Fine Line Leather Design

Handmade leather work for fantasy and everyday.

[finelineleather-blog]

Hat bands!

[finelineleather-blog]

Mimic boxes!

[finelineleather-blog]

Story time! When I was a kid, I would help out my grandfather while he worked in his little shop. He worked with wood, making little gifts and things. One day, he was feeling talkative, and started telling me how his grandfather, the Civil War vet, also used to do woodwork as a hobby, using many of the same tools my Pappy still used. Only he made coffins. Half the people in the local cemetery from that time period were buried in my great great grandfathers coffins, my Pappy said. They were well made, and he would give them for free as someone laid dying. Whenever I make a box, I think of that fact. Anyway, hand carved compass, lamb, goat, and cow hide leathers, brass fittings. Will show at Dragon Con art Show.

[finelineleather-blog]

A few behind the scenes photos of the leather phoenix. The base was actually originally a table top wreath holder. With some judicious bending, I molded it to shape, then drilled holes through it. The center actually goes right through the bird, and the holes were where I bolted the armature. Getting the draft of the swoop of the wings was difficult, but my final draft ended up being a paper template I laid the wing feathers on. The wings themselves have over five hundred feathers, each cut, carved and dyed. I had dreams about making them. To get the tail feathers to curl outward, I hardened the leather while wrapped around forms. This meant that for a few weird days, every highlighter, bottle and can had feathers formed around them! The eye was a blue swavroski crystal. When I first considered this project, I ran into three separate people who told me that Phoenix's should at least partially be blue, as the heart of a flame is blue. The crystal gives Birdie an amazing life and glint in his eye. As far as where this idea came from, leather feathers are a leatherworking staple, a way to show off your skill. But while they are neat, I always was bothered that they lacked a purpose. So I joked about making the whole bird!

[finelineleather-blog]

This was easily the most time consuming project I've ever worked on. I lost count of the hand cut and hand carved feathers around 1200. Everything is made of vegetable tanned leather, cut, sculpted, and pigmented. It stands about 30 inches tall. It will show first at the DragonCon Art show?

[finelineleather-blog]

Middle Earth problems: you make a nice leather tricorn hat, only to have a little Water Wyrm Dragon get all possessive and claim it. Guess they will sell together! Hat is hand dyed, vegetable tanned leather. Dragon is sculpted leather, calf skin and goat hide. This will show initially at DragonCon art show in Atlanta.

[finelineleather-blog]

We got first shout out, and a dandy picture!

[finelineleather-blog]

Handcrafted, real brass and leather goggles

[finelineleather-blog]

Real brass and leather, handcrafted goggles

[finelineleather-blog]

The sun never sets

[finelineleather-blog]

Another view of the green helm with Blescok horns. It's a bit Loki and a bit Malificient, isn't it? Looks over sized because the display head is 2/3 sized.

[finelineleather-blog]

Mug straps! Slip through your belt and carry your mug (or other useful things) with you, and simply open the latch to get it out. www.finelineleatherdesign.com

[finelineleather-blog]

Mini mimic, small jewelry box sized. Features hand dyed leather skin, hand sculpted teeth, and glass eyes. I named him Hugo. www.finelineleatherdesign.com

[finelineleather-blog]

Horned helm with Blescok horns. Sculpted, dyed leather. The display head is 2/3 sized, so it fits a human much better than this! www.finelineleatherdesign.com

[finelineleather-blog]

The stand, at the New Hope Fantasy Fair

[finelineleather-blog]

Voltaire pulling the winner of our Spring giveaway at NecroComicCon 2014

[finelineleather-blog]

The booth at NecroComicCon