Members JiffyJones Posted December 19, 2017 Members Report Posted December 19, 2017 Greetings from Dallas, TX! I'm a graphic designer/illustrator by day and freelance by night. Recently I was commissioned to create some masquerade masks, and decided in my infinite wisdom to suddenly (and on a week deadline) hurl myself into learning an expensive, intricate, and time consuming craft that I know nothing about. A relative helped with some basic advice and sending me a big ol' box of scraps (I will likely post pictures asking what on earth I'm supposed to do with each kind), and this forum/youtube helped with the rest! So after much panicking and muttering of the ancient incantation "pleaseletthiswork", I miraculously finished these on time. One is a moth and the other an owl; tooled, burnished with saddle soap, painted, and sealed. Now I have a handful of tools and a shoulder of tooling leather (6-7 weight) that I bought out of sugar induced excitement, but I don’t know where to go from here! I would love to try making a small tooled bag next, because I’m clearly a masochist. Suggestions/thoughts are always appreciated! P.S. Ignore the creepy purple light, I swear I don't live in a bordello Quote
Mjolnir Posted December 19, 2017 Report Posted December 19, 2017 Thank you for the inspiration. I've wanted to do masks. Did you just shape them or use a mold? you've got a niche. Others will tell you how to perfect the craft, I can just tell you the artisanship is incredible! Quote He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which. Douglas Adams
Members JiffyJones Posted December 20, 2017 Author Members Report Posted December 20, 2017 18 minutes ago, Mjolnir said: Thank you for the inspiration. I've wanted to do masks. Did you just shape them or use a mold? you've got a niche. Others will tell you how to perfect the craft, I can just tell you the artisanship is incredible! Oh wow, thank you so much! The first prototype was made out of paper towels and sharpie so I could bend it over their features and find a shape for each of their faces. After tooling, they were soaked and molded to their faces, with some exaggeration here and there. You should give masks a try!! I had a lot of fun, just squeezing and shaping and seeing what happens! I would love to learn more about it! Or about anything, for that matter haha Quote
Rockoboy Posted December 20, 2017 Report Posted December 20, 2017 Excellent work. I cannot tell where the leather finishes and another medium (if there is one) begins. If these items were your 1st (or 100th) attempts, you obviously have a huge talent. Quote Kindest regards Brian "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you are right" Henry Ford Machines: Singer 201p, Kennedy, Singer 31K20, Singer 66K16 ("boat anchor" condition), Protex TY8B Cylinder Arm (Consew 227r copy), Unbranded Walking Foot (Sailrite LSV-1 copy)
Members JiffyJones Posted December 20, 2017 Author Members Report Posted December 20, 2017 6 hours ago, Rockoboy said: Excellent work. I cannot tell where the leather finishes and another medium (if there is one) begins. If these items were your 1st (or 100th) attempts, you obviously have a huge talent. Thank you!! They are each one piece of leather and paint/stain No hardware or anything because I don't know how to use and don't have a snap setter hahaha! I think that should be my next purchase? Quote
Members battlemunky Posted December 20, 2017 Members Report Posted December 20, 2017 Yeah, the leather part of making the mask can be a bit tricky and it seems like you have that all sorted but your painting skills are off the chart. That is some really nice work. I can make stuff that would be pretty hard to destroy, you can make beautiful stuff that is pretty hard to destroy. You can be taught the mechanics of making stuff from leather but you can't be taught the artsy side of it, that is talent, and you have my envy. I dig those masks for sure. Quote
Members JiffyJones Posted December 20, 2017 Author Members Report Posted December 20, 2017 1 hour ago, battlemunky said: Yeah, the leather part of making the mask can be a bit tricky and it seems like you have that all sorted but your painting skills are off the chart. That is some really nice work. I can make stuff that would be pretty hard to destroy, you can make beautiful stuff that is pretty hard to destroy. You can be taught the mechanics of making stuff from leather but you can't be taught the artsy side of it, that is talent, and you have my envy. I dig those masks for sure. Thank you!! I have so much to learn, it's really overwhelming! Super glad you like the masks- I can never tell if I'm moving in a good direction! Do you have any recommendations for projects that lend themselves more to being tooled and painted/dyed? I guess things that are handled less frequently? Quote
Members battlemunky Posted December 22, 2017 Members Report Posted December 22, 2017 I's recommend doing a search on here for Gray Halliday and looking at his stuff. It runs from wall art to guitar straps. Also, a general search on carving may be good too. With your painting skills and eye for coloring you could do some magic on some carved leather. Quote
Members JMcC Posted January 9, 2018 Members Report Posted January 9, 2018 Wow...just wow Jiffy ! Quote
Members olfart Posted January 9, 2018 Members Report Posted January 9, 2018 Welcome from the Texarkana corner of Texas! If you're just beginning, I haven't been born yet. Those masks are magnificent! Quote
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