Recommendation? My fantasy artistic knife design thread - feedbacks welcomed

[Yifei Wang]

I'm not a smith, but I love blades, and somewhat good at drawing. I also know some AI stuff. So I 'm trying to make some design of the knives I imagine, and render with AI to show the optimistic final results.
This thread collects the designs I made, with AI rendered result images. I'm not sure whether they can be produced, but I'm anyway not going to do that myself.
Any feedback is welcomed. All rights reserved (for the design).

Now it comes the first:

Design 1: Curved hunt knife with Cheetah headed pommel

The design drawing:


My idea: I want something both exotic and elegant. The curve reminds me something like Indian or Arabic style. The cheetah is my favorite animal which is both wild and elegant. The wootz steel has beautiful texture paired with the wave patterns on the guard. Ebony's black color makes adds some mythical and stability.

The picture below are AI generated.

Rendering effect:


With sheath:


Enlarged guard and pommel:



And some story telling AI pictures:



This is my first design in the series. Hope you like it and give feedbacks.
Thanks!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Welcome to Shop Talk. Fill out your profile so we know where you live and a bit about you.


What can be drawn in a design program can't always work in reality. Your other "bowie" design is a good example.

While this is a pretty fantasy knife, it would be extremely complicated to make and very expensive. I suspect you are just drawing them for fun, and not intending of having them made in steel.

BTW, what you labeled as "wootz" is better termed "damascus" (unless you are taking the fantasy part even further).

 

[Yifei Wang]

Welcome to Shop Talk. Fill out your profile so we know where you live and a bit about you.


What can be drawn in a design program can't always work in reality. Your other "bowie" design is a good example.

While this is a pretty fantasy knife, it would be extremely complicated to make and very expensive. I suspect you are just drawing them for fun, and not intending of having them made in steel.

BTW, what you labeled as "wootz" is better termed "damascus" (unless you are taking the fantasy part even further).

Thanks and you are right. I did not expect any of my designs to be easy to implement, and given I'm not a bladesmith, I even have little idea on how difficult they are. My intension is to learn the reality while sharing my creativity. If however my works can give some hints to the blade makers I would be more than happy to contribute more.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

I say this works and it is pretty cool, totally doable but very high skill. It would likely be a collab knife where someone else did the carving, engraving.

Wootz too, yep. If you really wanted to make this I'd look for someone in eastern Europe that already has this style.

Cable Damascus might look right too.

The guard fitup would be the oddest part.

 

[C_Claycomb]

"Curved hunt knife"
Why call it a hunt knife when it is very obviously entirely impractical for any aspect of a hunt? The last rendition, behind the woman's back, is the least impractical, but still it is clearly a ceremonial dagger, and not any sort of hunting or fighting knife, by design.
The extreme needle like up-swept tip is a problem for using. Not good for stabbing, not good for gutting, too far from line of handle for control, has to be thick to avoid being weak, so no good for fine work...basically, don't do it. The extended guard along the spine limits cutting depth, which is usually not desirable. The lump on the spine/guard will make sheathing difficult and really impedes cut depth.

 

[r8shell]

Using AI to render a fantasy blade might be a fun, harmless pastime. If you want to actually design a usable knife, the next step might be to cut the shape out of cardboard. I can tell just by looking at it that you could never fit that knife into that sheath.

 

[SharpBits]

Research Middle Eastern / Near Eastern dagger designs to see what has stood the test of time. But, if you want a fantasy wall hanger, carry on as you are.

 

[Lorien]

who needs a usable knife if you can have a perfect likeness of one for the internet, for a fraction of the effort?
I hate to say it, but most people who spend a lot of time in the internet are probably as well enough served by internet knives as they are real ones
^hot take

 

[Yifei Wang]

Thanks for all your feedbacks and critics. I will continue to refine with new ideas.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I'm going to move this to "General Knife Discussion", since it isn't really a Shop Talk type thread.

 

[DrRollinstein]

Not a designer or a knife maker, but having the hilt extend up the spine and into the sheath is silly.

 

[Yifei Wang]

Not a designer or a knife maker, but having the hilt extend up the spine and into the sheath is silly.

It is actually resembling the tail of the cheetah.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

I think the knife is cool, as an art piece to be displayed and not used. Also, that knife is never going to go into that sheath.

Would I buy this…no. Would I look at it…sure.

 

[SharpBits]

You could have the brass tail inset into a corresponding cutout in the blade.

 

[C_Claycomb]

It is actually resembling the tail of the cheetah.

huh. I hadn’t actually noticed! Now I can’t get the absurd image out of my head of a cheetah trying to run into its prey a… err tail first .

The AI didn’t know what a cheetah looks like because that cat head pommel looks like a leopard or lion…definitely not a cheetah.

I think a cleverer design would have the tail incorporated into the blade, as part of the Damascus, or carved in.

I would also look at paring the bulk in the blade down if it is meant to be cheetah inspired. Personally I think leopards are a better pairing for a knife; stealthy, sharp teeth and claws (cheetah claws and teeth not impressive), great power to weight, able to kill well above their size, and versatile enough to hunt anywhere.

 

[Yifei Wang]

huh. I hadn’t actually noticed! Now I can’t get the absurd image out of my head of a cheetah trying to run into its prey a… err tail first .

The AI didn’t know what a cheetah looks like because that cat head pommel looks like a leopard or lion…definitely not a cheetah.

I think a cleverer design would have the tail incorporated into the blade, as part of the Damascus, or carved in.

I would also look at paring the bulk in the blade down if it is meant to be cheetah inspired. Personally I think leopards are a better pairing for a knife; stealthy, sharp teeth and claws (cheetah claws and teeth not impressive), great power to weight, able to kill well above their size, and versatile enough to hunt anywhere.

You may be right, but cheetah is my favorite due to its elegance and agility. Of course if I will ever take this design to a smith to make a real knife I would think seriously on all these practical stuff thanks to all the critics from your guys. But now it's still in my imagination time. Surely need quite some compromise when it comes to reality. This is already true about the bowie in my 1st thread, which I already placed an order with a JS smith for an updated and simplified version (https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...-1st-knife-design-ever.2071680/#post-23457703)