Art in Leather : How it is done

Art in Leather is a unique form of artwork. Each picture is individually hand carved and hand painted in leather, solely by myself Graham Howard. Due to the labour intensive nature of my work, (there can be up to 150 individual feathers in a picture) there is a natural limit to the number I can create, and although more than one of the same subject may be made, they will not be identical. What started as a hobby many years ago has now become more a way of life. I have over this period developed my own individual style and method of working and now tend to make my own tools as this enables me to produce exclusive effects and textures in the leather. The paintings are supplied framed. No glass is necessary as they are treated with a leather preservative which allows the leather to breathe. They should be kept out of direct sunlight as this will tend to "tan" the undyed areas. These pictures and clocks would make an ideal and unusual gift for that special occasion, e.g. Third Wedding Anniversary is Leather. We offer a full 14 day money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied upon receipt of your artwork.

The leather used is a vegetable tanned tooling shoulder. Although it is called leather carving, no leather is actually removed. The leather is moistened and the design, drawn on a water proof tracing paper, is transferred to the leather. Using a swivel knife, which allows the blade to be turned while cutting, the outline is cut into the leather. With bevelling tools and mallet, the leather on the outside of the design is hammered down. Using a background tool the rest of the back ground is now hammered down, leaving the design standing proud. The next step is to add the detail. Branches and bark are modelled in, leaves are contoured and the veins added. Each feather on the bird is bevelled, the spine added and the cuts are made with a scalpel knife. The eyes are carved into the leather and are a make or break point. If the eye is right, you are almost there! When the leather is fully dry, the carving is painted using acrylic leather dyes. Colouring presents problems owing to the different textures of the leather created during the carving process. Leaves tend to be less absorbent and feathers, owing to the cutting, absorb the dye like blotting paper! Mixing the correct colour can be difficult. When painted on the leather the colour darkens and the true colour only shows when it dries out. White is also a problem, it is usually the first colour to be applied, and the whole painting sequence revolves around it. The butterflies use a totally different method which would take up too much space to explain! When the dye is completely dry, the carving is sprayed with a coat of leather protector. When framing, no glass is necessary. The carving should be kept out of direct sunlight, as this will tend to “tan” the non dyed areas, the colours, being acrylic, will not fade. Leather being a natural product may show some slight markings on the borders which have not been carved. This is owing to natural creasing and light scarring and adds to the overall effect. Copyright © Art in Leather. 8 Blacksmith Close, South Littleton, WR11 8YT.