[AlArchie]

This is directed toward fishcarving mostly but I guess it could be applied to just about anthing.

I have no qualms about using comercial patterns for my fish carvings. I mean just how much difference can there be in the basic SHAPE of a brook trout, crappie, perch, etc? There are variances in girth and some with relative head size when the size of the fish increases, but that basic fusilade shape will stay pretty constant. Taking your own photos is a great idea, but the fins on fish when laid out for picture taking, usually are withdrawn and laid flush along the body. The commercial patterns give you good fin definition.

By using specimine photos, individual direct measurements, and an opaque projector, you can overlay changes in profile onto the comercial patterns and prety well "customize" any fish you want to reproduce. Reference photos are important anyway, so it's a good idea to incorporate them into the pattern development early on. Also the opaque projector allows you to either up-size or down-size any pattern or photo to the exact size you want.

A big problem with the opaque projectors is that you have to stand or work in FRONT of the projector beam. I solved this by building a framed glass screen, and using freezer paper for my pattern. I put the paper (fairly translucent) on the "away side" of the glass, project onto the glass and trace from the other side, staying out of the projected image alltogether. You can mark the exact lenght you want your subject to be on your pattern paper and adjust the projected image to those marks.

A couple good pattern sources are

www.stillerpatterns.com

www.fishcarver.com

There are also many books with pattrerns available but these two sources are some of the easiest to use.
Just take your own reference photos and combine them with the comercial patterns and you have a customized product.

Al

[Ashbys]

AL ,
I agree, I use comercial patterns, on some things, And on others my own, there is nothing wrong with using them, great simple resourse which oftens helps at least lead us in a direction of what we want to do. I can not draw except to get a rough of what I want. The dragon I just finished did not have a single line drawn on it except for the scale lines.
When you can only see it in your mind, and can not put into a drawing it is a great handicap in showing a perspective customer of what you have in mind. To see the skills of the artist to be able to show what they have in their minds is a great talent. And if they are willing to share that talent with others by doing patterns, I for one would not refuse.

Ash

[Nancy_G]

I don't care to use a standard/commercial pattern of my Santas so I just wait every year until he's coming down my chimney. I take as many photos of him as I can trying to get every possible position. Then I draw lots of patterns and I'm ready to carve

[AlArchie]

Ya, Nancy, but you can draw!

Al

[Paul_Guraedy]

Drawing is a problem for those of us with little training and no ability! But, I have found a way around this handicap. I started out by finding pictures of the bird I wanted to carve. Once selected, I would place a grid of small squares over the figure. The next step was to decide on the size I wanted for my "go by" drawing. It was then fairly simple to draw the figure onto a sheet of drawing paper that had grids on it. All I had to do was match up the squares. The next step in this evolutionary process was to start making changes in postions of head, body, etc.

I can now draw animals, that I am familiar with, in whatever position/setting I want (with the help of a lot or correction....use more rubber than carbon in my drawings). But, still would not even consider trying this without the crutch of those little squares on the paper. A blank piece of wood is lovely and inviting; a blank piece of drawing paper is a terrifying thing.

[arbarnhart]

I have been using the squares trick also. I have been doing it for scroll saw stuff and now adapting to carving, which is tougher with that 3rd dimension thrown in. On the parts that are really tricky, I even measure how far from the corner the drawing lines cross the grid lines and mark that first. I really want to get good at drawing and lettering.

[fishcarver2004]

Originally Posted by Nancy_G

I don't care to use a standard/commercial pattern of my Santas so I just wait every year until he's coming down my chimney. I take as many photos of him as I can trying to get every possible position. Then I draw lots of patterns and I'm ready to carve

Now we know why you are the BEST Santa carver there is!!
Stacey

[whitecree]

For those of you with a good graphics program and know how to use it AND have access to a flatbed scanner -

Scan your image into your computer. Boot up your graphics program, and import the scanned image. Use your bezier tool to outline the image you scanned as well as any pertinent details required. Change the lines to curves, then "rubberband" the lines to fit closely to yoiur original scanned image. Once you have traced the image in as much detail as you need, delete the scanned image from the graphics program, and presto! There is a pattern ready to print.

Of course, most printers are limited to about 8X10 printouts, so larger projects are a bit tricky.

And drawing is like any other creative aspect. Practice, practice and more practice.

[Thomp]

Some assistance in pattern making i had recently was for my grandsons 2 year old birthday held this past saterday... since he is a bob the builder nut, my daughter (his mom) and i decided he needed a bob the builder theam,
using google i searched bob the builder and found enough graphics to make the whole team,,
in addition from google they have a software called picasa2 it is a graphic cotolouger and dose a fine job, although it writes a pecasa.ini file in each folder it finds a graphic in, if you need help ir have questions on pecasa let me know i can talk you through it.,

never the less pecasa2 has a polster maker,
i took a graphic of each of the charters and printed them out with black draft only, then assembled the pages and used them as pattern to cut out 3 foot high decorations out of luan plywood. the decorations were such a big hit my grand son was last seen putting bob and wendy in his crib to sleep with ....

many programs have this polster making capibilitys, which the bob & windy charters printed out 16 full pages, i suggest to be stengy with the ink, that alone could use a 36.00 ink cartrage, but black draft is not as bad. i refill my black cartrages,,,
if any of you want to try this or have problems let me know if i can help

i also have a projectorscope which enlarges printed pictures and cast's them across the room for you to draw-trace onto bigger sized paper you may want.

[Ashbys]

Guys,
Graphic programs are great, the ability of taking a picture and then moving it to a graphic program to produce a pattern has been a great asset to many many people.
But when I speak of producing a pattern , I am speaking of taking something that does not exist , putting it in to a drawing form and duplicating it in to a carving or a finish good.
I have done drafting and part design for a number of years, to sit down at a drafting table and using rulers and straight edges or free curves to measurement is easy for me almost second nature if you will, I can do rough idea drawings and advance them to a finihsed product, but that is not the same as being able to do the drawings that is reproduced in an artist hand.
Look at the drawings Dale made in the thread dream commission, I can not do that type of work. His ability to draw those patterns is beyond anything I can do on a drafting board.
So commerical patterns , to save hours of work sure, if someone has a pattern they are willing to share, and it is something I think I want to do, beyond a doubt I would use it, and I have. I think that is the point AL was making, there is nothing wrong with using a pattern. Although many think there is especially is some of the comptitions I have heard about.

Ash