Drawing and knifemaking.

[irbailey]

During a recent conversation with another knife maker (this fella...take a look...http://www.patersoncustomknives.com/) we started to talk about drawing.
I'd never thought about it before, but I realised how many drawings I do before and during the making of a knife.
Sometimes it's a plan type picture, sometimes a sketch of what it will (hopefully!!) look like when it's done and sometimes a picture in marker pen to send to a customer as it's easier to photograph.
I throw all my drawings away once they've seved their purpose, but a quick search through my shed later and I'd found this little lot. It also shows how often I tidy up, as some of these are from knives made about two years ago.







So....is anyone else a compulsive doodler, or is it just another sign that all's not well in my head?

Ian

[irbailey]

Looks like I'd better have another go at re-sizing my pictures on photobucket....seems their new edit feature has beaten me.

Ian

[rojaz]

I'm also a producer of drawings before I start a project.

I'd never connected the two before, but I have an arty background and have always loved drawing and painting.
Be interesting to see if other knifemakers also enjoy art?

[FGYT]

i keep all mine but as its on the computer in CAD it takes up no physical space

customers get a file so i have all the development and changes thru the project

also means i can compare profiles etc which i collect

i do do hand drawn some times these i scan in and convert to CAD files to clean up

If making by hand i can just print off a profile and glue to the steel or cardboard for a temporary template

ATB

Duncan

[Iron Hoarder]

Most everyone that makes things draws them first. Some just draw a lot better than others. I have to sketch and then dimension and caption since the picture doesn't really resemble what I want to make in any great detail. I'm a horribly slow drawer and not very good at it.

[grace horne]

Don't throw them out, Ian! Put them in a shoe box or something...they are fun to look at in years to come; like hearing news of old friends.

I've got my sketchbooks going back 23yrs but most of them are workshop sketchbooks designed for externalising my ideas so that I can communicate them with others. I've just realised that I rarely do observation drawings these days or drawing just for the fun of it. For years I kept a source book of interesting shapes or design resolutions that I would draw back onto but sadly I haven't had time for that for the last couple of years.

I think that it is possible to be seduced by physical exercise of drawing...which is fine if it doesn't matter but it can feel like you're working and developing a design when all your doing is stroking the aesthetics. Actually writing this post has made me realise how much I miss just drawing.

[jameswood]

[fluffy]

James even your sketches are good.
Keep this up and people will wonder why you weren't strangled at birth

[Stew]

I think doodling a knife is very useful. It helps get flowing lines, at least at an idea stage.

I find it most helpful with stick tangs, working out what to put in the stack of bits.

[grommit]

As with a lot of things in my life I'm not too good at drawing
I got to spoil this thread a little n add the old joke b4 fluffy beats me too it..."I'm good at being a artist!"

My sister is an artist and I've tried to get tips etc, even my 6 year old is better than me.
I've loved Ian's drawing for ages so I'm chuffed to bits he's added this thread.nice one.
I think I love the development from drawing to the finished project.
Mind you I was a dab hand with the old tracing paper
James you got a talent at your young age,keep it up.
Thanks for cheering my Sunday morning.
Bri

[grommit]

As with a lot of things in my life I'm not too good at drawing
I got to spoil this thread a little n add the old joke b4 fluffy beats me too it..."I'm good at being a artist!"

My sister is an artist and I've tried to get tips etc, even my 6 year old is better than me.
I've loved Ian's drawing for ages so I'm chuffed to bits he's added this thread.nice one.
I think I love the development from drawing to the finished project.
Mind you I was a dab hand with the old tracing paper
James you got a talent at your young age,keep it up.
Thanks for cheering my Sunday morning.
Bri

[Chastiser]

drawing is an excellent way of putting some flesh onto your ideas. often, once a drawing is done, and you are happy that it matches what you have in your mind, only then do some of the impracticalities stand out, say limitations of a material, or even limitations of what you are actually capable of doing. your adjustments to your drawing allow you to bring down your idea to something you can actually do.

i used to draw lots years ago, but oddly havent for a very long time.

both ian's and jame's drawings are excellent and i like how james has shown the prodigeny of his drawings as well.

[Iron Hoarder]

James even your sketches are good.
Keep this up and people will wonder why you weren't strangled at birth

As long as his brother doesn't hack his fingers off.

[Scoutmaster]

As has been said you need to kep drawing to look back on in years to come.

I draw out my handles in order to get the lines looking right and to suss out how I am going to stack the parts. I draw round blades to start with.


Knife designs by alf.branch, on Flickr

[irbailey]

James even your sketches are good.
Keep this up and people will wonder why you weren't strangled at birth

Don't worry Fluffy, I reckon he drew round them afterwards...they look far too clean!!

I kind of like the idea of keeping my drawings, but I also worry that I'll be featured on a TV documentary about the UK's greatest hoarders or something.

I agree that it'd be interesting to look back on though. I might well start throwing them in a box file or something.
A lot of the time, they get cut up in order to make patterns, blanks, etc. The picture of the frame handle bowie has had the handle cut off as I remember making blank pattern from the original drawing.

I've nearly finished a couple of the knives drawn on here, and I'll post them so you can see how different the knife is to the original picture. Sometimes they're close, othertimes, not quite .

I've always loved to draw, but it's only just dawned on me how much I actually do.

Thanks for sharing your pictures and thoughts...very interesting.

Ian