Show Us Your Curves

[Steelmillal]

In an earlier epoch, I used to build wooden boats. While looking for pattern drafting curves, I found a pair of ship curves reminders...







Given human size ranges, and something I recently read on a Russian site about proportion, the possibility for artistic curves are broad indeed. Also, this thread may inspire newbie-umsie to post draft efforts for critique help...


So, show us your curves!

[Steelmillal]

A few more for inspiration...

[Steelmillal]

And some that can be clip sniped, printed, and duplicated...







...The alvin curves above are a shelf item that can be ordered...




...The ships curves here are in every marine architects books starting way back. L. Francis Herreshoff books always have pages on them. I'm sure Scandinavian books have better...

[peterle]

Nice! So many hips, so many curves 

[Steelmillal]

Yup! Hips, darts, waists, sleeves, armscye, collars, etc... And over here in the States, we've grown some very large kids lately. I've a tall niece whose boyfriend is 6'6", 325#, and all neck! I think being skilled in drafting accurately will continue to be useful in the coming years, especially as factory standardization frustrations brings cause for individual style and expression, let alone disproportionate figure fit...


...So on that note if anyone wishes for the endless variety of sweeps, type into your browser "NACA airfoil curve pdf" and read away. What will come up, as well as many Uni papers, is old date for National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which became NASA in 1958. X/Y Coordinates are there to hand draft curves, or design your own without need of CAD, with just pencil and paper and an eraser...

[Greger]

Thought I was looking at Boomerangs and throw sticks from Australia.
Over time, if you draw a lot, it might be helpful to use drawing aids less and less. It takes lots of consecration.

[hutch--]

I do own a few curves but I have rarely ever found the right curve for what I have to do so I draw them by hand which is infinitely flexible, all it takes is a bit of practice and know what you are looking for.

[Steelmillal]

Even bricks fly. We used to see them lots in 1980s NASCAR. 

I draw horrible curves and need aids. Too much engineer, too little artist.

Anyway, while recently looking for new curves online, I saw one that reminded me of a wing's cross section, and it made me pull Abbott's wing book out. Figured to share easy data for what I found useful to make v. purchase.

[Henry Hall]

Apart from a common thick acrylic French curve, I also have two thin, wooden curves I found at a flea market. They were made quite locally on Lauwerecht in Utrecht. I'm guessing around the '40s or '50s. The ends are cut with an ornamental edge.

One is a simple hip curve (with about two inches snapped off the end) and the other is very curved at the wide end, so works for armholes. I also use the first one for shaping long lapels. I got all these in a job lot of wooden drawing aids - two T-squares and a long flat straight. Also a very nice metre stick with a brass end ferrule and brass block at the thumb-point near the handle. It has a 'H' with a crown over it engraved in the wood. Don't know who made it though.

[hutch--]

Some time ago I bought a couple of squares that both had a long curve on one side but the person I was going to give them to has passed away.

[Steelmillal]

Bumping this for continuity. This was extracted from a Chapelle small craft book. It took me an age to find it and was inspired by an old Riva blueprint too shoddy to clearly make out.



The trouser curve is something I've not seen before and this process works a treat as opposed to having a string 12-20 feet out and sweeping an arc. I've two more methods I will post soon and are for hip curves, sleeves, and armholes. Since we all can only get alloy or plastic, why not teach how to make one's own, yeah?

[Schneiderfrei]

Thanks Steelmillal,

I've never been able to get my hands on a trouser curve that I've liked yet.

[Steelmillal]

Sir, yes Sir.

I'll try to bang out the drawings tonight and write up some kind of explanation, as well as polish up the second book extraction.

[LindyBalboa]

Hm that drawing basically amounts to a slightly modified and stretched sine. Maybe I will figure out the actual function on my lunch break tomorrow...

I'm looking foreward to the promised follow-up post as well 

[spookietoo]

This is sounding quite interesting. I have an artist in me - that doesn't get out much - and along with actual hand drafting training (learned young so well imprinted on my brain ) I 'm happy with free handing, necks, scyes, and rises - even waists, but whenever I get to the hip I'm muttering under my breath about not having bought a damned curve! 

This sounds like a good idea to me!

Thank you, Steelmillal!