Looking for critique

[Mark Warden]

This is a hollow vessel that the rim split on while drying so I turned the neck off and made the lid.It's about 5.5" x 6" Hackberry base with Pecan top. Just looking for some feedback. On piece or photo. Thanks for looking.

 

[Barbara Gill]

Mark, I am not all that great at critiques however to me the finial looks too heavy for the base.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I think that I am somewhat like you because I try to save turnings that have problems like cracks. It looks like you made a good save. The only suggestion is that it seems like it needs a small base of some sort to raise it up a bit to make it look a bit more balanced.

On the photography, I would use a more diffuse light so that it does not create a hard edged shadow. Also, If you have photo editing software, I would either create an in-camera custom white balance or stick a white piece of paper in the corner of the image (or a gray card) that would give you a reference for correcting white balance in post processing of the image. Once you have the shot with white balance, you can remove the card and make the final shots. I think that John Lucas has a tutorial somewhere on doing product photography.

 

[KurtB]

Photos

Click on this link for a very good tutorial: http://www.nealaddy.org/node/16

 

[Ken Ferrell]

I think it was a good save, but I do agree that the finial does seen a bit heavy for the bottom, it's something to do with the proportion, it seems bias to the heavy side of the golden mean, but it is a far beyond my capabilities, so take my critique for what you paid for it.

 

[john lucas]

It looks like your color balance is off. On my computer the piece looks orange. This is usually because the white balance was set to sun and the piece was lit by tungsten lights.
I will agree with the others. The finial is too thick. It starts out nice as it leaves the lid but the body of the finial needs to be thinner. Look at finials on everything you can find, perfume bottles, jars at Hobby lobby, anyplace you can find them. Then make a sketch and see how close you can come.

 

[Mark Warden]

Thanks everyone I was thinking on the same lines with the size. Any imrpovment in the pic now?
Also I made the texturing tool I used on this for about $10 if anyone is interested I used a Gear from a can opener and a piece of steel rod.I took the picture out in the sun I have no lighting yet.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Much better WB, but there are some processing artifacts around the edges of the turning (some blown out highlights and green spots, etc.). Taking pictures outdoors is fine -- it is a great way to get free lighting that is true sunlight color -- however, instead of putting the turning in direct sunlight which is too intense, use what photographers call open shade. Open shade is a location in which the object being photographed is in the shade, but receiving its illumination from the glow of the clear blue sky. This means that the open sky should not be blocked by something like a tree canopy or a roof. Light that reflects off surrounding objects will have an effect on the apparent color of the wood so it is good to choose a background with that thought in mind. For instance, a bright colorful background like red, blue, green or yellow (or even a pastel background) will really be noticeable on the lower portion of a turning. The best solution is to use a background that is a pure neutral gray that is about midways between white and black -- darker is better than lighter -- the reason is that a white or light gray background will reflect more light onto the lower part of the turning and tend to wash out some of the fine details.

 

[Keith T.]

Mark, I suggest you study the classic spindle forms...I consider finials the very epitome of good spindle turning. Learn to turn beads, coves, and the importance of filets between each element. From there, move on to your own style. The form looks good from here, but the finial doesn't relate to the form.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Mark,

Here is an example of what the photo would look like using a graduated neutral gray background. You can get them from B&H for about $40. The brand name is Flotone. My favorite is Studio Gray, but I also like Thunder Gray.



BTW, I agree with John Jordan that the wood sure does look like hickory. The pink around the dark knots is what convinced me (image posted in previous thread).

 

[Steve Worcester]

Mark,

Here is an example of what the photo would look like using a graduated neutral gray background. You can get them from B&H for about $40. The brand name is Flotone. My favorite is Studio Gray, but I also like Thunder Gray.

I like the fades, white to black

 

[Mark Warden]

I like that look Bill I will be looking into that thankyou. Meanwhile back at the shop.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I like the fades, white to black

Do you use Flotone or some other brand such as Varitone? I think that I have seen that the cost of Varitone is slightly less than Flotone, but I have never tried it so I don't know anything about its quality.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I like that look Bill I will be looking into that thankyou. Meanwhile back at the shop.

For the background, you will need to make what is known as a "sweep" which is simply a curved surface that the background material lays on. The bottom edge will be level, naturally -- and the top edge will be swept back at about a 45 degree angle. A sheet of Formica and a couple pieces of thin plywood supports on the sides should work well. It could even be made from cardboard and duct tape.

Use a moderately long focal length lens of about 70 to 100 mm and a small aperture of f/8 or smaller (such as f/11 or f/16). Use the lowest ISO speed available. Also, use a remote shutter release to prevent camera shake since the exposure time will be long. Photograph the object from a distance of about 8 feet so that you get adequate depth of field and have the camera location about 10 to 20 degrees above the top of the vessel, but do not tilt the camera downward -- keep it level to prevent perspective distortion.

If you do your bowl photography indoors, it will involve some additional expense of a couple photofloods plus light stands and umbrellas.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Do you use Flotone or some other brand such as Varitone? I think that I have seen that the cost of Varitone is slightly less than Flotone, but I have never tried it so I don't know anything about its quality.

Good catch, Varitone. It is a pvc type of material. Only issue is it picks up some static, so I have to clean it with monitor cleaner or similar.

http://www.phototechinc.com/graduate.htm

 

[Steve Worcester]

I like that look Bill I will be looking into that thankyou. Meanwhile back at the shop.

I would say this about the finial. It appears that the edges of the beads are being rounded over from sanding. One old adage is to make everything look intentional. I would think they normally would have sharp defined edges.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Neal Addy does the best finials on turnings that I have ever seen and his work would be worth studying. He has some of his work on he AAW online gallery and a few are on the Woodturners of North Texas gallery pages:

• Example 1
• Example 2
• Example 3

 

[Mark Warden]

Ok my grandson took care of the finial by dropping it:mad: but I did save the lid and made a new one from ebony.I'm pretty proud of this one I turned it between centers and no sanding just buffed.

 

[Bill Boehme]

You have done well, grasshopper. Take your rightful place as a master finial turner. Tell your grandson, "thanks".

 

[Mark Warden]

Thanks Bill it's amazing how much more of a delicate touch you have when you pay $40 for a 12" piece of wood🙂 And i still bow to the masters out there I'm still a humble student.