My 1st attempt at lettering

[ozarkhillbilly]

I have discovered by doing this piece I do not like letters! I dont have a reasonable explanation other then I just dont like doing them. This was a commissioned piece for a lady whose husband is coming home from Iraq and for now if any one asks for something similar I'm going to have to say NO! I dont do letters. Anyone else have similar feelings or am I just having a mental block?
Anyway the Bulldog was fun.....

Bill

[CanadianScroller]

Incredible job Bill.

As for the letters, it depends on the font.
I would like to see us get a collection of fonts on here with samples so we can see,
I have a font I like which only requires one hole for each letter, Then it isnt too bad.

[ozarkhillbilly]

Thanks Carl, Yes I think that perhaps a different font would of been a key to my enjoying cutting them, these letters required between 4 to 6 holes to cut them. I agree having a collection of font samples for us to view would be nice.

Bill

[minowevie]

Bill, God I hope your name isn't really Tom ( just kidding) if tom is watching.
I know who I'm talking to OZbill. anyway Bill, maybe you don't like letters, but you sure did a great job on these. I have not tried letters yet.
One of the most fantastic works I ever seen though. was in the #17 SSW holiday issue pg 90. of The Declaration of Independance. WOW.
I think you do have to like what you are doing. or , its just not fun. I don't think I would like letters eather. But I do love fretwork. you did a fine job on this piece . your friend Evie

[sheltiecarver]

Bill,
For not liking them you did a heck of a good job. Maybe they were just too precise for you, and you'd like something a little more casual. I sometimes cut "Whatever!" from scraps of 3/4" stock - it is a loose script - and it is sort of fun. But if I stray from the lines, it still looks pretty good, so there isn't a lot of pressure on me to be near perfect (as tho that were possible!!)
Anyhow, great job. That fella coming home from Iraq should love it!
Sandy

[lucky788scroller]

You didnt mention what blade you used. If its a spiral, that would explain your frustration. I dont mind cutting letters, even much smaller ones then those, but I use a flat blade for them.with a little practice, you will be cutting them fine. I think, at least from the photo, they dont really look bad, they are all still uniform in size. All in all, looks great to me!

Bill,

I've got about 300 fonts on my computer. I like using about 5 of them for scrolling. The best is when I can do a font that I can make an attachment for each letter. That way, I'm not cutting each letter out by itself, just the whole word.

[CanadianScroller]

I would sooner cut a positive letter than a negative space.
If you check out Issue 23 of SSW you will see letters cut in the positive.

I agree with grizz on the number of fonts that are good scrolling fonts.
I either print the fonts off on the PC or use brass templates.

That Declaration if Independence that Evie is talking about is beyond many of us here. I am not saying we don't have the skills to do it I just don't think many of us have the perseverance to finish it. It is really worth looking at to see a piece of art.

The mental block Bill experienced hits us all.
Think of it like this, If you ask someone who is not an artist to draw a hand. they will draw a 5 fingered blob at best. That is because the head says, why bother with this, we all know what a hand looks like.
Ask an artist to draw a hand, they will put in the curve of the fingers, the knuckles, the hair, the nail, the nail bed, etc.

Ask a scroller to cut the letters, the head says. I know what a "T" looks like, this is boring when can I cut the real stuff. The brain says that part of the project is done before it starts.

If you look at the Declaration of Independence, you will see each word is cut like the original. each is a piece of art, I do not want to say like a forgery because that isn't what it is, but the same attention to detail that a forger would use is in each word.

The real trick to scrolling letters, besides choosing the best font, is to enjoy the sawing of the wood. relish each stroke the saw makes, each bit of dust that drifts away from the wood. Take enjoyment from the action of cutting. That is what we like to do. The finished piece is the icing on the cake.

I know there are times when you cant wait to see a project complete, but there are also times when you are sad that the project is done.


thats what happens when I start to ramble

[sheltiecarver]

Eloquent, Carl.
I think you've just written Zen and the Art of Scroll Sawing.
Sandy

[bronco]

Bill.
That is a very fine piece you did, I have wanted to try lettering but have not tried it yet due to I am afraid what it will look like when I finished. Maybe one day.
Bill