Artist's Leather Case

[zuludog]

I've just got a book on leather and other crafts from the library. Been Surfing the Net to look up some of the suppliers listed in the back pages, and found this one. They are a supplier of artist's materials, tools & accessories, with a huge range of products.

One of their sections has a lot of nice leather wallets & cases for crayons, tools, sketch pads and so on; I thought this would provide some suitable inspiration

http://www.cornelissen.com

'inspiration' - a polite term for 'something to copy'

[Ingrid H]

The search for "inspiration" is what brought me here I liked the note pads.

Since leather working isn't fine art and there are only so many practical solutions to common needs, I don't feel that taking inspiration from other people's work is a problem unless it is an exact copy intended for sale.

[Jwalker]

by n large i agree with the new member above...except that, to say that leather work is not fine art, i believe is quite insulting to many of my friends, amongst whom include several Stohlman award winners...perhaps the new member is unaware of the Facebook groups that offer imagery of the work of any level of skill/talent from around the world

[Ingrid H]

by n large i agree with the new member above...except that, to say that leather work is not fine art, i believe is quite insulting to many of my friends, amongst whom include several Stohlman award winners...perhaps the new member is unaware of the Facebook groups that offer imagery of the work of any level of skill/talent from around the world

Don't get me wrong... Leather work can be taken to high levels of artistry, and I have a great appreciation for the artistic pieces I see. It was more the structure of practical items I was referring to. Items are "crafted".

So what is the difference between craftsmen and artists? I'm a craftsperson in my professional life as a carpenter. What about potters, quilters, furniture makers, etc? For the sake of discussion, I'll state that they are not fine artists. Fine artists create pieces that serve no practical purpose like sculptors and painters.

[25b]

There are leatherworkers that create works on a single leather panel meant solely for framing. Some that I've seen are really beautiful.

They're not "fine artists"?

[MonicaJacobson]

I was reading the other day, and the author said that writing is different from many arts - in writing you avoid all forms of plagiarism as the highest of evils, but in other arts, you are encouraged to copy from a master.

I do think there are two different kinds of things going on here. Being a master craftsman means making something to perfection, but it doesn't have to be new. It can be identical, like Hermes, and done completely without the reference of someone's imagination. By that, I mean not that those people are unimaginative, but that they must conform to someone else's design decisions in every respect. But each craftsman, once they get to that level of expertise and perfection, is applying their singular abilities to a problem, which I'd call art, much like a well trained violinist playing a difficult piece of classical music.

And then there are the Sheridan and other carvers who have to draw and execute their own designs. For them, it becomes more like engraving, and each person's style reflects their own taste, once they get good enough.

So, I see what you're saying - we're all trying to achieve proper construction, and that's just the basic mastery of a skill. But how we do it is an expression of our creativity, and that, I think, can be called "art".

[TwinOaks]

Leather can be BOTH. In many instances, it is even more demanding than something like painting on canvas. We cut, stretch, bend, compress, and permanently deform our medium. In painting a picture if you get an "oops", you have the option to cover it. With leather, like sculpting in stone, once it's done, it's done. If you mess up, you have to start over on another piece

[Ingrid H]

I was reading the other day, and the author said that writing is different from many arts - in writing you avoid all forms of plagiarism as the highest of evils, but in other arts, you are encouraged to copy from a master.

I do think there are two different kinds of things going on here. Being a master craftsman means making something to perfection, but it doesn't have to be new. It can be identical, like Hermes, and done completely without the reference of someone's imagination. By that, I mean not that those people are unimaginative, but that they must conform to someone else's design decisions in every respect. But each craftsman, once they get to that level of expertise and perfection, is applying their singular abilities to a problem, which I'd call art, much like a well trained violinist playing a difficult piece of classical music.

And then there are the Sheridan and other carvers who have to draw and execute their own designs. For them, it becomes more like engraving, and each person's style reflects their own taste, once they get good enough.

So, I see what you're saying - we're all trying to achieve proper construction, and that's just the basic mastery of a skill. But how we do it is an expression of our creativity, and that, I think, can be called "art".

Writers can be such a pain I guess they think they are artists.

The construction and even design of items is something we can plagiarize as craftsmen, but it seems like everyone gives it their own twist and there is never an exact copy made from an "inspiration" (to go back to the OP). That's where it gets fuzzy...

[zuludog]

If you steal the idea of one author, that's plagiarism; if you steal the ideas of several authors, that's bona fide research

[snubbyfan]

From Wikipedia:

An artisan (from French: artisan, Italian: artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative arts, sculptures, clothing, jewellery, household items and tools or even mechanical mechanisms such as the handmade clockwork movement of a watchmaker. Artisans practice a craft and may through experience and aptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist.

[Ingrid H]

From Wikipedia:

An artisan (from French: artisan, Italian: artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative arts, sculptures, clothing, jewellery, household items and tools or even mechanical mechanisms such as the handmade clockwork movement of a watchmaker. Artisans practice a craft and may through experience and aptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist.

Love it! That's a great word that seems to define that middle ground between fine artist and craftsman.

[snubbyfan]

Love it! That's a great word that seems to define that middle ground between fine artist and craftsman.

That's what people keep calling me, I just had to look it up.