Travis,
A couple things from a guy who has been around ivory and scrimshaw and knives for about 25 years:
1. The subject matter doesn't matter. There is no such thing as more or less acceptable patterns or images. Quality of execution outweighs the subject matter.
2. The reputation of the artist is the key. Practice practice practice. Just like an engraver, your earnings will grow exponentially with your quality and your subsequent good reputation. Don't skimp on anything and always go for the gold. Don't hold back and don't be afraid to take risks. It will pay off.
3. For the love of God in Heaven.....................please do NOT do scrim on plastic. Try to stay away from bone and stag. Implied in the art of scrim is the inherent value of the rare and valuable materials that were always used. Don't fall into the plastic trap. At a bare minimum, use bone. Better yet, always use ivory. Unless you are some kind of world famous artist, the value of the material the scrim is on will always be a factor. A small investment in some dry mammoth will pay back well. The ivory is part of the value and is a factor. When you can, use the queen of all ivories.................fossil walrus. Again, balls out, go for it, and take the risks. Scrimshaw on plastic is just dumb. It defies the very definition of the art. Besides that, the ivory then makes the knife even more of an investment because it has its own value added.
4. Start out small and use your best efforts to embellish the knife instead of making the knife a canvas for the scrimshaw. Use the scrim to value-add to the knife or to separate you from other makers. If you can do small amounts of scrim, or engraving, or gold inlay, or filework, or any other handwork skill, you will separate yourself from the pack. If you use the knife as the canvas, then the scrim becomes the focus and the center of attention. At that point you are no longer a knifemaker, but a scrim artist. You will compete with a whole different group. Use your skills and talents to distinguish your knives and make the knife the TOTALITY of the work you can do. Don't fall into the trap of venturing into competition with established scrim artists unless that is what you want to be. You can't serve two masters, but you can use your additional skills to make your knife offerings a more comprehensive, interesting and valuable package.
5. When using ivory, don't talk to just any butt-head out there about methods and applications. Search out people who are skilled and knowledgeable and ask the how and why questions. Don't fall into the trap of debating methods with people or being one to offer advice once you have learned something. Do the work, do it right and keep to yourself. Anything else is a time waster and will take away from your focus. Most people do not understand ivory and rely on lots of folk lore and old wives tales concerning the use and care of ivory. It is a specialized area that, if you can become knowledgeable, you can help your customers most of all. That's what you are supposed to be doing. Keep that focus.
6. If you are smart and decide to learn about, and then use ivory, you will need to accept one very important thing........................the ivory determines the style and design of the knife, not the other way around. You will find beautiful pieces of ivory that, if you accept the ivory for what it is, and design the rest of the knife around that beautiful piece, you will have a winner. What nearly all makers do is try to force natural materials into their design. They then become very frustrated because the materials are just not available in the sizes and shapes that will work for their designs. Don't fall into that trap either. Locate your best materials and incorporate them into the best package possible. Don't design the steel and force Mother Nature to make the size ivory or pearl you need. Look at all the components you have and make the best combination possible. People will not understand what you are doing, but you will rise above the crowd very quickly. Being a good maker means more than steel. It means creating the package using the best skills and the best materials available to you. It is the combination that makes the finished piece. Look at the best makers and you will see what I'm talking about. People who do the same thing over and over again, and think primarily about steel in their designs, fade in time because they stop using natural materials and valuable materials. Rise above that.
7. Last but not least, be passionate about each component that you put into a knife. That means acting responsibly in nature with the materials you use. It also means taking risks and doing things that others won't do. In the end, it results in being true to yourself. If you accept less than the best, your work will reflect that. If you try to 'get-by' with something cheaper or 'make-do' with something because you don't want to put that extra hour into it, you will ultimately fail. See every detail through to the end even if the cost takes you by surprise. That will show your passion and it will be noticed.
IMHO
Tim
