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How to Add Drama to your Gourd with a Design Cut

Add Drama with a Design Cut on your gourd that looks natural and interesting. I ill show you how! 

A  design cut on a gourd refers to the negative space cut into the gourd. What that line should look like takes thought and planning. I will guide you through six ideas to help you think along the right lines. 

1. A design cut on a gourd  establishes a focal point or emphasis

The other design images on the gourd then compliment the cut. When you make it a major part of your design plan for your gourd, you create a gourd that looks like it grew that way just for your decoration. Determining what that line should look like takes thought and planning. Let’s look at some examples of different approaches.

 2. Highlight your theme with design cut

You can use the edge of the cut to help define your theme as Nora Graf did with her fish. It can also be part of the simple cut across the top of the gourd that incorporates the line that establishes the division of the gourd as Deborah Easley did on the gourd on the right.

3. The design cut on a gourd cut also can establish the functional theme of the gourd.

What is your gourd representing? A basket,ashell a seansonal bowl? For example, look at ike Barbara Prestridge basket or Nora Graf’s shell shape.

The design cut shoud look natural to the shape of gourd. The basket cut out looks like it was there naturally and the shell cut out follows one seen on a real shell. 

4. The design cut on a gourd can also reflect the organic flow of the gourd shape

To find that flow on your gourd, just close your eyes and move your hand down the length of the gourd a couple of times to till you can repeat the line on paper or on the gourd itself. This is the theme of Kristen Treruting’s work. Be sure to read the post I wrote about her work and learn how she finds that flow line for her gourds.

5. The design cut on a gourd can dramatize one decorative element of your gourd

I love the way Kristy Dial’s cut makes the little gourd stand out and gives the illusion of a kiln oven. Or how Maria Delos uses the cut to emphasize the chains. I have seen artists do this around a wood burned feather element or a leaf next to a hummingbird. The negative space quickly draws the eye to this focal point. Of course, all this has to be planned out before you start your gourd.

6. The design cut on a gourd can also make your carved or wood burned lines more dramatic.

Jennifer Hershman made a simple filagree cut lines diagonal with the design cut, and then repeated it only on the front to allow the back of the gourd to add a black background. This took some creative thought on her part that makes it works lovely. On my dragon tail feather gourd, I use the cut to represent a dragon cave that also helps the flow of the tail pattern move across the front of the gourd.

The design cut will bring distinction to your work and is worth the extra thought and planning on your part, but the time spent is what most master gourd artists do.

Many artists like Jordon Straker have a reputation for creating a design cut that is part of their style and helps bring that $4000 price tag on this gourd.

Share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page. 

Return to the Blog page for other articles.

Pinterest users can help me spread the word about my posts and jewelry by re-pinning your favorites from my Pinterest page.

Above I suggested six ways to make a design cut and what that cut added to your design. Hopefully, you now understand the concept. But will these ideas be there when you need them? To help you out, I created this reference guide with 27 colored images of gourds with a design cut. You can download it now In the store, and keep it near your workspace for later.

27 Ways to Make a Design Cut

Bettie Lake

I am a former art educator and gourd art master helping new artists understand how to succeed with gourd art. I use my blog posts and our Facebook Group Page to communicate with my followers. Hopefully you learn some new things from this post and will return to read others.

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    How do I get the 27 ways to make a design cut and 7 tools for drawing on a gourd?

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