The Technique's History
Bulino (which means "graver" in Italian) engraving is a technique used by many engravers. Traditionally created by cutting very small lines or dots, some engravers may utilize a combination of both lines and dots in their work.
The result looks three-dimensional through the spacing and value (darkness or lightness) of the cuts. These engravings can range from very simple and basic in execution such as this Nicki Pendant to extremely complex with millions of dots and/or lines.
As with any bulino engraving, take your time and keep your tool and cuts under control.
Tools & Materials Used
- Hand-pushed GRS Monarch with Glensteel Graver
- Thermo-Loc (Workholding Plastic)
- GRS-Meiji zoom stereo microscope
- Photo references of the subject
The Design & Layout
Ludden engraved this pendant as a memorial piece for a dog named Nicki. With several photo references to use for the design, Ludden made a photorealistic representation based on Nicki's photos.
One important aspect of rendering a portrait like this is to truly capture the essence and personality of the subject so that, in this instance, Nicki looks like Nicki and not just any short-hair dog.
To transfer her rendering to the metal surface, Ludden did a charcoal rubbing and then lightly scratched her outline with a needle or scribe. To do the charcoal rubbing, first she rubbed charcoal on the back side of a scaled printed image. This puts a black surface on the underside of the image.
Then she taped the print to the pendant and traced the contours of the dog's features — only the eyes, nose, mouth and an outline of the head and ears. This method allows you to make certain the proportions of the subject are correct, which should be accurate.
By tracing on top of the print, the charcoal leaves a light mark on the metal that you can then use a scribe tool to lightly scratch your outline into the surface. After scratching the contours into the metal, Ludden started to engrave the image.
Progression Photos
The Outline and the Eyes
This shows the basic contours of the face Ashton scribed onto the metal surface. For the small lines and dots here, Ashton used hand-powered methods as opposed to air-powered tools.
For small cuts like dots or dashes, hand push may be the best option. When cutting longer lines, the ability to drive the tool is important for smoother and deepers cuts that are controlled, so air-powered tools (or a skilled hammer and chisel method) are preferred.
You can see here that Ludden has cut tight, small lines for the start of the eyes. The outline remains lightly scratched.
Adding Depth with Lines
Now the dog's face starts to have dimension and definition. Ashton used series of straight lines and dashes around the eyes and forehead to show not only the direction and texture of the hair but also the dimension of the head.
Note that the value of the cuts varies from light to dark, implying thickness of fur and the slope of the animal's temples and cheekbones.
Also pay attention to the spacing of the cuts and how it affects the darkness and lightness of certain sections.
Using Direction, Spacing, and Value
In this step, Ashton again uses directional lines to show the fur around the ear. One mistake many engraving artists may make is trying to make a solid line to contain an image or separate the foreground subject from the background.
However, most objects look odd with a solid line. Note around the ear where the fur itself provides a visual boundary instead of a solid border, implying the ear is separate from the background without a hard edge.
In contrast, note the eyes, where she used solid lines for the black lids.
The Basic Technique for Bulino Engraving DVD warns about solid outlines in bulino engraving, saying it could end up looking like a "coloring book". There is no hard-and-fast rule about outlines, but studying well-designed professional bulino work can help you learn when solid outlines are appropriate and what looks natural.
Ashton adds very little shading to the inner ear to give the folds dimension without attracting too much attention. This area looks natural, but some engravers may tend to make this area too dark and detailed. Since the ear is not the focus here, less detail is better.
Step 4.
To make the snout of the dog appear closer to the viewer than the top of the head, the area around the nose transitions from dark to light. Remember that objects that are closer to the viewer are generally lighter in appearance than objects that are farther away.
Also take into consideration the light source, whether the subject is generally lit or has a directional light that creates more dramatic highlights and shadows.
Step 5.
Viewing the engraving from farther away (perhaps at arm's length) allows you to see how the groups of lines and dots create the appearance of three-dimensions. The lines through the neck up to the head give the impression of folds of skin and flesh.
Study the close-ups to see how the small cuts contribute to the overall look as you would see it with the naked eye.
Final Notes
This basic tutorial points out the progressions as Ashton Ludden added detail to this small pendant. Using small dots, dashes, and lines, she has created a likeness of the client's beloved pet Nicki. If you are interested in a more in-depth look at the basics of this technique, be sure to add the Basic Technique for Bulino Engraving video to your engraving reference library. The video goes into sharpening and graver geometry — which you will find out is quite important to successful bulino engraving — as well as basic cutting, how to give subjects form, and how to engrave a variety of animals. Get the DVD online today from GRS Tools.
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