Bags!

Shhhhhh....

I don't think he looks and it is almost done. I am doing a bag for a friend. Today, I incised the leather and stained it a bit. I ran out of brown dye as my dye had tipped over in the storage container. I am glad I am using plastic storage containers now.

The first thing I did was make the basics of the pouch. I could get pretty far without carving the image. I created a simple pattern and cut the pieces out. I found there were a few ways people were doing these but I haven't found any local museums that might have something I need in their catalog. I am going to see if I can do that later on today.

like the one I made for Beccabutt's Heraldry Flash Card Set. IThe pattern is simple. It is a kidney bag, much created a prototype of the pouch so she could work with her flash cards and carry them around with her. You might as well get *something* for learning to be a herald. Thank goodness I found someone to foist it off on. I am thrilled to go back to simple yelling and looking up names. Anyhow, I started with a basic kidney pattern. Notice the two pieces of paper? Ok, for the top of the pouch you put both together and cut that. For the bottom, just the rectangle. I also added about 2 inches between the two pattern pieces on this pouch because I plan on adding a strip of leather to make the pouch roomy.

The leather is a light, vegetable tanned hide. I got it from a local supplier and got a half way decent, cheap half. I think this is 8-9 ounce leather. I cut the pieces and even put the rivets in the back of the top layer. I used solid copper rivets because I know how to pound them over and they look spiffy to me. I am not fond of pop rivets because I made my own armor. Those rivets fall off all the time.


The next step is to make a cartoon. I am going to show you the steps with the West Kingdom Populace badge.

I blew the drawing up on my computer and printed it out. I took another piece of paper over the top, taped it to my window and then traced just the outline. Here is a version with the West Kingdom populace badge. You can see the tracing on the window. I don't have a light box. I have a great window with a kick butt view. Anyhow, I taped it up to the window and traced the outline.


Notice that I didn't do a lot of detail. Too much detail might have pulled away from my final image. I will be painting the image part after the pouch is dry. With more detailed drawings, I make the cartoon part a lot less detailed than the original drawing. All of my details and shading can be done with tools or paint.

So, here is the West Kingdom demi sun!








The next step is easy. You just get the leather damp. You want somewhere between damp and wet. I take a clean rag and dampen it with very warm water. I gently wring it so that it is not drippy. Then I brush the leather once, twice, three times. You will see three distinct color changes in the wet leather. I find that the third color change is perfect for my hand. Your mileage may differ. When the leather is wet, secure the cartoon onto the damp leather with tape or clamps. Then take a fine, blunt object and trace your design. I have a stylus now that I got for a dollar at a craft store. I have usually used ball point pens that have run out of ink. Don't use one with ink because sometimes you draw through the paper as it gets a little damp. Oh and use heavy paper to transfer the design. Good quality printer paper is perfect.



When your design is transfered on, remove the cartoon and look for touch up areas to clean it up for the next process. Notice the leather is still a bit wet? Once the transfer is complete, you can take a break. I wouldn't advise it if you haven't gotten the whole transfer done as things jostle. I hate tracing a design and having it off center a bit. Plus, you end up having to rewet things and start over. So, now is the time to take a break if you need one.






Once your cartoon is on the leather, you can gently carve it. I use an exacto knife. I prefer the heavier one. It doesn't skip around in my hand like a lighter one. You can also use a swivle knife that is made for leather or a razor blade or sharp knife. Just drag the blade with a light and level pressure. Do not cut through the leather. You are just scoring the surface. I went a tad too deep here.







Here is a shot of me tooling a bit of the design. I learned how to do this by using the end of a nail. Use the flat end to create a flat planer. I do both sides of each cut. You may need to rewet the leather to get it to bevel. That is what you are doing here, just beveling the carving.















It takes a bit to level each cut out. Don't worry if they are not pretty and perfect . I just start lightening the pressure.

Everything looks icky and dented in this picture, and it was. The good thing is that the tools smooth the skin gently as you go.




Below is the finished design for my new trifold pouch!