Drawing on Copper

[EmmaC]

I'm a bit self concious about posting my work having seen some of the other fantastic stuff on here! It's all quite classy and then I come along with a bit of copper and a Dremel engraver! However I do like the Dremel, it kind of suits the way I draw, I like line, and it's a fun way for me to draw onto metal. I'm always open to feedback about how I can improve, I've only been doing metal work since march this year so any critique gratefully received :)

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[ShinyLauren]

I think it's brilliant Emma! I couldn't engrave with my flex shaft if my life depended on it.

[solitarysmagick]

Ooh that is lovely! :) I was bought a dremel engraver for xmas. So far my attempts have been no where near as good :) Not ready to give up yet though, practice makes perfect!

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[CJ57]

Lovely detail which must require a lot of control Emma, I couldn't do that to save myself :)

[Dennis]

A very pretty bee, full of the personality you have given it Emma. I only use that engraver to sign items and struggled to control it, until I ground it to a more acute angle. So if you have a spare point you might like to sharpen it for additional options. Dennis.

[camalidesign]

That's fab Emma! I would love to see you engrave something on silver :)

I would really like to learn engraving, I do have a Proxxon engraver that I should get out of its box.... and get going! You may just have inspired me to do just that!

Carin

[Petal]

That's gorgeous Emma, especially the bee. I also really like your other items on your website, especially the calendula pendant.

[caroleallen]

Love it. I too struggle to control a Dremel engraver. Maybe I should persevere a bit.

[ShinyLauren]

Ah, I see - I thought you were doing it with a regular dremel and burrs! I've never seen the Dremel engraver before - now you've made me want to try it.

[art925]

My dremel engraver has a will of its own, please tell me how to tame the beast...fantastic work.

[EmmaC]

Thank you so much for the lovely replies, I really appreciate it! I am definitely going to try your tip Dennis about grinding the points, it would be lovely to get variable line weight with it if I could.

I'll be honest the first time I used it I thought it was a beast to control too. You have to be very firm with it or it has a mind of it's own, it also has a tendency to push the metal away so you need to have a firm hold of both. Probably the secret of success is to choose a design that plays to it's strengths, I wouldn't want to do long sinuous lines with it. It's also hard to re-enter lines with it neatly. Shorter lines and dots are easier with it. Dots are really useful for areas you want tone, I used to do whole pen and inks just using dots!
Nature subjects are very forgiving, I did this Blue Tit and you can see the lines on it are short, so easier to manage, and any slight squiffiness just adds to the charm of the bird. I need to take frequent breaks too as it's quite hard on your hands maintaining control. But I like it so much I've set myself the challenge of doing a series of British Flora and Fauna with it to improve my skills at drawing small stuff as opposed to big paintings.

Have no idea how it works on silver, as I don't use silver much due to the cost. Really I'm just a hobbyist who sells the odd bit I make to fund the addiction to creating more stuff :)

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[Dennis]

Yes, this has the makings of a really super series. A hedgehog next?


My dremel engraver has a will of its own, please tell me how to tame the beast...

Well for me: grinding the point to have a more acute angle. This means it works more like a pencil and you can actually see the point as it writes. Next using the lowest vibration that works. Thirdly dampening the vibrations by pressing the piece down firmly on a cloth. As I only use it occasionally, I also do one practice run on waste metal first, to get used to the feel.Dennis.

[LydiaNiz]

Lovely! I especially love your bee! I have an old (cheap) engraver I bought from Manchester Minerals, that is pretty much useless to me. It vibrates so much, I have never been able to get an even line of any kind. I wonder whether the dremel may be more kind in terms of shake?

[MeadMoon]

You have really caught the character of the Blue Tit - or should that be "jizz" as birdwatchers say. I too cannot control my Dremel engraver, but will try again using Dennis's tips. Thank you!

[Gemsetterchris]

I like those :)
Maybe you should try traditional bulino or scrimshaw if you find the dremel abit limiting.

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[EmmaC]

I just had to quickly Google bulino engraving as not heard of it, but I'm in love with it now! I can see it's definitely something I need to have a closer look at, it's very appealing to me the amount of realism and detail that can be achieved, thank you very much for mentioning it :)

I'm trying to work on a badger next, although he's looking more like a stripey bear at the moment!

