Need some assistance drawing a template

J

JParisi48

Joined
May 14, 2012
Messages
198
So for christmas I wanted to make my Mother a chef's knife. But I want it to be original I dont want to steal someone else's template. I have spent the last several hours wasting lead, erasers, and a S*** load of paper. What methods do you use to draw knife templates??? I realize some of you are artistic freaks, but I dont have an artistic bone in my body. Any adivce would be nice. So far I have tried making grid lines with a ruler, free handing, looking at other knives to work off of but nothing is working...
 
Trace one of your mother's chef's knives that she likes. Use a pencil to trace. Use that as a starting point. Change it until you like it, if you don't like it start with a new piece of paper. I go through lots of paper when I sketch out knives.

When you get something you like, photo copy it. Glue the copy to some cardboard and cut it out so you can get an idea how it feels in hand. You can shape the card board with your sander. If part of it doesn't look right, sand it off. For myself, I find that sometimes i can't draw the curve for a part of the template on paper, but once I have it on card board and get on the sander, I can get the shape of the curve how I want it.

Ric
 
Ahhhh, welcome to my world. My first knife drawing looks way mote like a blue whale than a knife.

I have done a few things to help learn to draw.

1. Buy a set of Ship's Curves. They are like French curves but are radiused to flow like a Ship's keel. Ships/boats cut through the water in a similar fashion as a knife cuts.
I also bought color pencils, protractor, compasses, scribes, a flexible curve , circle and oval templates, clear rulers,grid paper, a couple art pads.

2. Draw several copies of known proven designs. Get a feel for what people already thinks feels good.

3. Practice. Ford Hallam inspired me to learn to draw better. I thnk some people are born with talent, but, I think skills like drawing can be taught/learned. You will get back what you put in to the effort.

4. Opti-Visor.... For $35 or so, bring your drawing to hi def. If you are tracing or following a line the ability to see stuff under magnifacation can't be beaten. Once you get an opti-visor you'll soon be using it to do all sorts of tasks!!

5. Get comfortable.

Hope these things help. One of these days I'll post my blue whale picture. It'll make you feel better about your worst effort I assure you.
 
Computer is the way to go. I use Adobe Illustrator. The pen tool is like a French curve on steroids. Inkscape is a free open source vector editor like Illustrator.
 
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GIMP for me. Its very similar to photoshop but not quite as good... BUT its free. Create a new image, set the canvas size to the size of your steel (this all assumes stock removal). If you want a feel for the real size then put a ruler up to your screen and adjust the zoom. Then go to town. For a chef knife I would be using the circular select tool and paint bucket... or the pen but I'm no good with the pen lol.
 
Come on fellas!

Good drawing is a foundation of being a good artist. Forget the computer for now. Learn to draw with a pencil. It'll be a skill you enjoy for life!
 
Brian Ayres said:
Ahhhh, welcome to my world. My first knife drawing looks way mote like a blue whale than a knife.

I have done a few things to help learn to draw.

1. Buy a set of Ship's Curves. They are like French curves but are radiused to flow like a Ship's keel. Ships/boats cut through the water in a similar fashion as a knife cuts.
I also bought color pencils, protractor, compasses, scribes, a flexible curve , circle and oval templates, clear rulers,grid paper, a couple art pads.

2. Draw several copies of known proven designs. Get a feel for what people already thinks feels good.

3. Practice. Ford Hallam inspired me to learn to draw better. I thnk some people are born with talent, but, I think skills like drawing can be taught/learned. You will get back what you put in to the effort.

4. Opti-Visor.... For $35 or so, bring your drawing to hi def. If you are tracing or following a line the ability to see stuff under magnifacation can't be beaten. Once you get an opti-visor you'll soon be using it to do all sorts of tasks!!

5. Get comfortable.

Hope these things help. One of these days I'll post my blue whale picture. It'll make you feel better about your worst effort I assure you.
Click to expand...

Id like to see that whale knife haha seems to me like I am not far off from your first drawing.....And good idea with the inkscape and GIMP I have gimp on this computer and totally forgot about it Ill give it a whirl.
 
JParisi48 said:
Id like to see that whale knife haha seems to me like I am not far off from your first drawing.....And good idea with the inkscape and GIMP I have gimp on this computer and totally forgot about it Ill give it a whirl.
Click to expand...

Are you very good with it? a couple tips if you aren't too familiar with it: Hold shift after making a mark with any brush or pencil to draw a straight line to any point starting from the mark you just made. There is no shape tool, you have to use the selection tools to select an area then fill it with color with a another tool like paint bucket etc... For shapes you cant make with an elipse you can play with the paths tool then choose stroke path to make a line over what youve made or path to selection if youve made a shape and want it selected so you can fill it in.
 
Brian Ayres said:
Come on fellas!

Good drawing is a foundation of being a good artist. Forget the computer for now. Learn to draw with a pencil. It'll be a skill you enjoy for life!
Click to expand...

