Newbie First Two Carvings.

[anthonyg1382]

These are my first two tries at leather carving. I need some feed back, and dont sugar coat it.

Edited September 2, 2014 by anthonyg1382

[Northmount]

Looks like your outline swivel knife cuts may not be deep enough. Caused some problems for you following the cuts while beveling. Make sure to keep the toe of the beveler in the cuts. Practice keeping the beveled smooth, can go back over it, or use a spoon to smooth out any choppy sections. Backgrounding needs some practice to keep the depth consistent and to make a consistent pattern.

Have you reviewed how to case your leather prior to stamping? I can't tell for sure, but the floral pattern may have been too wet. Takes practice to stay in that zone of not too wet and not too dry.

Looks similar to some of my first pieces. So I can't say it's bad work for the first couple carvings. They are pretty fair for where you are at experience wise. So now what comes next? More practice. Redo these same carvings about 4 more times and see the magic change start to come about.

Tom

[anthonyg1382]

I was thinking if I tried a larger pattern it might be better...those are only about 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. But thanks for the feed back.

[Northmount]

Yes, larger patterns are easier to work with. When they are small, it's harder to fit into the tiny spaces, sometimes need smaller stamps to fit the scale.

Tom