January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December • Show All Articles for 2011
With the Seventh Grand Masters Program coming in 2012, those who have never heard of this amazing program have a chance to review the past years here on Featured Photos.
...
Continue with Grand Masters Revisited: Creative Art, 2006 »
With the Seventh Grand Masters Program coming in 2012, those who have never heard of this amazing program have a chance to review the past years here on Featured Photos.
...
Continue with Grand Masters Revisited: Philippe Grifnée, 2006 »
With the Seventh Grand Masters Program coming in 2012, those who have never heard of this amazing program have a chance to review the past years here on Featured Photos.
...
Continue with Grand Masters Revisited: Winston Churchill, 2005 »
With the Seventh Grand Masters Program coming in 2012, those who have never heard of this amazing program have a chance to review the past years here on Featured Photos.
...
Continue with Grand Masters Revisited: Ron Smith, 2005 »
It is always nice to see a hand engraving artist flourish from the artistic training received at the GRS Training Center.
...
Continue with A Past Student Flourishes with GRSTC »
Jake Newell of Emporia, Kansas, does engraving work for William Henry Studio. Newell's knives feature luxurious gold and copper inlay mixed with crisp hand-engraved designs.
...
Continue with Hand Engraving a William Henry »
If you haven't seen the newly released 2012 Course Schedule, it is definitely worth a peek! Classes fill quickly, especially courses like Advanced Stone Setting and Drawing & Designing Scenes, so call 800-835-3519 today for details.
...
Continue with We're Part of Your Journey »
Diane Scalese has three different classes during the upcoming 2012 year of courses at the GRS Training Center, but they won't last long....
Continue with Scaling the Heights with Brights »
The work of hand engraving artist Mitchell Lurth from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will go out to thousands of GRS Training Center students by way of the cover artwork for the new 2012 GRSTC Course Calendar (call 800-835-3519 or request one online).
...
Continue with The 2012 Learn Plate: Revealed! »
In the engraving world, what is more important than the actual engraving itself? The drawing process that results in that engraving is the most important part of the entire engraving.
...
Continue with Draw, Draw, Draw...and Then Draw Some More »
Two and a half years ago, Kuan Ting Chen of Taiwan discovered GRS Tools. As a stone setter, he now has the capability to add hand engraving to his work.
...
Continue with Stone Setting and Engraving from Taiwan »
A series of works is an easy and hard way to design. On one hand, you can choose the main element or focus of the series. On the other, you need to make each piece different and still unified throughout the series.
...
Continue with What Jumped over the Moon? »
With the online release of the 2012 GRSTC Course Schedule just weeks away, the printed calendar will be going out in the mail soon as well.
...
Continue with Sneak Peek: 2012 Learn Plate »
English scroll is one of those traditional designs that work on a variety of workpieces. From firearms to jewelry, the English scroll is quite versatile.
...
Continue with Keeping the English in Line! »
How can a wedding set be both a comfort and a sight to behold at the same time? When it has custom hand engraving!...
Continue with Custom Jewelry Sets »
Is it really almost 2012? Whether the world is going to end or we've still got a few generations left to go, there is at least one exciting thing to look forward to: a new training schedule!
...
Continue with New Courses Are Coming! New Courses Are Coming! »
At the GRS Training Center, we see people from all backgrounds and on all different artistic paths.
...
Continue with It Takes Two »
This fun and interesting piece is by James Ehlers, Professor of Engraving Arts at Emporia State University.
...
Continue with Fresh and Hot Coiled Scrolls! »
Getting too close to the work under the scope and never taking an unmagnified look can cause an "uh-oh" moment when too much work is done to take a step back.
...
Continue with Look Closely, Take a Step Back »
Hot diamonds in a circle, stone setters! What lovely lady wouldn't mind showing off this gorgeous band of stones on her finger?
...
Continue with Between a Rock and Another Rock and Another Rock.... »
It's no secret that artists always enjoy the work of another artist. From these works, some draw inspiration, others aspiration, and others still simply admiration.
...
Continue with An Artist's Trade »
Many engravers have much success engraving in gold and silver. With the cost going up every day for these precious metals, this engravable piece in steel and brass is really a shining example of how to get more from less.