Lydia, the Dremel has about five different speed settings on it, so you may find it easier to use as you could put it on a lower setting which would lessen the vibration.

[ps_bond]

With the drawing you're doing there, I think you'd find it fairly easy to switch to the more traditional tools.

[Goldsmith]

I agree with Peter, have a go with some traditional tools, I loved learning to use an engraver in my apprentice years. I always preferred engraving animal pictures to the letter engraving, and learning to use a hand push graver is very useful for other skills in this trade, such as carving and setting.

James

[art925]

Thanks Dennis for the tips on using the dremel tool. I have a busy time right now, but I will blow the dust off and give it another chance.

lesinnl

[Tabby66]

You are obviously a very talented artist Emma and your work with the dremel is gorgeous!! Beautiful pieces, I'm looking forwards to seeing more :D

[EmmaC]

I'm so chuffed with the positive responses thank you!

I've got the tool department where husband works to grind down a Dremel point on their lathe. I make extensive use of their services! I already have some hand gravers for wood engraving, which according to the Lyons website should be okay with copper, but I need to get them ground to the right angle and a heel put on them and I'll give it a go and see how I get on :)

[TeeDee]

I'm a bit self concious about posting my work having seen some of the other fantastic stuff on here! It's all quite classy and then I come along with a bit of copper and a Dremel engraver! However I do like the Dremel, it kind of suits the way I draw, I like line, and it's a fun way for me to draw onto metal. I'm always open to feedback about how I can improve, I've only been doing metal work since march this year so any critique gratefully received :)

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Been meaning to respond to this for a while.
I don't know why you are self conscious. As I mentioned in another thread your painted and drawn artwork is terrific and I think the engravings you show in this thread capture reality but in a style all of your own. I hope we see more of it especially if you go on to use traditional methods.
I seem to recall you had an interest in learning enamelling. With your understanding of colour in wildlife scenes if you could combine colour with engraving (if that is technically possible) and in your own style, I believe you would have a unique combination.

Tim

[EmmaC]

Thanks very much Tim :) at the risk of sounding like a nutcase I actually really *hate* looking at any of my own work because all I ever see is the mistakes, hence the self consciousness I guess. On the flip side though the continual desire to get better is what keeps me interested in the work, double edged sword and all that!

Enamelling can be used with engraving I believe, and also chasing and repousse which are two areas I'm playing about with, it's a steep learning curve!

[Tabby66]

Same here Emma.....everything I post I can see the imperfections in, I think most of us are the same, the more you do, the more you get your eye in and notice things you'd like to improve,.....but, I guess that's part of the never-ending challenge that I love!!

[Stirring Moose]

That's some really nice work. Never really tangled with a powered engraver myself, always just stuck with hammer and gravers. Looks like you know what you're about with the mechanical version though :)

S.M.

[TeeDee]

Same here Emma.....everything I post I can see the imperfections in, I think most of us are the same, the more you do, the more you get your eye in and notice things you'd like to improve,.....but, I guess that's part of the never-ending challenge that I love!!

Likewise! I recently deleted a number of photos that were destined for Etsy as I could see a slight mark and convinced myself it needed polishing out..
I do have a couple of quality control methods thought. One is to get opinions from people I trust to be ruthlessly critical and the other is to constantly look at other work on the market that is of good quality and seems to sell well.
I also remind myself that 'handmade' often includes small signature marks that demonstrate it really is handmade.

[Patstone]

Another good way is to take a photo of it with your phone and enlarge it. Every scratch shows.

[caroleallen]

Well Dennis, you've done it again! I've been struggling with my Dremel engraver for years and rarely use it. After grinding down the tip to a sharper point, I can now see where I'm going with it and it's working like magic. I'm actually not using it for anything jewellery related. I've been using it to make intaglio plates for my print-making course. I shall be top of the class next week. If I get any prints that I'm happy with, I'll show you. They're all a bit amateurish at the moment.

[Dennis]

Thanks for the feed back Carole, to see where I was going was my problem too. Glad you've found a gap to do something different. Dennis.