Some people can be apprehensive about using their own artwork for engraving,
especially if they question their artistic ability. Improving one's drawing
and layout skill is an essential and ongoing pursuit, but there are
extensive copyright-free art resources to help anyone produce nice engraving
results. Even top engravers use these, and for good reasons.

This engraving by Christian DeCamillis shows how a copyright-free image can
be changed into a unique design. Compared to the original, Chris has
added many attractive elements. One notable addition is the beautiful leaves
beneath the subject's head. And in place of the original furrowed brow with no
discernible eyes, his creature now taunts the viewer with mischievous
wide-open eyes. The original almost comical rows of teeth have been
sharpened to fangs and the soft horns were "hardened" to resemble ram's
horns. These changes produce a noticeable difference between the
copyright-free book image and this creative rendition by Christian
DeCamillis.

Regardless of how strong an engraver's drawing skills are, such
copyright-free resources offer wonderful ideas and the chance to create
something new in less time. Remember to use the original copyright-free
source and not another person's work as your resource (even if their
rendition was based on the same copyright-right free design). Here are a few
of the many copyright-free image books available:

Scroll Ornaments of the Early Victorian Period by F. Knight
Banners, Ribbons & Scrolls by Carol Belanger Grafton
The Styles of Ornament by Alexander Speltz
159 Celtic Designs by Amy Lusebrink