Before You Start a Project Part II

Here we are at part two of our prep.  Today I want to go over how to come up with a design and then how to transfer that design to the leather.  (These transferring techniques work for transferring patterns too.  I'll go into more detail when we get to it.)

First I want to note that picking a tooling design isn't necessarily done before you start.  You may have three or four steps to get through before you get to the "tooling" step and you may want to wait until then to figure out what you are going to tool on the piece.  (The important bit is getting your steps in order and knowing when you will be tooling.  Then you can make up the design when you get to that step.  Also, don't go all "free form" and try to tool without a design already in mind.  Unless, of course, you are an awesome leather worker in which case, why the hell are you reading this blog?)

You will want figure out what type of piece are you making.  You need to ask yourself some questions.  Who will be using the piece?  (If you are selling it then what type of person do you envision using the piece?)  Is it functional?  What can you do well and/or what do you like?  These all sound like stupid questions but you need to ask them so you can figure out what you want to tool onto the leather.

Sometimes I know exactly what I'm going to put on a piece the second I think of creating the piece itself.  Other times I don't know until I sit down to tool the leather.  Once you have your design ready in your mind it is time to head back to the paper.  Draw it out.  Work out the kinks.  Also make sure it will fit on your piece.  After you have worked out all the issues now it is time to pull out the carbon paper.  OR you can do an old trick my Dad taught me.  Turn the paper over and using a pencil shade the paper opposite your design.  Make sure you cover the whole area your design covers and shade it dark.  Then clip to your piece, trace the design, and now you should have a penciled design on your leather.  After you have tooled it you can erase the carbon or pencil markings left over.

That also can be used for patterns but I would put the patterns on the flesh side of the leather.  The other idea I use is just drawing the pattern right on the flesh side of the leather if you are measuring it out.  I use a pen when I do this.  (You can skive off the marks later.)

That is pretty much all there is to it.  Let me know what you think by dropping me a line.  Until then, Happy Crafting!