Help with shape of a vessel

[dennis bland]

The shape of this turning is not correct . I know something is wrong but can"t figure out exactly what it is. It's not finished yet , it"s in two pieces split about the fourth ring down and is one inch thick . The final shape is what I'm after. What am I missing ? I'm very new at turning so all the input will be helpful and used .

Thank you
Dennis





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I was always told to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder to find one.

 

[GeorgeH]

Welcome to the forum, Dennis. The only thing that jumps out at me is the scale of the base compared to the rest of the piece. It appears to me to be top heavy - at least as far as comparative mass is concerned. But you can't fix that with more turning, unless you add to the base and increase the height of your work.
Otherwise I'd like to congratulate you on what looks to be a nice job of fitting all those segments.

 

[Richard Baker]

Dennis,
Can you post larger pictures? 640 x 480 pixels (approx.) is a good size.

 

[dawnp001]

I agree with it being a little too top heavy ... a little bulky. Think of a woman ... a little more delicate and a little more curve.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

key words for turning

lift and continous curve

its as simple and complex as that

 

[Aaron G+11]

I would not say that form is "wrong", but, your statement shows that you have a sense of what you want. Which is a good thing. However, you have not been able to get there. Here are a few questions for you.

Do you like it better upside down than up side right?
If you make a little frame (index fingers and thumbs), does it look better if you shift the center mass up or down, right or left?
What direction do you want your eye to go over the piece?

There are a host of other questions to ask yourself, but, these should get you closer to "fixing" your form. Also, look at the shapes you like and try to find out why.

Aaron

 

[Steve Worcester]

Can't tell from the photos exactly, but continuous curve would be correct. I don't like the vertical transition to from the top curve to the neck. And the base appears to be too large in relation to the top (as stated).

Larger photos would be a big help. They can be up to 1280x1280 (I think) as long as they aren't over 100k (I think, check the FAQs)

 

[herb]

shape

Hi,

Good work for being new to turning. My opinion - (in addition to the others) the widest part of the vessel should be about 1/3 from the top of the piece. Small pictures but looks like widest part is 1/2 way.

Herb

 

[dennis bland]

Thanks everybody , all the suggestions are appreciated . Here are larger pictures , I had no idea they were that small.

 

[David Wilkins]

I think that is a great start at segmenting, and yes, your doing the right things.
I'm going to break from the group and say, make it more sculptural. Do a search for Bud Latven (I think I spelled that right) I don't know if he has posted anything here, but he is at delmano online. Open up both ends and play.

Thats just my 2 cents.

 

[Keith T.]

Hi Dennis, A couple of ideas that may help here. First the segmented ring is nearly centered in the turning. This makes for a static appearance, while raising or lowering the ring would give the piece a dynamic appearance. As it is , inverting the form won't make much of a difference is appearance. Varying the size of the foot and the rim will create visual interest as well. Remember, turning is all about FORM. Everything else, including segmenting, is secondary... I would urge you to study form; there are many sources available, most not woodturning related. Another thought on the segments, make them gradually smaller in thickness as they approach the rim and foot, this will serve to highlight the main feature ring and provide evenmore visual interest. . Keith

 

[Joe Greiner]

Lots of good ideas for the NEXT piece. For THIS piece, the options are more limited.

Aaron has a great suggestion about holding it upside-down. Easier to do with it off the lathe, unless you have enough room to twist your head each way. Be careful with that, BTW; your eyeballs may go independent and lead to a condition called "interment strabismus," or "lazy eye," sometimes correctible by free viewing random-dot stereograms, and other eye exercises. DAMHIKT.

The detail of the feature ring pulls the eye to that location. The only way to move it up or down (whichever way is up or down) is to cut off one of the ends, and revise the shape there. You might have enough material.

The (currently) lower part could tolerate a slightly concave sweep, not necessarily exactly symmetric with respect to the feature ring. There's probably enough material there, too.

Books on pottery, and websites devoted to such, can provide some insight on successful shapes. One of my favorite references is "The Styles of Ornament," by Alexander Speltz. The Dover reprint of the original German edition is still in print, AFAICT, and probably available in most libraries. All copyright-free images, too.

My 1.5 cents.

Joe

 

[Dick Sowa]

Another good resource is The Art of Turned Bowls: Designing Spectacular Bowls with a World-Class Turner by Richard Raffan. It devotes a good part of the book to bowl shapes. While it's primary focus is on solid turnings, It describes how bowl curves flow, what looks good to the eye, and what doesn't, rim and foot design and decoration, etc. I checked a copy out from my local library, and plan to buy a copy.