Learning Metal Engraving: Week 2, even 3.
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Time is flying by. I’m still working on the panels for the screen, but I’ll write about that separately. I’ve been engraving much more often, though. My original plan was two sessions a week, but that has now become at least four. So I’m spending around an hour a day engraving, apart from weekends. Here’s a small selection of what I’ve managed to do.
The leaf designs are from Sam Alfano’s course. I bought his videos a while ago, and they came with several PDFs. The circles are from there too. I bought some more brass and cut it into 50 × 50 mm plates. And they’re awkward to work with! The plates we used in class were 30 mm across, and I made 40 mm ones at home, but 50 mm feels so far removed from miniature work that I’m completely out of my comfort zone. I can’t explain why. Anyway, I ended up cutting some of the plates in half, giving me 25 mm-wide pieces, which turned out to be just right for me.
The pattern on the plate with the vertical lines and notches is one I stole from class. The trick is to make those notches very neatly, hitting the exact center of the groove without touching the opposite wall. I wrestled with this for several days and, by the end of the second week, I think I’d found a little bit of zen. By the third week, I was getting it right much more often. Plain straight lines are still torture for me, but I’ve made my peace with that. Sometimes I think the problem is the pedal rather than me: the speed occasionally jumps quite abruptly, and I’ve been struggling with that for months now. I still don’t know how to solve it, so I’m training my foot to handle those transitions more sensitively.
My circles are getting a little better. For now, I’m aiming for 50 hours of practice in total before drawing any conclusions. I dread the thought that any of this might be a waste of time. Surely it will help with my woodcarving too… it will, won’t it?
A useful addition to my practice: I’ve started a separate notebook just for engraving. Previously, I only had a sketchbook and a general work notebook. I realized I needed to bring everything together in one place. Putting it together will give me some extra practice and a chance to revisit the theory.
I’m also trying to draw more often again. I’ll have to show you some sketches at some point, just to prove I’m not making it all up. For now, I’m drawing a bit of everything: exercises, sketches from life, ornamental designs, and furniture. I’m muddling along to keep moving and keep my spirits up.
Let’s see what next week brings. I want to make some new practice plates. I’ve already worked through the ones I have several times, and I’m ready for something new.