WIP. Portrait of my wife

[Northmount]

2 hours ago, ABHandmade said:

Finally I finished coloring

Really great.  You have an eye for colour and have an artistic talent that many of us will never have.

Tom

[ABHandmade]

@VYO, @battlemunky, @Smartee, @Scoutmom103

Thank you for appreciating my work!

@JLSleather

Thank you! 

Yes, the gloss of the eyes is provided with a super-gloss polyurethane varnish. And it is partially applied on the lips. The rest is covered with matte polyurethane varnish.

@Northmount

Tthank you, Tom! 

Many of you have tremendous talents in other equally important areas. And it is wonderful that there is an opportunity to communicate and learn something from each other.

[datdraku]

this is great! you even caught that "you need to spend less time with your leather"look I also get

[kgg]

This is really nice work. True art. You and your wife should be proud of it. A lot of work and stress as if it didn't come out right you may have been moving to the dog house.

kgg

[ABHandmade]

3 hours ago, datdraku said:

this is great! you even caught that "you need to spend less time with your leather"look I also get

Thanks, @datdraku!

This work was the rare case when I never heard “you need to spend less time with your leather”

--------------------------------

@kgg, thank you for compliment!

1 hour ago, kgg said:

A lot of work and stress as if it didn't come out right you may have been moving to the dog house.

This, it seems, was the main incentive for me to invest maximum effort in getting a result

[Rockoboy]

Excellent result and approved by the highest order? The subject. I am in awe of your courage and your excellent work!

[ABHandmade]

15 hours ago, Rockoboy said:

Excellent result and approved by the highest order? The subject. I am in awe of your courage and your excellent work!

Thanks, Brian! In this case, the line between courage and rashness is very thin

But all is well that ends well. The portrait was favorably approved by Yana.

[ABHandmade]

A little bit about how the portrait was made.

First, a leather insert was made (4 stacked layers of leather 8 oz) in the form of a relief of the face. I use a swivel knife and scalpels.
After that, the portrait outline is applied to the cased main piece of leather 4 oz thick. The use of a swivel knife at this stage is minimal.
To align the leather insert with the contour on the main piece of leather when gluing, 3 thin pins are used, which are used to make 3 punctures in the leather and the leather insert at the same points.
After that, the pins are inserted from the back side of the insert, glue is applied on both parts, the main piece of leather is "strung" on the pins and both pieces are connected along them, as along the guides.
With the help of figure beveler and a large modeling spoon, the leather is settled on the insert (bas-relief).
Next comes the work of figure bevelers and modeling spoons of different shapes for the forming of parts. In some places (eyes, nostrils, a line between the lips), incisions are made with a swivel knife.
But in general, the swivel knife is used to a minimum.
I use such figure bevelers - F896, F895, F891, F890.
In the details of clothing used checkered beveler, background stamp, figure beveler, modeling spoon.
Hair processing is a separate stage. At first, large details of a curl are formed with figure bevellers and modeling spoons.
Next, I use a swivel knife with my own maded blade, which has a blunted (rounded) working part, that is, the knife does not cut through, but pushes a mark on the leather.
Despite the fact that many are categorically against the use of the hair blade, I use it. But to get more naturalness, the knife is conducted with a change in the force of pressing and tilting to the right-to the left.
The tips of the hair are formed using the 910 and 902 stamps, as well as small undercuts by swivel knife.

If this is of interest, I can try to briefly describe the process of coloring.

Edited January 14, 2019 by ABHandmade