8x11 Fully Carved Notebook

[Bob Blea]

Here's one I finished a few weeks ago.  It is a leather notebook designed to hold an 8 1/2 x 11 refillable notepad.  The front is a full floral design and the back has an inset pictorial carving of a mountain scene surrounded by basketweave stamping.  The outer leather and interior pocket are Herman Oak, with a pigskin lining. The outer edge is laced with Whiskey colored Kangaroo lace from Packer in Australia.  I made this as an entry in the World Leather Debut show in Sheridan, WY this year.  It didn't place but it did score pretty well and I'm happy with it, though I do see a lot of room for improvement.  I made it for my personal use so the customer is satisfied.

The notebook was antiqued and in the pictures it looks pretty uneven, but most of that is just not setting up very good lighting when I took the pictures.  Overall it came out pretty even color. 

Thanks,

Bob

[Rohn]

That is absolutely beautiful.  What stamping tool did you use around the picture?  Very nice job.

[Bob Blea]

Thanks very much Rohn.  That tool around the picture is called a Geer Braid (named after Chan Geer I believe) and it's made by Barry King.

[Rohn]

26 minutes ago, Bob Blea said:

Thanks very much Rohn.  That tool around the picture is called a Geer Braid (named after Chan Geer I believe) and it's made by Barry King.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

[LederRudi]

Another masterpiece!

[MADMAX22]

Gotta love those berry king tools. 

Great job on this project, looks great and the antiquing looks as even as it can get to me. 

[Bob Blea]

Thank you all!

[bikermutt07]

That's beautiful.

[Bob Blea]

8 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

That's beautiful.

Thank you!

[Colt W Knight]

Excellent carving.

 

[bob21804]

Wow Bob, that's some beautiful work. Gives guys like me who are pretty new and barely mediocre when it comes to tooling, inspiration to improve.

[Thor]

Absolutely stunning work Bob.

[Bob Blea]

Thank you guys.

[Wild Bill46]

As usual Bob Stunning  !

[isaac]

Great piece,happy customer! thanks for showing us.

[Bob Blea]

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 0:59 PM, bob21804 said:

Wow Bob, that's some beautiful work. Gives guys like me who are pretty new and barely mediocre when it comes to tooling, inspiration to improve.

Bob, all it takes is some practice and you'll be able to do this too.

 

Thanks for the kind words all!

Edited June 7, 2016 by Bob Blea

[bob21804]

I was actually planning to post against and ask you besides practice, practice, practice, what other recommendations do you have for someone who wants to learn to tool leather as well as you. But I guess practice is the best advice. Thanks.

Edited June 7, 2016 by bob21804

[Bob Blea]

6 hours ago, bob21804 said:

I was actually planning to post against and ask you besides practice, practice, practice, what other recommendations do you have for someone who wants to learn to tool leather as well as you. But I guess practice is the best advice. Thanks.

Practice does help.  I recommend picking a really simple floral pattern (ideally something from a craftaid) and carving it five times in a row, critiquing it yourself each time.  Take what you learn, like and don't like, and work on that for the next one.  By the time your finished you'll be surprised how much you improve.  But beyond practice, study the carving styles of people you really admire.  Take really close looks at how they do things, the tools they use for certain effects, etc.  You can learn a lot by looking at how the artists you look up to do things.  And if you ever get the chance to take a class in person with a Bob Park or Robert Beard (or any of the other master leather carvers out there), take it!  You will learn a huge amount from them.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[immiketoo]

You had some serious competition in your category, Bob.  Your figure carving is great as is the rest.  Well done!

[Bob Blea]

Thanks Mike!  Those were some of the best leather carvers in the world.  The level of talent at that show is amazing!

[plinkercases]

That is inspiring thanks.

[bob21804]

20 hours ago, Bob Blea said:

Practice does help.  I recommend picking a really simple floral pattern (ideally something from a craftaid) and carving it five times in a row, critiquing it yourself each time.  Take what you learn, like and don't like, and work on that for the next one.  By the time your finished you'll be surprised how much you improve.  But beyond practice, study the carving styles of people you really admire.  Take really close looks at how they do things, the tools they use for certain effects, etc.  You can learn a lot by looking at how the artists you look up to do things.  And if you ever get the chance to take a class in person with a Bob Park or Robert Beard (or any of the other master leather carvers out there), take it!  You will learn a huge amount from them.

Hope this helps,

Bob

Thanks for the tips, Bob. Ill definitely try to incorporate as many of those suggestions as I can. It would be great to take live classes from the real experts. I have taken one class at a Tandy store recently and one of Mike's online classes. Both were beneficial and I plan to take more very soon. Along with all the practice I can fit in. I appreciate you taking the time to pass on the advice. 

Edited June 9, 2016 by bob21804