New to forum, but, been around scrolling/designing

[CharlieDearing]

Finally managed to get in here. I am Charlie, Scroller/designer about 6 yrs. I live in Bertram Tx (population 1122).

[bearfretworks]

Welcome Charlie! It is GREAT to have accomplished pattern designers like yourself on this forum. Hope to see more of your work and learn from your successes and occasional oops!

[ozarkhillbilly]

WHAAHOOO!!! A Big welcome aboard Charlie!!!!!!
Gosh am I excited to see you here! I am a big fan of yours, I ordered 19 of your patterns from your site quite awhile back, and not too long ago I went back to order more and your pattern site was no longer up! And there are more of your patterns I'd like to add to my collection and to do list.

I hope you come visit us often, I'm sure there is plenty you could share and teach some of us..........

Below are a few of your patterns I've recently put to wood, but now I'm from Missouri and I need you to "SHOW ME" some more!!

[CanadianScroller]

Pleasure to have you as a member.
I have admired your designs and techniques for some time.
Welcome to our little corner of the net.

Carl

[Gill]

Even I know the name Charlie Dearing, and I know nuffink!



Sir, your reputation precedes you and i'm delighted that you've found your way to us.

Gill

[BobD (Archive)]

About time you found our little corner of the web, Charlie!

Welcome aboard my friend!!!!!!

Bob

[Sawduster]

Welcome Charlie i'm pretty much a newbie and must confess to not knowing of your talents until Bill posted his cuttings......we don't get out much 'round here
Awesome, simply awesome design work sir !
Glad you're here !

[minowevie]

Charlie. Wow , so you are the man who makes these wonderfull hunks. mmmm I have been drulling over Bills cutting for a few. should have known you are from TX. I hope you are still desinging. I would love to get some of your patterns. and I too, think you could offer alot here to us little guys. welcome for sure. mmmmmm just wondering. do you know the guys in person that you protray in your patterns?? I wont to leave my husbond, and go .... met them. HOHO. Ok just sorta, kinda, kidding, maybe. so glad to have you here. stay around. and tell us somemore about your self. just another gruppie. Evie

[Marcel in Longueuil]

Hi Charlie,

Welcome to our corner of the net.

It is an honor to have you here, and I hope you will be visiting with us regularly.

Your designs are awesome, and I hope you are willling to educate us with some of your techniques.

Respectfully,
Marcel

[CharlieDearing]

Explanations

Wow, ya'll make me feel like a celebrity! blush-blush
1- My site is down for two reasons. I stopped selling patterns because of thieves. I also rarely sold any. Secondly, well..........I don't have the money to renew it for another year.
2- This is how I make my patterns. I find a picture in a magazine or anywhere online. I print it out. (If I'm lucky enough to have dang printer ink). Every now and then it's from a drawing I've done. Anyway, after doing that it's a matter of finding the darkest areas first. The basic premise so far is to think of a circle. If that circle has a break in it then ya can't color it in without the color leaking out. That's the biggest thing to remember when making a pattern. Make sure all areas NOT to be cut are attached to something else, otherwise it will fall out. This is commonly called a floater. (Some people intentionally do floaters for more realistic looks like the light shining in someone's eye's etc.) Personally, I couldn't keep up with that little bitty piece of wood among all my sawdust and other giblets that have collected. Anyway, You are basically tracing the shadows! Not all the way because you'll get those floaters sometimes. This is why people with smoothe faces like babies don't often look too realistic because there is very little detail to take from the picture. On that, the importance lies in just making sure you get every single crooked smile, squinted eye, etc. On elderly people it CAN be overkill if you do every single wrinkle. I don't mean that disrespectfully. Hair can be tricky but just keep going with the floater avoiding. It's so much easier to do than teach...sigh.
I got into pattern making because I didn't like the choices I had and it was cheaper to do them myself. When people started liking them I kept goin'. I probably have 550 or so now. I am going to try to find photos of my pattern making process but can't guarantee anything because my computer is just one step above a paper weight. ANY questions any of you have are NOT stupid so please feel free to ask me anything. If you get confused, that's ok. I stay confused. Thats the reason I could never grasp doing patterns on computers. Click what?? Layer who? HUH??????

[ChuckD]

Hi Charlie Welcome to the group I hope we enjoy your stay here. Great work on the patterns. I got about 3 or 4 CD's from you so we know each other. I have a folder in my computer that says Artistic Cowboy. Most of them paid for But you have given away a few and those are as good as the paid for ones.

[stickers]

Hi Charlie,
Welcome. You sure do beautiful work. And l am alot like you with computers. I used to want to put my patterns on a computer but no matter how hard I tried I messed up. Right now I'm trying to get my son-in-law to show me the way. But right now I just want to get what I've done on here so you all can see what I can do. Maybe we should make a computer out of wood then we would know how it works. Well it was a thought.
But welcome aboard and I'm looking forward seeing more of your wonderful work.
Linda aka Stickers

[Jediscroller]

I'm curious, especially about the photos from magazines. Do you contact the magazine or the photographer directly for permission to use the photos to make patterns from? Are they typically pretty cooperative with their permission?
I have a arrangements with a couple of local photographers but I've seen some great stuff in mags that I'd love to use for patterns. I have gotten in contact with the National Audobon Society about using some of their wildlife stuff as well and donating a portion of the sales to them, they seemed very receptive.
Thanks in advance for any insight,

[CharlieDearing]

I'll admit I "take the risk" many times, but, that plays a part in why I no longer sell patterns. Low sales, pattern stealers, computer problems and covering my tail. Your method seems to work. I got permission from an artist named Paul Cameron Smith a long while ago to use his art to make patterns but nothing ever came of it. I made opatterns but we lost touch and I think I only sold 2. I'd love to have a photographer to team up with.

[stickers]

I can't get over how beautiful your work is. And it's something I'd really like to do. When I saw your work it took me to an idea that I know that I have to do. Now all I have to do is learn how. One is making a photo into a pattern. I have never done faces. And your explanation of how you do it kind of confused me. Which isn't to hard to do. Any advise on how do I start to understand the process? I have the photo I want to do. Now what? I'm feeling kind of stupid. Help please!!!! I can't tell you how much I need to do this.
Thank you
Linda aka Stickers