Tag Archives: Design Matters

Design Matters: A Practiced Eye

Straight lines will help you generate pleasing curves.

By George R. Walker
Pages 18-20

I 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 »

Design Matters: Over the Top

‘Superadded Ornaments’ won’t save a poor design – but can enhance a good one.

by George R. Walker
Pages 16-17

From the April 2012 issue, #196

My 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 »

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

Try this exercise to unlock imagination.

By George R. Walker
Pages: 18-20

From 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.”

Design Matters: Why Design?

Developing your skills is a journey of discovery.

By George R. Walker
Pages: 20-22

From the December 2011 issue #194
Buy the issue now

My 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 »

Design Matters: Color Value

Contrast can be used to tell a visual tale.

By George R. Walker
Pages: 20-21

Every 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 »

Design Matters: Double-duty Dovetails

What’s more important: Strength or Aesthetics?

By George R. Walker
Pages: 20-21

From the April 2011 issue #189
Buy this issue now

One 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 »

Design Matters: ‘Good Eye’

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 »