Let your brain and hands learn where each other is. Drawing programs are OK for some things, but when learning the basics, you need to train your eye/hand coordination.
After all, is the computer going to grind it to shape for you?

Pencil, eraser, lots of paper.
 
bladsmth said:
Let your brain and hands learn where each other is. Drawing programs are OK for some things, but when learning the basics, you need to train your eye/hand coordination.
After all, is the computer going to grind it to shape for you?

Pencil, eraser, lots of paper.
Click to expand...
true, I have been drawing all night and saw a decent amount of improvement. I need to work on my imagination, if I cant see something to reference my drawing too its almost impossible for me to think it and draw it.
 
I print graph paper at 1/4" squares and lighten it with a photocopier. For some reason blank paper turns my drawings into rorschach ink spots. I second skipping the computer as well. I started with zero artistic talent (still have none), but can draw whats in my mind. It seems like your brain teaches your hands the curves after a while.
 
I start off with gridded paper in the 11x17 book I bought at Hobby Lobby. I then use French Curves to play with a design. Yeah, get a pack of erasers and one of those little pencil sharpeners and then have fun. Like you, I'm no Picaso, but with the grid lines and French Curves, you should be in business before too long!
 
I've only been true to a template on 1 or 2 of the knives I've made. Usually, I just mark out dimensions, have an idea of the shape I want, and then I go to grinding. Even if I sketch out a profile on a piece of steel, it usually changes as I work it. It's a lot easier for me to hold up a profile of a blade against a light and see what needs to be adjusted than it is to draw it out.

If you're shooting for something specific, by all means, draw it out. When you're done, cut it out carefully, and hang it up against a window with indirect light coming through and look at the profile. Make adjustments and repeat.

--nathan
 
Thanks for all your help guys, I finally drew a half decent template. I would post it but every time I download the URL link the picture comes out GIGANTIC and wont load on the screen. I tried a little of everyones methods, but what ultimatly helped me out was printing out grid paper. 1/8'' worked the best for me. Just ordered some steel and files. My garage is ready to go, cant wait to start this knife!
 
First off, yes, drawing is indeed one of those things that can be an innate talent... but it can be a learned skill. Especially technical drawing.

Second, I whole-heartedly agree with the suggestion of tracing her favorite kitchen knife and using that as a starting point.

That will be much easier, and you'll also be MUCH MORE LIKELY to end up with a knife that she likes. :thumbup:

One of the few things I learned about while getting an engr degree that I still use----- is an Engineering Comp pad. They are light green paper with dark green graph lines on the BACK SIDE. You write/draw on the front where the graph lines are faint but easily visible. One of the cool things about this paper- when you photocopy drawings, the graph lines don't show up at all. :)

I use it to draw shop fixtures and stuff all the time. Here's an example so you can see what I'm talking about. :)

http://www.officedepot.com/a/produc...la-_-Paper+Writing_Pads_Filler_Paper-_-105817
 
I agree on the paper and pencil route.

However, the biggest part on designing a kitchen knife for me (probably for any other knife too) is inspiration. I'll sit there studying as many kitchen knives as I can and pick out what I like or dislike about a particular knife. That really helps to narrow down on ideas. Most of the work, for me, on a drawing is done in the mind before I translate it to paper.

Check out this thread here - he's got a ton of good stuff to look through:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/842125-Artisan-Chef-Knives
 
NickWheeler said:
One of the few things I learned about while getting an engr degree that I still use----- is an Engineering Comp pad. They are light green paper with dark green graph lines on the BACK SIDE. You write/draw on the front where the graph lines are faint but easily visible. One of the cool things about this paper- when you photocopy drawings, the graph lines don't show up at all. :)

I use it to draw shop fixtures and stuff all the time. Here's an example so you can see what I'm talking about. :)

http://www.officedepot.com/a/produc...la-_-Paper+Writing_Pads_Filler_Paper-_-105817
Click to expand...

I tried the engineering grid paper but i got the shakes thinking about all those statics and dynamics problems I had to sketch out on that green paper back in the day. :)

ETA: Nick is right, though; i still use it sometimes.

randy
 
Thanks ill try that engineering grid paper. Its actually a grid paper option on the site I get my regular grid paper never even thought to use it lol
 
For starting off, grid paper might be a good idea. I personally free hand most of the time but if I'm doing a rendering by hand (industrial design student) I'll use French curves to get more precise. When I draw, I think about my dimensions and basic form first. For knives, I draw marks for the blade length/width, handle length/width and then just freehand within those parameters. Think about ergonomics while designing a chef knife, not just aesthetics (although a good balance between the two is ideal). Also consider how you will create a certain part of the knife while you design. In industrial design, its called "designing for assembly". Hopefully this helps but my biggest recommendation is to practice. You don't even necessarily have to draw knives to get better at it. Practice free handing lines, ellipses send circles. Once you feel comfortable with that, it's just a matter of putting them together. Best of luck with it! If you can, post a picture of what you've got and we can give you some more specific pointers.
 
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