...
Continue with Sophistication, Sealed with Brass and Steel »
Need more clients? Putting yourself and your work "out there" is one way to make that happen. And, sometimes, work really does just fall into your hands.
...
Continue with Gun Show Success! »
While graphic designer and hobby engraver Amanda Henson learned to cut with a microscope, the naked eye and a blank canvas is what she uses for engraving most of the time since taking a class.
...
Continue with Engraving Can Just Be for Fun »
Steve Dunn sure knows how to throw a punch — when it comes to engraving backgrounds, at least!
...
Continue with Throw the First Punch »
A follow-up to the curvy cuts Diane Scalese presented on this silver pendant from a recent class, this is one side of the finished pendant.
...
Continue with Curvy Cuts and Better Borders: Part 2 »
Looking back on the past can be a good way to reflect on the present. GRS Training Center instructor and engraving artist Rex Pedersen has a few old and personal photos to share. "These three photos are of my father," he says.
...
Continue with A Glance at the Past: Part 2 »
No matter what your idea of school looks like, our training is a cut above anything else. Unless, of course, you imagine one of the fantastic learning experiences provided at the GRS Training Center.
...
Continue with This Time, It's Personal »
Steven Landers, a hobbyist engraver currently residing in Alexandria, Virginia, will be finishing up a week of training at the GRSTC today.
...
Continue with Student Work from Steven Landers »
What better way to usher in a new 56-page catalog (download it now!) than to grace the cover with a piece of history steeped in the modern world of engraving.
...
Continue with A Glance at the Past: Part 1 »
Some jobs call for complete coverage, or the surface containing all design and no blank space, and some call for a much simpler design....
Continue with Simple and Sleek »
One thing Marty will tell you about engraving is that it all starts with a good design. No matter how proficient you are with a graver, a poor design leads to a poor engraving....
Continue with Art Matters to Marty »
Recently, goldsmith Josiah Hanley took a class with Diane Scalese and Sam Alfano at the GRS Training Center.
...
Continue with The Future is Bright and Detailed »
Nothing says "wow" like the beautiful bright cuts from Diane Scalese.
...
Continue with Curvy Cuts and Better Borders »
One of the easiest ways to treat a background in engraving is total removal of the metal with a flat graver and a stipple tool. Although it takes more time, it can be fairly foolproof in execution.
...
Continue with Background Treatments in Engraving »
Nothing is better to keep the heat away from the fine wood of your desk than a hand-engraved coaster from Jeremiah Watt.
...
Continue with The Coolest Coffee Cup Coaster »
Andrew Gonzales had shown off some very neat engravings before here on Featured Photos, but this recent hobo nickel takes the cake. Or the village, maybe.
...
Continue with A Hobo Nickel with an Axe to Grind »
Questions come in to us at GRS about getting started with gun engraving. With inquiries ranging from tools to design, the answers can most easily be answered by instructors like Rex Pedersen....
Continue with Rex Can Teach You, Too »
With a new course coming in a just a few days, we are all excited about the projects that students will be cranking out in the near future....
Continue with Let's Meet in the Middle »
With jewelry engraving, one of the most important decisions is what to do with the border. Although leaving a plain band of metal around the edge is certainly an option, check out this quick design cut by Todd Daniels.
...
Continue with Crossing the Border »
Recently, Bob Finlay taught his class covering Deep Relief Engraving at the GRS Training Center. So that the students could have a one-of-a-kind project piece, Finlay himself drew out this great Western-themed design.
...
Continue with Finlay's Deep Relief Design »
Creating scrolls that keep a viewer's eye going through the artwork is an important task in designing.
...
Continue with Great Scrolls! »
Weldon Lister, who does high-quality hammer and chisel work as a hand engraving artist, recently created these designs for a very special event.
...
Continue with GRS Buck Knife: It Cuts Like Butter »
Sometimes the worst situation can open opportunities you did not know existed. Take hand engraver Dossie Cribbs, whose life-changing event nearly a decade ago led him to a new art....
