Taking Lath Art To The Next Level

Dave Lampman has been doing lath art since 1979. He describes his work as "Casual art with a touch of understated elegance." Whatever it is, it certainly is beautiful. Check out his online gallery of some of his work. Perhaps it will inspire you to give lath art a try. When you're ready, head over to Lath Art Discussion Help and Examples blog, where he's a contributing author. There you'll find some great tips and more examples that will get you on your way!

Silhouette Letter Holder

Here's a neat project from Christine of Chantournage which I thought was rather clever. She cut out a silhouette of an animal. But instead of throwing away the scrap, she turned that into the back panel for this letter/napkin holder. It really gives this project a nice effect. Possible Christmas gifts? I think so! This would be a great project for those on your Christmas list as it can easily be cut in an afternoon. You can find silhouette patterns in a number of areas. Dingbats, internet clipart, Dover Clipart books or even 99 Silhouette Patterns for the Scroll Saw by Terence Calway!

Be sure to check out Christine's website and check out some more of her other work. Maybe it'll spark an idea or two for other Christmas gifts!

Huh's New Hobby

Yost69 of HuhDoWhat.com has a nice collection of original scroll saw patterns he made available to those who want them. He covers a wide variety of subjects from Whistler's Mother to sports cars. He has a little something for everybody. While you're there, be sure to check out his cuttings in his gallery. He has a lot of great pictures that will surely inspire your next project!

Intarsia Workshop

You can definitely tell Brent Rogillio of Intarsia Workshop was bitten by the intarsia bug. His love for the artform is very apparent in his work. Brent has put together a great gallery of over 60 pieces he has created, mostly for his friends and family. He creates each piece for a specific person who has influenced his life. While he works, he often reflects on what that person means to him. What a wonderful way to work.

His website also includes a brief history of intarsia as well as an overview of the process. He even has a few pictures of his workshop! Check it out! Perhaps the intarsia bug will bite you too!

Hobby Horse Toys

International travel is fun, huh? Well, let's not stop, because this time we're flying over to Ireland. Last week I wrote about hobby horses during folk toy week. During my research, I came across some hobby horses that I was in awe of. I desperately wanted to write about it at the time, but they were so wonderful, they really deserved their own post.

Dan Hillman of Hobby Horse Toys has a really neat approach to his hobby horses. Each hobby horse includes wheels on the end to lighten the wear and tear as well as help facilitate easier movement. He also incorporated a saddle-like swoop for comfort! He painstakingly paints each horse individually with his own homemade paint and finish. Each customized with whimsical scrolls and the child's name. Dan's hobby horses really captures magic and fantasy that will delight the imagination. Be sure to check out his blog and website. He has several other cool products that you might enjoy. And keep an eye out for the dragon hobby horse! Very cool!

Real Fez

While you have your passport out, lets jump over to Algeria. Real Fez has a new blog where he shares his most recent works. If that wasn't enough, he was also kind enough to share some of his patterns! And who doesn't love free patterns? Recently, he's been experimenting with cork, which has been really interesting to read. It would be fun to try working with this often overlooked material. I think there are a lot of possibilities there. Anyway, check out his blog. He has a unique approach to his projects that might serve for some great inspiration.

La Bottegaccia

Time to grab your passport, because this time we're flying to Italy. Cristina Gallons is an Italian scroll saw artist with a relatively new blog called La Bottegaccia. Here she displays many of her portrait cuttings of the stars of the past, my favorite being this portrait of Charlie Chaplin. You'll find such stars at Abbot & Costello, Marylin Monroe and John Lennon. Her most recent cutting was a backlit lamp, that really turned out stunning. She has a lot of great stuff to look at, so be sure to stop by and check it out. Perhaps it will spark an idea or two for your next project!

If you don't speak Italian, don't worry. You can easily use Google Translate or Babel Fish to translate her website. Or you can just click here for a translation. The translation tools aren't perfect, but it should give you a pretty good indication of what's being said.

Kat Cat Intarsia

Here's a fun site for you intarsia artists out there. Kathy from Kat Cat Intarsia offers a number of great things on her website which really makes it interesting. First, and formost, she has several original patterns for sale that might interest you. But my favorite area is her Catalog. Here she is able so show off her work and skill. There's nothing more inspirational than looking at another artist's work. Perhaps it will even spark an idea or two for yourself! While you're there, check out her quick history of intarsia and be sure to check out her workshop! She has provided a couple of great photos and a description about her work area. Fun website!

Windmill Project Video

Frank from FranksWoodshop.com has put together a great video, demonstrating how he put together a windmill plaque. This 3 part video shows you each step of the way as he cuts and assembles his windmill plaque. The steps are covered in detail along with plenty of commentary. A very cool project. After you're done watching these great videos, be sure to check out his website. He has some really great stuff in his gallery. He also has another video in the video section, showing you around the scroll saw.

Scroll Saw Fonts

There is no such thing as too many fonts. Scrollers love them! But often we have to modify our favorite fonts in order to get them cuttable. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some fonts designed specifically for scrollers? Well, Mike from Scrollcrafters has come through by offering 3 different fonts for your computer. The first font (Deskset) is designed for desk nameplates. The other two (Scollsoni and Stencil) is intended for fretwork. Be sure to add these free fonts to your collection. While you're there, check out some of his cuttings. He does fantastic work!

Classic Lathart

Lath art has really caught my imagination. I like the rustic/folk art feel that it provides. Since there isn't a lot of information about this great American folk art, I'm always excited to see a new website pop up. Rod Skramstad from Classic Lathart has a number of pictures of his one-of-a-kind creations. His lath art paintings range from simplistic to intricate. Each piece full of personality and stories waiting to be unveiled. While he doesn't sell patterns, his work is certainly inspiring. Check it out. And be sure to read the history of lath art on the front page. Very interesting reading.

