Floral styles you’ll see
Two floral styles are common: Western floral, and Sheridan style. Sheridan style is dense, with flowers, scrolls and heavy decorative cuts. Northwest style is a variation that uses a larger seeded center and shows the flower at an angle. The techniques below apply across styles, so they are a good starting point.
Start with casing and tracing
Case the leather until the surface nearly returns to its original color. Trace the design onto the cased leather with tracing film and a stylus. A useful test is that properly cased leather darkens like a bruise when a tool strikes it. If the leather is too wet, tools won’t leave a clean impression. For more on casing, see are you supposed to wet leather before tooling.
Build the rose: cut, bevel, shade, seed
A wild rose typically has five petals around a seeded center. Patterns vary, so follow the design you traced.
- Cut the outlines with a swivel knife. Cut the stems and main outlines first, then the flowers and leaves. Petals overlap, so cut only the visible lines. For how to hold and cut, see swivel knife carving.
- Bevel the outside of the design, and wherever a petal or leaf overlaps another. Bevel to show which part sits on top. Uniform beveling on every edge looks flat.
- Shade the petals with a pear shader to add curvature. Work from the petal tips toward the center.
- Seed the center with a seeder (an S tool). Place seeds in neat rows, starting at the outer edge. A backgrounder or center tool can also be used.
Leaves: center vein, tapered tips and side veins
A leaf usually has a center vein cut into it, with tapered tips. Add the side veins later with decorative cuts. Use a pear shader to give the leaf curvature, the same as the petals.
Tool order
Tool order varies by instructor. A common sequence is:
- Cut the outlines
- Bevel
- Pear shade
- Background (a backgrounder fills the spaces between design elements)
- Camouflage (C tools) for texture on petals and stems
- Veiner (V tools) for curved lines at stem bases and leaf edges
- Seeder (S tools) for flower centers
- Mule foot (U tools) to mark stems where petals or leaves join
- Decorative cuts last, following the flow of the petals and leaves
Decorative cuts always come last, so they stay crisp. In Sheridan style, much of the background is left plain or decorated with cuts, so heavy backgrounding is not always required.
Overlaps and hidden lines
Overlapping petals don’t need every line cut. Cutting hidden lines spoils the sense of depth. Cut the lines the eye can see, and let the bevels and shading show which petal sits on top.
Practice on coasters first
Practice small rose-and-leaf designs on coasters before you move to larger pieces. A coaster is quick to finish and forgiving of mistakes. Once the cuts and shading feel steady, the same sequence scales up to belts, bags and wallets. For the tool set you’ll need, see leather carving for beginners.
Safety
- Keep your free hand clear of the blade’s path.
- Keep the swivel knife covered between steps. The blade cuts even when the knife isn’t in use.
For a flower pattern to trace, see free leather carving patterns and how to trace them. A rose-and-leaf design also works well as a leather belt detail once you are comfortable with the cuts.