Continue with It Just Makes Sense »
Any time an engraver has a large, irregular piece for which to design, taking into consideration the entire surface area is a big issue....
Continue with Engraving with the Whole Piece in Mind »
As far as weapons go, knives are cool. Pistols are cool. But either one is best when it has custom artwork from hand engravers like Steve Dunn....
Continue with Get More "Dunn" with Pistol Engraving »
While it is customary for a man to give his wife a gift of jewelry, some find a jewelry shop that designs and fabricates unique, custom pieces....
Continue with Sweet, Thoughtful Jewelry – With A Carat of Stones! »
Sometimes the hardest part of self-teaching is not knowing what to do to get the end results....
Continue with Pistol Progression: An Important Part of Inlay »
What a gun! This .44 Magnum has been hand engraved by artist Brian Powley, and he has done a very nice job making the engraving unified with the piece as a whole. ...
Continue with Nice Features, Nice Engraving »
One of the many great things about art is that it is not required to be based in reality. With the invention of photography, art was replaced as a factual reproduction of life and allowed to become anything imaginable....
Continue with More from Rick Eaton »
The Meek Squirrel is a great project left behind by a well-respected authority on engraving. Originally, the design for this project was a simple illustration by James “Bruce” Meek, author of The Art of Engraving (#002-164)....
Continue with Free Project Available Now! »
When working with narrow or small spaces, the best option is often a symmetrical design like the one here by hand engraving artist Sam Alfano....
Continue with Small Space? Use Symmetry! »
We've heard it time and time again here at the GRS Training Center. Simply put, there is nothing quite like the one-on-one time students receive from our instructors....
Continue with It Takes A Pro »
Recently, Bob Finlay worked with hand engravers at the GRS Training Center in Emporia, Kansas on the skills of relief engraving....
Continue with Deep Relief Engraving with Bob Finlay »
Some love the beautiful nature of cold, hard steel uninterrupted by imperfections in the metal. ...
Continue with Steel Beauty »
On the flip side of Alexander Sidorov's recreation of Damascus steel on this William Henry knife, Sidorov has brightened up the piece with stones....
Continue with The Brighter Side of Knife »
Michal Molnar and Igor Fabry of Molnar Fabry have been making beautiful, 'skeletonized' watches since 2006. To date, they have sold 12 of 15 one-of-a-kind pieces....
Continue with Bare, Beautiful Bones: Part 2 »
One of the neatest movements in the art of watchmaking is 'skeletonizing' a timepiece. Two craftsmen from the Slovak Republic have turned their passion for an artistic hobby into a fine art business....
Continue with Bare, Beautiful Bones: Part 1 »
Damascus steel is a method of folding and fabricating a blade that turns out a beautiful pattern in the metal. With this William Henry knife, Alexander Sidorov have created a similar look....
Continue with Make It Look Like Damascus »
This piece by Sergej Manaeko shows off his talent, much like his hand-engraved watch face in the previous Featured Photos article....
Continue with Engrave & Pierce »
A timepiece can provide more than just how many hours are left in the day; it can also can show off artistry and skill....
Continue with A Little Hand-Engraved Facetime »
Much like the beautiful brass and purple anodized prototype from GRSTC instructor and professional artist Todd Daniels, here is another watch bezel from this creative artist....
Continue with A Fancy Watch Bezel, Part 2 »
A neat technique to consider when working on a design for your piece is incorporating the use of line. This piece by knifemaker and engraver Rick Eaton is a fine example of creating interest and movement with line....
Continue with Using Line in Your Design »
At the recent BASELWORLD trade fair in Basel, Switzerland, master stone setter and artist Alexander Sidorov demonstrated his highly polished skills for the crowds who visited the GRS Tools / Glendo USA show booth....
Continue with "Watch" and Learn »
Of course, it is undeniable the skill that Alexander Sidorov infuses into every single piece of work that he creates. Aside from the beautiful form, Sidorov also pays attention to color theory to produce striking results....
Continue with Using Color in Jewelry Design »
On list of possible themes, "totem poles" seemed like a good project for Jake Newell before he started on this project for William Henry Studio. A graduate of Emporia State University in the Engraving Arts program, Newell has been engraving professionally for almost a year....
