Advice re finger carving

[chuck123wapati]

16 hours ago, johnnydb said:

Found another one...

that will look great when finished. my only suggestion is to try a smooth beveller between the letter and floral. practice makes perfect.

 

[YinTx]

Well that was fun!  Thanks for the challenge.  I'm sure I could do it more justice if I tried again.  Just grab some pieces of scrap out of the bin, and cut away.  Those designs you put up are almost tailor made for finger carvings!  So to answer your question, yes you could do them with just a swivel knife.  I'm really digging the last horse.

YinTx

On 7/22/2021 at 7:34 PM, twilson57 said:

I’m new at leather craft, and I’m about to venture into carving and tooling. I’m particularly interested in decorative styles using just the swivel knife. I’ve seen it called finger carving in some posts. 

I’ve attached some graphics I’ve come across, and I’m wondering if I could carve similar designs using a swivel knife (with lots of practice of course). 

As I said, I’m new at this, so any tips or advice are welcome. 

Thanks 

 

[johnnydb]

So it's a done deal. Used neatsfoot oil colored with feibings dye (not pro dye) to dye the project with. 

Probably could have tried to antique it more with a resist and etc...just chose to try that another day...besides the oil/dye gave it a great unique aged character look and the feel is so soft for veg tan leather. Not stiff and inflexible. I showed it to another leathercrafter and he thought that I'd used chrome tanned leather to make it. 

[YinTx]

That is a really good look.  Antiquing isn't always necessary and will sometimes bring out the flaws in the leather and tooling, or come out blotchy or streaky and just make you unhappy with the results.  No antique may have been the right choice on this project!  The finger carvings I did above have no antique also.  No beveling either.

YinTx

[tsunkasapa]

Very nice! Your carving has improved greatly.

[johnnydb]

18 minutes ago, YinTx said:

That is a really good look.  Antiquing isn't always necessary and will sometimes bring out the flaws in the leather and tooling, or come out blotchy or streaky and just make you unhappy with the results.  No antique may have been the right choice on this project!  The finger carvings I did above have no antique also.  No beveling either.

YinTx

Yours above look great...I did this highlighted "B" 3 times to get it to look like it does. Just a Cussing and a fussing the whole time...(I'm having fun when I do that)

9 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said:

Very nice! Your carving has improved greatly.

Thank you kindly...

I know that it's a matter of practice, practice, and more practice. 

Currently my wife is jealous of her sister...she wants one but Red...and with an initial for her. 

[johnnydb]

I'm keeping after it...

Any suggestions?

[tsunkasapa]

I would suggest a matting tool, like an F899 or F900. This will 'feather' your beveling out so the letter doesn't look like it's sitting 'in a hole'. I think you'll find it makes a big difference. Otherwise, your carving is going nicely.

[JayEhl]

On 10/19/2021 at 7:22 PM, YinTx said:

Well that was fun!  Thanks for the challenge.  I'm sure I could do it more justice if I tried again.  Just grab some pieces of scrap out of the bin, and cut away.  Those designs you put up are almost tailor made for finger carvings!  So to answer your question, yes you could do them with just a swivel knife.  I'm really digging the last horse.

YinTx

 

Some fancy carving there, for sure!

Edited December 2, 2021 by JayEhl