Winter.

[Dennis]

Temperature 4° feels like 2°: so says the Met Office. Light snow flurries and drifts of leaves in the parks.

Here where I live we just have road kill.

On the up side, if you have a copier that reduces, these plane leaves make good templates for leaf themed jewellery.

[enigma]

Thats beautiful Dennis, wonderful colours!
Stupidly Ive never thought of doing that, I spent ages looking for a leaf the right size, searching out the baby ones !

[china]

Well just to make you jealous, it is currently 10.15 pm and it is 20 deg c, just how I like it two days ago it was 38 deg c
while I'm here Dennis, how to type the deg symbol I have tried looking on Google it never seems to work

[Dennis]

Hi Bob,
I used the character map from here. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=character+map&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=n5giWuSeLoeGgAb-nLP4CA

But it is tedious to hunt through, so I have copied my favourite symbols to my note pad and keep a shortcut on my desk top. As I remember, the way they suggest to use it did not work for me, but you can just highlight each character and copy and paste.

A minor miracle each time it works. Dennis.

[Dennis]

I use that facility a lot Sarah. As I am not a good drawer, I also draw things oversized before reducing them. It gives me a good idea of how much to retain and how much is a waste of time when reduced.

You might remember this flapper brooch, a detail from a poster. Dennis.

[enigma]

I do often draw things larger then reduce, I also cheat by drawing one half of symmetrical items Dennis, just never thought about scanning a leaf or other organic item in for some reason.
Great brooch too!

[ps_bond]

I also cheat by drawing one half of symmetrical items

That's cheating now is it?
Oh well.
I use an inexpensive Huion lightpad for tracing - originally purchased to see if I could use it as a lit support for photos, but it doesn't really put out enough light to be useful for that. It's pretty good for its intended purpose, however.

On leaves, I saw this the other day -

https://vimeo.com/242993246

Really like the method for defining the petiole - it's one of those "why didn't I think of that" techniques.

[Dennis]

That's done with the ease of a craftsman. My chasing is not even enough and pitch is not user friendly in a home environment.

So after reticulating my leaf, I superglued lengths of binding wire for the veins, wrapped it in paper and put it lightly through the mill.

Ater removong the wires and cleaning it up, the patina was added by selective heating with a mini-torch.

The test piece I made first is till brigthly coloured after some years. Dennis.

[handmadeblanks]

Well just to make you jealous, it is currently 10.15 pm and it is 20 deg c, just how I like it two days ago it was 38 deg c
while I'm here Dennis, how to type the deg symbol I have tried looking on Google it never seems to work

Assuming you use a Windows PC: While holding down the ALT key type 0176 on your number keypad then release the ALT key.

If you look in Windows Character map it gives you the keystroke on the bottom right.

10731

[enigma]

Haha! well it always feels like cheating as symmetry is something that I find so difficult otherwise.
Great vid thanks for sharing.
I used a lead block to shape and add veins to my leaf,I keep intending to get some pitch and do some chasing and repose but time eludes me.