Continue with A William Henry Totem: Letting Creativity Flow »
Whether chrome plated or sterling like this loupe, many engravers and jewelers like to embellish their personal loupe....
Continue with Embellish Your Loupe »
With the price of gold, what can you do but find a substitute for some projects? As shown here on this vise, brass can make for a lovely alternative for inlay....
Continue with Engraving a Vise: Brass Happy »
Rex Pedersen, a charter member of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America, will be teaching a course next week that is always a blast (pun intended!) for his students....
Continue with Oh, Henry. »
Unlike what most engravers cut, Bob Finlay presents his skills in an absolutely three-dimensional style that is striking. And the best part? You can learn how to engrave like Bob!...
Continue with What A Relief! »
Every year brings something new when the GRS Training Center courses begin. With the likes of professional engravers Marty Rabeno and Diane Scalese, students have had the opportunity of a lifetime to learn directly from these experienced artists during the first week of classes....
Continue with 2011 Training Courses Begin! »
Sorting out the details of a prototype can be easily done when less expensive materials, like this stainless steel watch bezel (#011-383), are available to use....
Continue with A Fancy Watch Bezel »
Recently, Andrew Biggs of New Zealand demonstrated for GRS at the BASELWorld show in Switzerland. New to this role, he did an excellent job showing off his engraving skills for the crowds....
Continue with What Do New Zealand and Switzerland Have in Common? »
How often now with our busy schedules do we hear words like telecommute, video chat, or virtual learning? In this day of technology, it is easy to forego traditional means of communication and education....
Continue with Hands On, In Person »
Typically, what would be negative space inside the backbone of a scroll is filled with leaves. However, knifemaker and engraver Steve Dunn has taken a different approach with this design....
Continue with What Goes Inside the Scroll? »
Although this knife in its complete form was recently featured last December, this celebration piece for FEGA by Lee Griffiths has beautiful scrollwork that deserves a close up....
Continue with Overlapping & Shade Lines »
Whenever an artist needs to lay out a design that will be incorporated with an existing piece, such as a custom made knife with inlaid stone on the handle, the natural flow of the stone can lend itself quite well to creativity....
Continue with Working With Natural Flow »
Every good engraver knows and can attest to the fact that drawing (and practicing!) the elements of your designs leads to better engraved work. This drawing here is by current Emporia State University professor James Ehlers....
Continue with Great Slithering Scrolls! »
Although Marty Rabeno knows how to have a good laugh, he's no fool when it comes to engraving....
Continue with He's No Fool »
Mitchell Lurth recently engraved this GRS Low Profile Vise (#003-615). Perhaps you have seen Robert "Bob" Finlay's engraved MicroBlock or the MicroBlock with Sparkle by Alexander Sidorov and Dima Semenets, but this engraved vise is a much larger project in scale....
Continue with Engraving a Vise: Adding Details »
Tools are these great inventions of man that make work easier. From hammers to saws to metal formers, jewelry work would be a bit more of a challenge without tools....
Continue with Flat or Curvy: Which Do You Prefer? »
GRS workholding blocks and vises aren't just heavy pieces of necessary engraving equipment. A vise can also become a workpiece itself....
Continue with Engraving a Vise: Sneak Peek »
The luck of the Irish abounds on March 17, and this year some lucky bidder can really "feel the green."...
Continue with Feel The Green (St. Patrick's Day Engraving) »
For engravers, the styles and techniques being shared today seem to be limitless. But what happens when you decide you want something a little different to add to your skill set?...
Continue with Oh, The Possibilities »
Classes like the Deep Relief Engraving course with Robert "Bob" Finlay are always a fun way to dig into engraving, especially with the neat Western design for his 2011 course....
Continue with Sneak Peek: Finlay's Deep Relief Design »
When your canvas is only inches in length and width, you don't quite have the same freedom of artistic expression as with larger pieces. Although you have fewer decisions to make, the ones you do make are very important....
