Making Patterns

[Iowa Carver]

Hi All, I have a question for you on making and cutting out patterns. I am trying to do more and more original patterns. I have a couple patterns that I have drawn out... say a hobo or any figure for that matter that has one foot back so when you draw it as a side profile the one foot is higher than the other on the side profile.. same on the front profile. I see in the WCI and CM patterns printed in mags quite often that are the same way. I have avoided cutting those out to carve cause they look like if you cut them out the way they are printed.. the figure would be lopsided..... or does it actually work out?

Am I making sense here to you, get what i mean?

Corey

[Claude]

Corey:
I think I understand. Take a look at Lynn's photo sequence beginning here: https://picasaweb.google.com/lynnodo...77452227220978 In slide 94 he's sawing it in half lengthwise, in 95 he's showing right side and left side, then in 96, parts to cut away, and in 97 the result.

Claude

[Iowa Carver]

Yeah saw that but it's different. I will have to post a pic of a pattern like what I am referring to. One in particular if anyone has the Caricature Carvers Showcase one... the cowboy that Gerald Sears did is a good example.

[Claude]

I found two: "Boss Man" and "Ponderin'"? http://books.google.com/books?id=rYt...page&q&f=false Both seem to me to be fairly straight-forward patterns to saw out...

Claude

[Iowa Carver]

Hi Claude, not saying it's hard to cut out, but it relates to after it's cut out. See the side view how one foot is higher than the other cause its farther from us. That is how i have drawn out my patterns as well .. more like it's turned a bit.. another good example is the cowboy on the cover of Carving Magazine.. look at the pattern. When it's cut out it looks to me like it would fall over cause the feet are not level. See what i mean? Probably over thinking it.. Anyway, for me it's easier to draw a side view like that than straight on the side but wondering what it would look like cut out.

thanks!
Corey

[gtech]

I havr a caricature that has a foot not touching the ground because he is tapping with his foot. So I carved the side first and am now working front the front view to separate the legs.

I keep the wood under the elevated foot until I am ready to glue it on a base and and begin by carving away the front of the foot on the back and the back of the foot on the front.

I don't know if it is what you mean?

Gilles

[breezly]

Corey I know what you mean that Harold enlow hobo I did was in a walking position in your pattern just make sure that the heel of the one foot and the toes of the other foot are even thats how I did it

[Claude]

I think I see what you mean now. In the Gerald Sears "Pondering", there are two side views, one for each side. In the view of his right side, the left foot appears higher, while in the view of his left side, the right foot appears higher. This is caused by the drawing showing perspective - the artist has drawn the pattern as we would see the carving, not as a pattern for cutting out. Obviously if you cut the pattern with either foot raised, it would fall over. When I am using a photo or a pattern, I try to take into account the perspective view and adjust my cutout pattern as if there is no perspective. Interesting that you bring this up - I just never thought about it before and unconsciously took the perspective drawing into account when creating (or using) a pattern.

Claude

[BeaverDon]

This is a tricky area. Using a photo or even making a sketch from life will not give you a good pattern to cut out a blank. You have to actually draw it in an "unrealistic" way. That is all parts their actual size and not with any perspective. This takes some practice, but is worth learning. That's why I started making clay models, but that's not for everyone, of course. Try working on graph paper. I think that might help.

[cgm]

Originally Posted by Claude

I think I see what you mean now. In the Gerald Sears "Pondering", there are two side views, one for each side. In the view of his right side, the left foot appears higher, while in the view of his left side, the right foot appears higher. This is caused by the drawing showing perspective - the artist has drawn the pattern as we would see the carving, not as a pattern for cutting out. Obviously if you cut the pattern with either foot raised, it would fall over. When I am using a photo or a pattern, I try to take into account the perspective view and adjust my cutout pattern as if there is no perspective. Interesting that you bring this up - I just never thought about it before and unconsciously took the perspective drawing into account when creating (or using) a pattern.

Claude

I couldn't see ur problem until Claude explained it here.
When you make a pattern for cutting out, you don't draw it in perspective.
If you are using a pattern that is drawn in perspective or photo just trace around the view that is closest too you.
Here is an example of patterns not drawn in perspective.
Marv Kaisersatt, Caricature figure patterns (16 figures)
Carl