Craftaid 2282

[sinpac]

Hard to believe this craftaid is 67 years old.

[YinTx]

Recent carving from an old craftaid I assume?  Nicely done, look forward to seeing the final version!  I have ended up with some rather old patterns and such myself, I look forward to making some of them.

YinTx

[sinpac]

5 hours ago, YinTx said:

Recent carving from an old craftaid I assume?  Nicely done, look forward to seeing the final version!  I have ended up with some rather old patterns and such myself, I look forward to making some of them.

YinTx

Yes, working on it now. I changed the veiner and camo stamping a bit, bit for the more part I stay true to form. The original carver for the craftaid was a person named Joey. I wish I knew a little more about him. Thank for the kind words.

Chris

[JLSleather]

I think that's Joey Smith.  How big is the design?

[sinpac]

1 minute ago, JLSleather said:

I think that's Joey Smith.  How big is the design?

Thanks I will have to look him up.

[sinpac]

7 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

I think that's Joey Smith.  How big is the design?

You were right. Gick decided to put more focus on the leather end of the business and bought out Pauly to bring in leather carving expert Joey Smith as a partner and an instructor.  Their classes brought a lot of attention to leathercraft, catching the attention of leathercrafters such as Al Shelton, as well as artist and inventor Lou Roth.  After innovating a plastic engraving sheet to help apply patterns on to leather to expedite teaching, Roth, Gick, Smith, Al Stohlman and Dick McGahen started a company to manufacture these new “Craftaids” through the Craftool Company.

[JLSleather]

I LOVE craftaids.  Granted, they're limiting because you're locked into that design, but I CERTAINLY recommend them for the new guy.  Lets a 'rookie' spend practice time CARVING instead of TRACING and DRAWING.  And, seriously, I STILL get asked to make those goods shown in photos from the 50's - 80's, many of which became "craftaids".  Last month I did a wallet of a Stohlman pattern from the 80's for a gal's husband, and yesterday there's an email for a belt with a design from the 50's.

A guy making them today could make a MINT.  Not the imitation, seen everywhere, standardized "templates" you see everywhere due to the falling cost of laser tech.  But like clicker dies, where a guy could get his own design put in a 'craftaid'...

Your carving looks good - quite smooth.  Only suggestion ... modeling spoon over the long beveled lines/curves.  Round the edges, adds a LOT of realism in the finished look for very little trouble.  Where you used a 'cam' tool along the scrolls appears more 'round' because the tool depressed the edge, "rounded" it.  A spoon do the same thing on the stems where cam not used. ANd the seed 'pods', or whatever we're calling those thingies in the flowers.

[Outfitr]

53 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

I LOVE craftaids.  Granted, they're limiting because you're locked into that design, but I CERTAINLY recommend them for the new guy.  Lets a 'rookie' spend practice time CARVING instead of TRACING and DRAWING.  And, seriously, I STILL get asked to make those goods shown in photos from the 50's - 80's, many of which became "craftaids".  Last month I did a wallet of a Stohlman pattern from the 80's for a gal's husband, and yesterday there's an email for a belt with a design from the 50's.

A guy making them today could make a MINT.  Not the imitation, seen everywhere, standardized "templates" you see everywhere due to the falling cost of laser tech.  But like clicker dies, where a guy could get his own design put in a 'craftaid'...

Your carving looks good - quite smooth.  Only suggestion ... modeling spoon over the long beveled lines/curves.  Round the edges, adds a LOT of realism in the finished look for very little trouble.  Where you used a 'cam' tool along the scrolls appears more 'round' because the tool depressed the edge, "rounded" it.  A spoon do the same thing on the stems where cam not used. ANd the seed 'pods', or whatever we're calling those thingies in the flowers.

Modeling spoon use.....on the beveled side or the other? Can you explain the 'cam' tool a little more please? Thanks

[sinpac]

7 hours ago, JLSleather said:

 modeling spoon over the long beveled lines/curves.  Round the edges, adds a LOT of realism in the finished look for very little trouble.  Where you used a 'cam' tool along the scrolls appears more 'round' because the tool depressed the edge, "rounded" it.  A spoon do the same thing on the stems where cam not used. ANd the seed 'pods', or whatever we're calling those thingies in the flowers.

Gotcha, That makes sense. Thanks for the tips. Certain craftaids, I feel never go out of style. A lot of them are dated and are out of style. One day I would like to beable to draw my own designs. I am going to be dating myself now, but back in 1975 I drew a mural on poster board of all the Disney characters and my dad set it to the Disney studios we got a reply back in about a month saying to send them another drawing after I was ready to graduate high school. I was so happy I was going to be a cartoonist, well I found out about girls and got side tracked lol. but anyway drawing leather design is not easy. If it were everyone would be doing it, but I am going to take a stab it

Chris

[kiwican]

Love the history of this 

[sinpac]

4 minutes ago, kiwican said:

Love the history of this 

me too.

[JLSleather]

On 1/13/2020 at 3:52 PM, sinpac said:

apply patterns on to leather to expedite teaching,

Exactly the point of using 'craftaids' -- get a fella right into the carving. 

[sinpac]

I wanna that Jeff for the tips. If you look at the bottom right where the three stem come up I rounded thoses and compared to the top right ones, I can totally see what you're saying now. The picture makes it stand out. I will be doing these from now on.. I have been reading the book Sheridan style carving by Bob Likewise. Very good book and read so far. I have oiled and bag Koted this so far.

Edited January 16, 2020 by sinpac

[JLSleather]

That looks purdy good -- but you still didn't tell us the size

 

[sinpac]

3 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

That looks purdy good -- but you still didn't tell us the size

 

8"x6"

[JLSleather]

Wallet?  Notebook cover? 