Continue with How To Fill A Small Space »
The ability to use creative skills for anything from everyday jewelry engraving to the most special occasions is one of the best parts of being a hand engraving artist. You can make gifts for family, loved ones, friends, and even yourself....
Continue with A Custom Seal »
One professional engraver at the GRS Training Center in Emporia, Kansas, has the skills. You know, the skills that not only allow her to be an excellent teacher but also allow her to execute many styles of engraving....
Continue with Basics to Brights to Advanced »
One of the ideas behind Featured Photos is to give engravers and artists inspiration for their own work. Andy Gonzales of North Canton, Ohio, has found inspiration in work by Jake Newell who was recently featured....
Continue with "Picking" Your Custom Work »
From the Czech Republic comes Vlastic Peták, a European hand engraving artist whose stunningly lifelike work is always breathtaking, has shared a recent work with us....
Continue with To Make The Most Beautiful Gun »
Starting into uncharted territory can be an intimidating task when it comes to hand engraving. When jewelry has been your focus and firearms enter the picture (or vice versa), it can be hard not to consider the possibility of failure....
Continue with My First Engraved Firearm »
A few weeks ago on Featured Photos, we showed off hand engraving on an alternative to precious (and expensive) metals. Although it seems a few engravers out there can still work with these precious metals like silver and gold, being able to transition to metals like steel and copper is a good skill to have in any economy....
Continue with Mild Mannered Steel, Super Engraving »
With the day of couples around the corner, a sweet memento for your loved one — hand engraved, of course — is the perfect way to show you care....
Continue with A Sweet Valentine: Tira & Rob »
Lee Griffiths does his best to create work that is unique and beautiful. From spiders to hornblowers to historical scenes, his work shows his creativity....
Continue with Winning Big »
Artists in general have it easy when it comes to creating a new work. The privacy of a studio allows for mistakes, frustrations, and epiphanies to come and go with the flow of creativity....
Continue with A Public Affair »
Aside from the overall sparkle and shine of jewelry, it is often to the advantage of the wearer for the piece to have some kind of character. Something that makes the jewelry unique is always eye catching....
Continue with Bracelets with Culture »
As engravers, finding a place in the art world to market work can be tough given the current economy. One way to help your income is to expand to jewelry engraving....
Continue with Successful Jewelry Engraving »
If you build your house on sand, what kind of foundation for the future do you have? Probably not a very good one. You want something solid and strong, and the same goes for the art of engraving....
Continue with The Importance of the Basics »
With the price of gold into the astronomical limits of many engraving clients, alternative metals can still provide a custom piece with flash and style....
Continue with What Can You Do With Steel? »
Sam Welch has donated a great amount of his time to FEGA. From being a founding member to serving as President and Vice President for the guild, Sam felt that it was important to be a contributing benefactor to the organization that gave his career purpose years ago....
Continue with Music to My Graver »
Over and over again, new engravers find the challenge of cutting shade lines that both look "right" and are cut properly....
Continue with Finding the Sweet Spot in Shading »
American engraver Ron Smith is well-known for his beautiful hand engraved work. He also has written several books that provide countless engravers with inspiration and the knowledge to create better designs....
Continue with Inspired by Advanced Drawing »
Igor Tarantul of Israel recently sent in some photos of his work — and, wow, what beautiful artwork to behold!...
Continue with Engraving for a Wedding »
Holden Krom does not back down from the challenges that engraving has to offer. Instead, he embraces them....
Continue with New Challenges »
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December • Show All Articles for 2011
Download GRS Catalog (PDF)
Featured Photos
- Engraving Systems
- System Upgrades
- Mach / Max / Smith Handpieces
- Meister Handpieces
- Rotary Systems
- Air Compressors
- Workholding
- BenchMate for Jewelers
- For Jewelry Work
- Tool Sharpening
- Gravers, Burs & More
- Graver Accessories
- Tool Handles
- Chasing Hammers
- Optical Tools
- Books
- DVDs & Videos
- Project Pieces
- Practice Pieces
- Laser Patterns
- Patterns, Transfers & More
- Design Transfer
- Mold Making
- Lubricants & Protectors
- Surface Finishing
- Layout Tools
- Apparel & Gifts
