Need A Hand With Celtic Knot Carving

[sailorjohn]

Hey yall,

Got the pattern cut, just want to see if there is something 'extra' I can do to REALLY make it 'pop'. I would love for it to be obvious which ribbon is going under/over, maybe add some texture and imperfections. Im a bit of a noob, but I have most of the tools if not all and I'd like to think Im a fast learner. Below is what I have so far....

[Bob Blea]

I can make a few suggestions. For where the knots cross over each other, bevel the top part of the knot (the part closest to the viewer) first, then bevel the one behind it. Then, make sure you matte down the one that goes under at the point where it meets the upper knot. That way there isn't a strong ridge where the lower knot meets the upper one, and it looks more like a ribbon that passes under the upper part of the knot. It can also help if you used a checkered or lined matter on the lower knot, so that it picks up antique and enhances the look that it is in the background.

Also, once you are done beveling the entire shamrock, matte around it with a checkered matter or a pebble backgrounder (or just a regular backgrounder if that is all you have.) That will make the Celtic knot stand out more from the surface of the leather, especially if you are antiquing the piece.

If you want to add texture to the knot itself, I've used a Tandy hair tool to lightly cut parallel lines along the flow of the knots and I think it looks OK, but I generally just leave them plain.

Finally, when you are done beveling the knots, run a modeling spoon along the edges of the knot to round them off a bit. It makes them look better than a sharply beveled line.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[LederRudi]

Thanks for this concise summarization, Bob!

[NVLeatherWorx]

Bob nailed it and if you follow this advice you will find that the results will catch your eye. I bevel every cut line, and I mean every, as if it were a traditional Western floral or other such pattern and then spoon round the hard edges all the way around to give it a raised (embossed) look.

[Sanch]

I have airbrushed that same exact shamrock on a HD Sportster gas tank! many many years ago....

[John Uhrig]

I know this is an older post, and as I am new here I thought I would show what I have done before with this type of carving.

This is a mandolin case that I made a few years ago. I used the matted beveler on the design to help highlight the over and under parts. Just used my background tool everywhere else. Super Shene was used on the design, then dyed with Antique light brown.