[sinpac]

8 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Wallet?  Notebook cover? 

A notebook cover

Edited January 16, 2020 by sinpac

[sinpac]

Just now, sinpac said:

Sheridan Tan, topped with Bag-kote. I am not digging the lined pear shader, or perhaps I am not getting the full effect on 4 oz. I guess i will go back to the checkered pear shader. what do you think?

Chris

 

[JLSleather]

Overall, I still think it looks purdy goody.  But you can gain a LOT of sharpness - "realism" - with very little added effort.

Red arrows → ya missed a spot with the cam tool.  The top section you covered much more evenlly (no bald spot).

Blue arrows → DON"T shade here.  Leave the pods "round" (i think)

Green arrows → Maybe heavy on the antstreak... puddly

Yellow arrows → Maybe light on the anstreak... it's very light where it should be deep.  I like to really drive this deep here.  

  Or maybe even this ?   

Again, I think it looks pretty good.

[sinpac]

7 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Overall, I still think it looks purdy goody.  But you can gain a LOT of sharpness - "realism" - with very little added effort.

Red arrows → ya missed a spot with the cam tool.  The top section you covered much more evenlly (no bald spot).

Blue arrows → DON"T shade here.  Leave the pods "round" (i think)

Green arrows → Maybe heavy on the antstreak... puddly

Yellow arrows → Maybe light on the anstreak... it's very light where it should be deep.  I like to really drive this deep here.  

  Or maybe even this ?   

Again, I think it looks pretty good.

Red arrow - no excuse, tooler error.

Blue arrow - I see what your saying, it makes it look off.

Green arrow - I apply the bag-kote with a 2" foam brush to keep it wet while wiping it off to prevent streaking. so your right it is puddling.

Yellow arrow - I think what your saying is to drive the stamp deeper to give depth. The seed pod if that what we are calling it sure look more detached from the leaves?

The shading on the leaf coming of the vine does give it a look of realism.

I also noticed in certain areas of the bar stamp grounder I don't have the depth. Maybe leather a little to wet?

Thank Jeff, for the tips and taking the time to lay out the explanation, much appreciated

Chris

[JLSleather]

1 hour ago, sinpac said:

Yellow arrow - I think what your saying is to drive the stamp deeper to give depth. The seed pod if that what we are calling it sure look more detached from the leaves?

Sorta, yeah.  If you were embossing this, you would depress the petals and RAISE the pod.  Since you're not raising it, just don't bop it down. So bevel firmly (not necessarily "deep") and then "fade" away from there gradually.

Some folks didn't like my banana,  but I think it's a pretty good NATURAL illustration.  Basically, it's a "leaf" coming off a "stem"....

So, don't 'shade' or 'thumbprint" the banana... you want to leave that in the forefront.  Be a little light beveling of the banana in the front in the middle (between the red arrows at the bottom) just like you did on your piece.  Then the rest of the banana is NOT tooled, and the area ALL THE WAY AROUND it is 'set back'.

I wrote "no bevel ridges".  Might have been more clear had I said "THERE ARE NO bevel ridges" (that "halo" you get around tooling that so many think is okay to leave there cuz it catches antstreak).

And by "deepest tooling at the protrusion" I mean it's "heavy" beveled (or shaded, or what you use) where it protrudes, and then "fades" from there.  There is NO TOOLING on the 'back end" of the arrows -- that is the HIGHER part.  

 

BTW I think you're background looks pretty darn good.  You got a little chop on the water at the 6 0'clock position for a minute, but it's not severe and still the piece looks nice.  Toss on some lace or thread in "sheridan tan" or something close and that's a nice lookin' article fer somebody.  Seriously, yours is some of the smoothest floral tooling I've seen on this site in a while (I might have used a 'vein' tool around the scrolls, but I rather like what YOU did here).

Edited January 17, 2020 by JLSleather

[sinpac]

8 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Sorta, yeah.  If you were embossing this, you would depress the petals and RAISE the pod.  Since you're not raising it, just don't bop it down. So bevel firmly (not necessarily "deep") and then "fade" away from there gradually.

Some folks didn't like my banana,  but I think it's a pretty good NATURAL illustration.  Basically, it's a "leaf" coming off a "stem"....

So, don't 'shade' or 'thumbprint" the banana... you want to leave that in the forefront.  Be a little light beveling of the banana in the front in the middle (between the red arrows at the bottom) just like you did on your piece.  Then the rest of the banana is NOT tooled, and the area ALL THE WAY AROUND it is 'set back'.

I wrote "no bevel ridges".  Might have been more clear had I said "THERE ARE NO bevel ridges" (that "halo" you get around tooling that so many think is okay to leave there cuz it catches antstreak).

And by "deepest tooling at the protrusion" I mean it's "heavy" beveled (or shaded, or what you use) where it protrudes, and then "fades" from there.  There is NO TOOLING on the 'back end" of the arrows -- that is the HIGHER part.  

 

BTW I think you're background looks pretty darn good.  You got a little chop on the water at the 6 0'clock position for a minute, but it's not severe and still the piece looks nice.  Toss on some lace or thread in "sheridan tan" or something close and that's a nice lookin' article fer somebody.  Seriously, yours is some of the smoothest floral tooling I've seen on this site in a while (I might have used a 'vein' tool around the scrolls, but I rather like what YOU did here).

Thanks Jeff,

I am going to print out this thread for reference until it becomes second nature. I think the banana explanation is spot on. Maybe the others who didn't like the banana wanted you to use a plantain. LOL  Thank again for the nudge in the right direction and the compliment,

Chris