Popular Woodworking Magazine » Design Matters

Design Matters: A Practiced Eye

Article Index — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:42:05 +0000

Straight lines will help you generate pleasing curves.By George R. Walker Pages 18-20I know a potter who’s worked clay on a wheel for more than a quarter-century. His practiced eye has a keen sense for curved forms, honed by shaping tens of thousands of pots. I admire his work and also the fact that he still gets excited at the thought that there’s more to be learned about curves.Blog: Read more from George R. Walker on his Design Matters blog. In Our Store: George R. Walker’s DVDs, "Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design," and "Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design: Moldings." Read more »

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Design Matters: Over the Top

Article Index — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:35:16 +0000

‘Superadded Ornaments’ won’t save a poor design – but can enhance a good one.by George R. Walker Pages 16-17From the April 2012 issue, #196My 10-year-old son, Josh, tugged at my elbow and said, “Dad, check it out, is that cool or what?”Parked a few yards away was a minivan encrusted with hundreds – no, make that thousands – of plastic toys glued to every square inch of sheet metal. What looked like grass sprouting from the roof was actually several battalions of green army men, along with tanks, bazookas, Pez dispensers, dinosaurs, guitar picks, Happy Meal toys and, on the hood, Wonder Woman in a pitched battle with Godzilla. I asked myself if this was part of a divorce settlement gone bad, or a desperate cry for help. Whatever the inspiration, it made us smile.Blog: Read more from George about design on his Design Matters blog. In our store: George R. Walker’s DVDs: "Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design" and "Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design: Moldings." Read more »

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Design Matters: Sketching: It’s All in Your Mind

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:25:24 +0000

Try this exercise to unlock imagination.By George R. Walker Pages: 18-20From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.In the first century B.C.E., a military architect named Vitruvius captured the distinction between a designer’s mind and the minds of the rest of us.“For all men, not just architects, are capable of appreciating quality; but there is a difference between laymen and architects (designers) in that the former cannot know what a building will be like unless he has seen it completed; while the architect knows perfectly well what it will be like … from the instant he conceives it in his mind, and before he begins it.”BLOG: Read more from George about design on his Design Matters blog. IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s design DVDs. Read more »

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Design Matters: Why Design?

Article Index — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:51:02 +0000

Developing your skills is a journey of discovery.By George R. Walker Pages: 20-22From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue nowMy brother and I gazed at a sunset from a rocky perch high atop Boulder Pass in Glacier National Park. A ball of orange slipped behind the jagged peaks way out there somewhere toward Japan. We sat there dazzled, not uttering a word as the clouds turned into purple islands in a sea of molten lava. We were doing something we felt passionate about. It took effort to haul our packs up the steep trail, yet we soaked in every moment like a gift. That sunset wasn’t an in-your-face adrenalin rush, but something in the moment, quiet and deep.BLOG: Read more from George about design on his Design Matters blog. IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s DVDs. Read more »

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Design Matters: Color Value

Article Index — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:01:45 +0000

Contrast can be used to tell a visual tale.By George R. Walker Pages: 20-21Every season writes its own story in color. Winter has its stark contrast between snow-covered fields and crisp cobalt skies. Spring gushes neon green underfoot while the treetops sprout pastel oinks and reds from the end of every twig. Summer is a whole box of crayons spilled out before us. But Autumn, that's when nature paints with abandonment. No holding back. Reds are deeper, and golds and yellows have a richness that took the entire year to create. BLOG: For more Design Matters, read George R. Walker's blog. BLOG: Discover more about color and furniture.IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker's DVDs. Read more »

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Design Matters: Double-duty Dovetails

Article Index — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:52:53 +0000

What's more important: Strength or Aesthetics?By George R. Walker Pages: 20-21From the April 2011 issue #189 Buy this issue nowOne of the high points of the October 2010 Woodworking in America conference was the dueling dovetail session between Roy Underhill and Frank Klausz. The two squared off with saw and chisel in hand tackling the “pins first vs. tails first” debate. Friendly banter peppered the dialogue as these two masters cut dovetails with an ease and deliberateness that spoke volumes. Both represented a woodworking tradition, with Frank “Pins First” Klausz demonstrating skills learned in an Eastern European woodshop, while Roy “Tails First” Underhill shared his wisdom of historical American craft. But one part of the discussion in particular caught my attention.Blog: For more Design Matters, and for a new online feature, “Apprentice Sketchbook,” that ties into every issue of the magazine and this column, visit George R. Walker’s blog. In Our Store: George Walker's DVDs: "Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design DVD ; Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design: Moldings DVD.From the April 2011 issue #189 Buy this issue now Read more »

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Design Matters: ‘Good Eye’

Article Index — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:05:39 +0000

Awaken your inner design sense with just a little practice. By George R. Walker Pages: 20-22 From the February 2010 issue #181 Buy this issue now Talk about design often leads back to the idea of developing a good eye. For a long time I wrestled with this; it seemed a bit like trying to … Read more »

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Design Matters: Making Sense of Forms

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:00:55 +0000

Train your eye to see the layers in a great design. By George R. Walker Pages: 20-21 From the April 2010 issue #182 Buy this issue now Early 20th-century filmmakers used timelapse photography to dazzle audiences with never-before-seen images of flowers emerging and bursting into bloom. Critics with Victorian sensibilities objected that something so intimate … Read more »

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Design Matters: Mouldings Emphasize A Form

Article Index — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:25:48 +0000

Multiple surfaces show play of light and shadow. By George R. Walker Pages: 20-21 From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue now Time was when I thought mouldings were handy for covering up mistakes at the workbench. I used a mallet and clamps to force ill-fitting joints together – then held my breath … Read more »

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Design Matters: Great Legs

Article Index — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 01:19:21 +0000

Play with proportion to achieve pleasing design. By George R. Walker Pages: 26-27From the December 2010 issue # 187 Buy this issue nowThe black stallion’s name was Step. Marvin, the only man I ever saw ride him, called him simply “the horse,” his raspy Southern voice pausing for emphasis. I was 5 years old the first time I laid eyes on Step. He was the scariest and most wonderful thing I’d ever seen. A force of nature, his frame all rough and muscled as though a master sculptor had chiseled him out in a hurry. His ebony coat reflected blue and purple in the sunlight, and the turf shook when he stomped his hoof. Perhaps the thing about Step that set him apart was that everything about him was perfectly proportioned. His massive ironlike legs would have been out of place on a lesser horse, but they fit perfectly with his body and muscular neck.There’s a lesson there. When proportioning legs to a furniture design the legs need to reflect and connect with the overall mass they support. A workbench uses sturdy tree-trunk-like legs not just for structural support, but also because the hefty timbers visually support the massive top.I’ve been looking at legs on furniture and studying how they are proportioned. Because they play a key role in such a wide variety of forms, there are few rules that apply across the board. A light side table calls for a much thinner leg than a dining table, even though they are similar in height. Sounds easy, but it can be challenging to design a leg that’s sturdy enough and still looks like it belongs with the overall mass of the piece. I tend to make legs too stocky and have learned through my mistakes to scale them back. Make it a point to closely examine how the legs are proportioned in a variety of built work. Regardless of style, this can help you develop a good eye for proportions.BLOG: Read more Design Matters on George R. Walker's blog. BLOG: read about Editor Christopher Schwarz's visit to George R. Walker's shop. IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker's DVDs. Read more »

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