just getting started

[kyscroller]

I bought my saw on sunday. Decided to do 8x10 portraits. I am cutting my first portrait and it is my dad. It is him standing there from about the knees up. 8x 10 seemed pretty big until I cut the board and attached the pattern. I have it about 3/4 cut hoping to finish the cut today after i get up. three things came to mind and wanted to see if anyone could help.

1)I chose portraits so I wouldn't have to worry about stomping on copyrights : does anybody have any good sights to research this or a rule of thumb

2)when doing portraits is it better to do a head shot, or is it common to cut them out with cut lines being no wider than 3 or 4 blade widths.

3)on patterns if the subject wheres a hat its not a problem to convert a photograph into a pattern just alot of clean up. but if they have brown or blond hair and even facial hair I find I cant get it to look right help regarding this issue would greatly be appreciated

[woodwilldo]

I don't know much about the whole copyright issue, i did the same thing you are doing. Making my own patterns to cut and my own portraits to stay away from the whole copyright issue.

First let me say that I'm not a Jeff Z. or a Gary B. But I am dabbling in the portrait making hobby. When I make my portrait patterns i usually stick with the shoulders up to the head. If a body is needed i will do it. But when you have the body it seems to make the portrait smaller so that it fits within the 7"x9" size for an 8x10 portrait.

When doing a portrait I don't think about the size of the lines, I really want the details if a line is only a veining line then it is, if i'm cutting out a 4 inch shadow so be it. Really it all goes back to how you like it and if it meets your standards for a good pattern to cut.

When it comes to hair it does get a little difficult when your making the patterns. The best way i have found to really get details with the hair is focus on that area exclusively. If your using a computer program pick up the freehand lasso tool and just trace around the hair and do a threshold adjustment see how much detail you get and then undo it and either use the dodge or burn tool to lighten it or darken it. There is also the lighten and darken tool in some programs. I have done this on alot of patterns to get facial hair and hair on peoples head. My first portrait was a portrait of myself. I figured if I messed up my own portrait no one would be upset. Boy it was nice I have no hair on my head. and just some basic facial hair. I looked good! HA HA I went ahead a tried another person in the family with hair and boy that was a mess. I started to make everyone in my family bald. That didn't go over too well with the wife. LOL The bad this is i'm only 25. That is what happens when you teach 3rd grade.

I hope this helps.

Jesse