I have
been woodburning since 1999 and after
using patterns briefly when I first started woodburning, I now work primarily from photographs.
There are some very
definite advantages to using a photo instead of a pattern made by someone
else.
Pattern vs.
Photograph
With a pattern you are never sure if it’s accurate and
more often than not it's not accurate...trust me on this! When I first started burning I was relying on patterns in books and
often found that after I got the pattern on the wood and started burning
there were several inaccuracies. Some of the most common problems I've
found in patterns are: improper lighting, improper shading and shadows (shadows in the wrong
direction based on the location of the light), facial features inaccurate or
look animated, a particular flower such as an iris didn’t look anything like
an iris should look like. If there’s going to be a mistake in a piece
I’m working on, I want it to be my mistake. I don’t want to start with a
pattern that is already flawed. The other problem is that patterns (and
their go-by's) are not going to be able to give you the details you need to
create a realistic burning.
My goal is for my work to be natural and lifelike, but not to be a
“photocopy.” I can’t accomplish this by using a pattern. I’m
relying on another person's ability to create a life-like pattern and most
of the time I have been disappointed. I also want my work to be
original and you can’t be original if you’re using someone else’s pattern.
Creating your pattern from a photograph
Making
your own pattern from photos is easy if you have the right tools and I
highly recommend it. One of the main reasons I recommend it is that if you
truly want your work to be realistic it's the only way to go. You will
never capture the essence of a design by using a pattern, no matter how good
that pattern is. You can only get fine details, proper shadows and
shading using a photograph.
If you
are going to use a photo, the first thing is to find a very clear photo with
good contrast. You can enlarge the photo or shrink it to the size you want. If the photo
is in color, you will want to convert it to a black and white so that you
can see where the shading is. This will give you a better guide for shading
and tonal values than trying to use a color photo.
The
easiest way to work with a photograph is to use a scanner. If
you have a scanner and photo software you can scan it and convert any photo
from color to black and white, making any adjustments needed to ensure
clarity, contrast and brightness, etc.
If you
do not have a scanner or photo software, just make copies on a photocopy
machine, adjusting the contrast and darkness, until you get a clear photo.
Make two copies, one for tracing on the wood and the other to use
as a reference. I usually put my reference photo inside a clear Lucite
photo stand so I can easily look at it while I am working.
You do not need to convert your photos to
line drawings, all you have to do is get it into a workable black and white
photo to use as a pattern.
I do highly recommend
investing in an inexpensive scanner if you can afford it so that you can use
virtually any photograph you have and convert it and work with it from your
computer. There are so many on the market and they have really come a
long way since I bought my first one. They are worth their weight in
gold if you are going to be making your own "patterns" or if you want to
scan the burnings when you finish them for advertising, websites, etc.
I'm not a computer expert and this is not
intended as a tutorial on photo software but I will tell you that there are
a wide variety of software programs available to help you take ordinary
photos and turn them into workable patters. Most people probably
already have something loaded on their computer and may not even know it.
But, a good photo software program can be a blessing when you want to create
"patterns" from photographs not to mention all the great uses once you
finish your masterpiece.
If you already have a photo in
your computer, perhaps from your digital camera or downloaded from a public
domain website you can use make any adjustments to the photo using your
photo software such as adjusting contrast, brightness, size, etc. I
recommend printing it in black and white and making two copies...one to
trace your pattern and the other to use as a reference.
One thing you must keep in
mind that even photographs are protected by copyright. So, be sure
that if you are not using your own photos you have permission to use them.
Creating a
line drawing from a photograph
For those of you who feel you need a line
drawing as a guide rather than working directly from a photography there are
many software programs that can do this too.
There is also free software online that can
be downloaded that will allow you to create a line pattern from a photo.
It is called IrfanView and can be downloaded for free from
IrfanView.com.
I do not use this method and have not tried it but I have heard that it
works well for those that feel the need for a line drawn pattern to work
from.
Using someone
else's photos and copyright
I must also caution you here about copyright.
Now, I am
not a copyright attorney, so I will keep this part very general. You can use
copyrighted material and photos in your art as reference photos when the
finished piece or project will be for personal use. This means
that if you are wood burning a white tail deer it is very OK to go browse
the net to find photos of deer. It's OK to print those photos off and then
use them to determine how shadows, highlights, muscle structure, that sort
of thing works in the animal.
It's not
OK to slap a piece of tracing paper on top of it, make an exact pattern,
burn it exactly and then put either the pattern or the burning up for sale
as 'original' artwork. Nor is it OK to take those photos to your local wood
burning class or wood burning club and pass them out as give aways.
A good article about copyright of
photographs...
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-783122_ITM
Unless you are using your own photographs be sure that you have permission
from the photographer to use their photos. There are some
copyright free photos that are considered in "public domain", but always err
on the side of caution when using photos on the internet and get permission. One site
that is worth checking out is
www.wetcanvas.com
Happy Burning©!
Nedra
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