freehand artist. What Corel Draw does for me is give me the ability to copy and modify existing patterns. I can break apart an existing pattern and modify parts as necessary to fit a different need. It's easy to redimension, change radiuses, and even to modify the entire outline.

I let technology compensate for my lack of artistic skill.

[PreacherDon]

$99 for coral draw. U got a good deal considering it's $500.

[Deanimator]

My only sage piece of advice is to remember to allow for the thickness of the leather. Especially, any time you fold it over. As the leather gets thicker, the radius of the fold gets bigger and the greater the allowance you will need. Skiving an edge helps, but you still need to make sure you have suffecient material to start with. You can always trim it if it is too long\big, Many a time I have drawn up a design and then had it come out just short of the mark when realized in leather because I forgot to allow for the thickness of the leather....LOL

Doing a cardboard mockup really helps with this. I suspect that using pliable foam cut with the pattern would help even more.

$99 for coral draw. U got a good deal considering it's $500.

That's the boxed version. You can usually get a good deal on an OEM disk(s) only version. I'll probably be shopping for a newer version in the coming year.

[Deanimator]

Joe Its not the first time I have been all wet behind the ears! I know that it has taken me over 40 years to just get to the point I am now with work and study. I do know that I have studied work of the masters in leather crafting and have had the pleasure to work with some of these guys.and have never seen a computer used and most were well before computers were around. I have to wonder what computer mother nature uses when she does layouts. I guess I had better get off my butt and look more into this with using computers thanks for pointing out how wrong I am.

If you have native artistic skills, good for you.

Unfortunately, some of us don't. I'm not going to let that stand in the way of me making a decent holster.

By the way, I've got a friend who's a mechanical engineer and a brilliant manual draftsman. He designed part of the wiring harness for the B-1. He has almost no computer drafting skills. He can't BUY a mechanical engineering job.

Times change.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Deanimator