Where do you get your inspiration?

[Hoary]

Well, it's been a while since I cruised the forum just to catch up on things, but I've seen some incredible works from more of the mature smiths here and my jaw is completely caressing the floor from where I'm sitting. Anyways, I can see my work (which is very basic due to skill level) but it's very common things and lacking imagination. Not that I'm trying to reach beyond my skill, but rather looking to open creativity, but I lack the ability to look beyond the box so to speak, soo I was wondering if anyone would like to share their inspirations for creating their art?

[Tyler Murch]

so many different things, but a lot of it comes from music

[CurlyGeorge]

Go to historic re-enactments, (ie, Historic Sites, Mountainman Rendezvous, etc). I also belong to our state blacksmith association and get ideas from our news letters and from other smiths. I have found none to be too proud to teach you about some new items or ideas. Don't give up. Look around and you can open a whole new world!! Good luck and keep hammering!!

[Glenn]

Those projects you admire are usually a group of small projects joined together into a much larger project. You see the finished result of a LOT of practice, practice and then more practice. What you DO NOT see is the 3, 4, 5 attempts to get the dimensions correct, or shape correct, or the piece that was burned in two in the fire. They are carefully placed out of sight in (or under) the scrap pile so they do not show up in the photo.

For inspiration:
Go to the IForgeIron gallery, blueprints, forum, chat, forum archives, books, or look for ironwork as you drive to work. Look at things as if to say how can I make or improve that item.

How many different S hooks do you make now? Do you make one from square stock, round with a twist in the middle, leaves, hearts, penny scrolls on the ends? Do you make them of different lengths, different materials, different sizes? Do you also make J hooks, C hooks, and other styles of the S hook?

Lots of possibilities and that is just a simple little S hook. (grin)

[ironrosefarms]

I cheat, I carry a pad that I sketch out ideas as I see them in museums, reenactment camps, other forges, grave yards or where ever I see something that catches my eye.

I seldom try and perfectly match the item I have sketched up. I prefer to allow my personal style and ability to take effect in a piece, thus I don't feel to bad about steeling any bodies ideas.

I lost a sketch book once, I was so bummed out for about a week then someone called and said they had found it. When I went to pick it up they asked what all those ancient Egyptian symbols drawn out was??? They would not believe me that they was sketches for my metal work, but they did gladly except the $50 I offered to get my book back...

I do sometimes get the inspiration from custom work requests... currently a guy is talking about building a very custom grilling and cooking station... I just don't know if he is willing to pay what it will take to build this thing? His idea is interesting to say the least and will be a great challenge, thus another point of inspiration...

James

PS... oh and I forgot to add I go through the blueprints here and similar things I find elsewhere to gather up ideas as well. I have several binders with blueprints and other printed out pages of materials that I keep on hand. I print the pages out then slide all the pages for that item into a single page protector then put the page protector into a binder. This keeps me from loosing pages due to ripped out page holes and such.

Edited September 4, 2008 by ironrosefarms
PS

[Trollhammer]

I'm still pretty new to this, but here are my methods. I wonder around antique stores, knick-knack stores, craft stores, etc. If I see something I like, or looks interesting, I'll take a pic of it with my cell phone. When I get to the house, I'll draw up my own sketch of the piece and try to formulate a plan to get from bar stock to finished product. I use modeling clay alot! Then, and only then, after I've looked at it from the perspective of someone who is a complete infant in the world of metalwork(and completely ignorant of it as well) I'll go through the Blue Prints section on here and the Iforge pages on anvilefire.com to get more ideas. I try to do this so that I'm looking at the process without the prejudices that sometimes arise from knowing what you're doing. Everynow and then I succeed; more often, I fail...miserably. But my failures are also really good reminders of what not to do.
Mickey

[Doug C]

I look at the blueprints and galleries here on IforgeIron. Also I carry a camera or use my digital camera to capture pictures of all things iron. Also there are lots of books to read that have projects and exercises to do. Also google image searches.

[Thomas Dean]

Nature is probably my best sorce of ideas. Just remember, you can't compete against GOD, all you need to do is 'trick' the mind's eye.
Also another good source is to look in magazines such as Country Living, Better Homes & Gardens, etc. Don't just look at what is being highlighted in an article or ad, look at the surroundings of the 'highlighted' subject.
Sometimes I will just get out in the shop and call this session in the fire 'Tommy's fun day' and just play with different shapes, twists, sizes, materials and different tools to get the desired effect on an item. Have had some neat stuff come from these sessions. It's amazing to me what you can do with a hot piece of metal when you remove all the boundries of 'having to get this project done'. Most enjoyable.

[NateDJ]

I get most of my inspiration from nature and sites like these. The problem isn't my inspiration it is my skill level! If I could only forge what is see in my mind..... Some day I will get there but until then I will keep trying.

Another source for inspiration would be to find a video game that is very well developed graphically and try to reproduce some of those items, not talking about swords unless that is where your skill is but there is lots of background and furnishings in video games which are really interesting and may lend some nice art when done in metal. (watching the kids play video games so they will have to come watch me forge has several advantages, one is that I get to sit down and take a break for a few!)

[NateDJ]

O O oh ya I almost forgot ... look through the 10k + photos on this site and try to come up with your own version of what they have done, do most everything in clay if possible first to see if the way you think it should work out actually is the right way, if not then ask some one to show you how it should be done. You don't have to get some one to show you the entire project, just the element you are having trouble with.

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

The books in this series have provided great inspiration. Never copied any designs in their entirety, but lots of ideas.

The publishers website:

http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-art-pictorial-archive.html

On Amazon:
Amazon.com: dover pictorial



-Aaron @ the SCF

P.S. They are REALLY affordable too!! (and I am in no way affiliated, etc. etc.)

Edited September 4, 2008 by the_sandy_creek_forge
clarification, bad grammar, spelling, the list goes on and on....

[Dan W]

90% of my inspiration comes from history books. Usualy pre 1840. I enjoy making the everyday items used by our forefathers when the blacksmith was in his hayday.

[Finnr]

I am a Viking history nut. I m constantly digging through any research books I can find for things to make.
Finnr

[Makoz]

I have access to a uni library, and wade through all manner of books: history and archeology, paleontology, biology, engineering, art and crafts (blacksmithing & furniture making especially), biographies and fiction.
I too keep a journal/sketch book, jotting down ideas as they come to me, or pasting in pics and photocopies. Its a bit of wake up call to flick through 15 odd yrs of them to realise the same patterns or images keep emerging, like they've been re-assessed in my subconcious.

Cheers,
Makoz