Whether you'd like to learn to work with leather or just have a basic understanding of the medium, a Storyboard can help. I developed the Storyboard to "tell" without words a short but complete story that leaves a viewer appreciating the complexity of the art. To do this the boards are divided into several sections. The top margin is used to stamp impressions of the tools in sequence and show any special steps that have been taken to enhance the effects.

The first panel shows transferring a pattern and cutting with a swivel knife. Since this is quickly understood, not much room is dedicated to it. The second frame is where the dimension begins. In this step a textured beveling tool is tapped with a mallet around the outside of the cut lines. This process is flattening those areas, pushing them down not removing them as some people believe. In the next step large smooth bevelers are used to further flatten the bevel ridges formed with the previous step. You can see the distance being created. Dimension is enhanced more with the use of pear shaders as contours are added to the duck, leaves, wood and water.

With the larger version of the duck in the fourth frame, matting tools used all around the figure really make the illusion of form apparent. A high level of skill at rendering detail makes the duck seem real. The tools used for this are modeling spoons, some as fine as dental instruments.

The final, full color frame demonstrates my capacities as an artist in design, sculpting and the use of color. No, every step required to complete a picture of this complexity has not been shown. That would require a Storyboard several feet long, but at the next leather art competition you attend, you won't be at a total loss.