Double Vision

Here's a fun site for you compound cutters! Bill and Kathy Coons from Wood Lovers Shop has a creative way of turning a generic compound cut figurine into something extra special. These figurines have two images, depending on which angle you look at it. They have a video of the figurine turning on their website. Just like magic, the image comes together before your eyes. They have cut a number of these designs for their customers. I don't think they offer their patterns, but this clever idea can easily be adapted for your own designs. Check it out. While you're there, check out some of their other great products. A very talented team, indeed.

Update: Thanks to the Anonymous poster in the comments section below, it turns out these patterns are available from Sam Keener's book 128 Compound Scroll Saw Patterns. So if you like to try your hand at these patterns, check out his book!

Pictures In Wood

Here's a great gallery for you intarsia/segmentation artists. This gallery shows the work of Pictures In Wood from Cambridgeshire, UK. They do a lot of custom work and primarily use pine because it's an easily renewable resource. They depend on staining the wood with acrylic so the grain shows through and really bring the project to life. Its amazing the vibrancy they are able to achieve with their color. They do remarkable work. Definitely worth checking out.

Summer Dreams

Sometimes you come across a project and all you can say is, "Wow." Robin from WoodWirtz has several pictures of her work that is really remarkable. Including this fireplace screen with 5664 interior cuts. She embellishes the woodcut with an airbrush. She uses watercolors so the wood grain shows through. It is a beautiful technique that makes a very unique finish piece. Take a look!

BigWood2LittleWood Patterns

Are you itching to cut a few portraits? If so, I've got a site for you! Brenda Herthel from BigWood2LittleWood has a huge collection of designs that will keep you busy for the next year! With over 150 free patterns to choose from, you'll have a tough time trying to figure out which one to cut first! Each pattern is in JPG format and high enough resolution for easy scaling. They are organized very well so you can find what you want with ease. While you're there, check out the rest of her site. She has a some nice sections like her own gallery and finished projects from her readers. Very cool.

Lath Art Progression Pictures

I learn best by example and demonstration. That's why I love progression pictures and tutorials so much. So I was pretty excited when I saw Christopher Hildebrand's set of progression pictures as he puts together a lath art painting of a horse grazing. He makes a few comments about each photo. The photos are high resolution, which makes it easy to see the details and is really quiet helpful in understanding how a lath art painting is put together.

Chris also has another set of progression pictures in his personal gallery as he puts together a golf course scene. Many of these pictures also have comments This 9 picture set breaks down each step a little bit more, which I find especially helpful.

So if lath art painting is in your future, be sure to check out Chris' two sets of progression pictures (set 1, set 2). I bet you'll learn a lot just by watching him work!

Lath Art

One thing that amazes me most about scrolling, is the number of art forms that develop because of this simple tool. I came across Lath Art a while back and found it very interesting. Lath Art is a folk art that uses, oddly enough, lath. You know, those strips of wood used to hold plaster to the wall? Sometimes you'll find fishermen using old lobster traps whereas more contemporary artists may use lattice or lumber stickers.

Lath art is similar to marquetry in that you use various shapes of wood to create a picture. Where marquetry relies on wood grain and color to define the picture, lath art relies on the position and direction of the lath strips to define detail and space. Each strip is cut into sections with the scroll saw, then individually colored. Before long, you have a wonderful piece of artwork to hang on your wall.

Lath Art Paintings has several examples of lath art. Take a look. You can really see how the direction of the lath makes all the difference in the world. It really is a fascinating art form and something that scrollers may want to try their hand at.

Steven Gu's Papercuttings

We've looked at a couple of scherenschnitte galleries in the last couple of posts. Karin's work has a folk art feel that's obviously inspired by folk and fairy tales. Cindy's work tends to have a graphic art/illustration feel to it. Now lets take a look at artist Steven Gu.

Steven was born in Shanghai, China, but now resides on Vancouver Island. Much of his work has an Asian influence. But he also pays homage to the Victorian and Pennsylvania Dutch style in several of his pieces. His designs are very intricately detailed and rather delicate. This attention to detail reminds me of the work of scroll saw artist/designer Jeff Zaffino. Check out Steven's gallery. You'll be quite amazed at his craftsmanship and the beauty of his designs.

Cindy Mindy Pindy's Papercuttings

Cindy Mindy Pindy has a great blog that shows off her latest papercuttings. She has a assortment of scherenschnitte with a wide variety of styles ranging from abstract to traditional illustration. Take some time and look through her archives and check out her work. Its a great source of inspiration and may spawn a few ideas for your own scroll saw designs.

Scherenschnitte

Scherenschnitte. Excuse me! Actually, scherenschnitte (shear-n-SNIT-a) is the German art of paper cutting that dates back to the 1500's. Many of the principles of scherenschnitte are shared with scenic fretwork. You have to design the pattern in such a way that the finished cutting is one piece, but still retains the detail of a drawing. However, scherenschnitte tends to be more silhouette oriented and the cut design usually represent the shadows.

I have found a great gallery of scherenschnitte designs by Karin Dickel-Jonasch. Her main website is in German, and since the website is flash based, translation tools won't help. But her gallery is fantastic. Here's a direct link to her gallery. Its really neat to look at these type of designs, as they're much more unusual than the patterns we typically create. It definitely has its own aesthetic and her designs obviously have reference to folk and fairy tales. Take a look. I think they'll really be a great inspiration to some of your own designs.