Scroll Saw Village

Sharpen up those #2 pencils because school is back in session.  I’m teaching an online class on using GIMP to create scroll saw portrait patterns.  This class is a bit more structured than the tutorials on Scroll Saw Goodies.  Each lesson builds upon the previous until the end when you’re a pattern making pro!  The class lasts for 4 weeks with 2 lessons per week.  Each lesson will include a video demonstration, a written out tutorial and additional material.  A dedicated forum is available for you to ask questions and get some feedback on your progress.  I’ll be posting the video portions on Scroll Saw Goodies, but additional source material and files are only available in the forums.  So be sure to sign up for this great class.  Did I mention it is free?  So is the software!  How can you go wrong?  See you in the forums!

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This summer, I’m going to try my hand at intarsia. So I’m reading all I can before I jump in. During my research, I came across a great series by Mike Mathieu of Midlothian Woodworks. He wrote a series of 6 blog posts, aptly named Intarsia 101, on Lumberjocks. Mike shows the process of taking an intarsia project from photo to finished product. He includes a lot of great pictures with descriptions of what is happening in each photo. Check it out! It is well worth the read if intarsia is your future too.

The last couple episodes we used Inkscape to clean up patterns we found on the internet and prepare them for printing. This time, we’re actually going to dig in and design a simple scroll saw pattern with Inkscape. We’re creating a name plate for somebody’s desk. This is an easy pattern to put together, easier to cut, and it makes a great gift for those in the office. Enjoy the show!

If you enjoyed this pattern making series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
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There are times when we need to print a pattern larger than a standard sheet of paper.  This can be either for large fretwork patterns, intarsia, lath art, or even yard art patterns.  This episode, we use Inkscape to prepare an oversized pattern for printing.  We review importing and cleaning up the pattern from the last video.  We also cover adding registration marks and show you a a process to make printing large patterns easy.  Enjoy the show!

If you enjoyed this video series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
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We’re continuing the Pattern Workshop with a new series as we explore a new program, Inkscape.  Inkscape is a vector based graphics software, similar to Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.  The main difference is the price tag.  Inkscape is Free!!!  You can find your copy of Inkscape at Inkscape.org.  It is a very cool program and perfect for us scrollers!

In this short video tutorial, we explore what Inkscape is and how to download this wonderful free program. Then we import a downloaded pattern, resize it, and prepare it for printing.  It may seem a little silly to have a whole video on printing a pattern, but I do this each and every time I print a pattern.  I love the results and makes my scrolling that much easier.

If you enjoyed this video series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
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Creating A Dog Portrait Using Adobe Photoshop is now available on DVD!  How cool!  Well, don’t get too excited, this DVD does not include any additional materials. This is the exact same series you can download for free in the podcast section. Why am I putting out a DVD then? There has been interest from those who have trouble downloading these screencasts.  This way you can watch them on your home television.  So for those of you interested, you can get this complete series for $10. That’s almost 3.5 hours for $10! The price even includes shipping! Now that’s an amazing deal! Plus you’re helping to support future podcasts. Doesn’t that make you feel good?  So if you’d like a copy of this series on DVD, click the Buy Now button below and I’ll send your copy out right away.

Note: This offer is good for US Residents.  Outside of the US, please contact me for more information.  This is presented in NTSC and on DVD-R format.  Some older DVD players may not play DVD-R formatted disks.

We made it!  Finaly finished with our portrait of a dog using Adobe Photoshop.  We pick up wherw we left off and finish off the muzzle and experiment with redesigning the nose a bit.  We end up with a scroll saw pattern ready for mounting to the wood.

I hope you enjoyed this series.  If you’d like to see anything specific, or would like to suggest a future screencast, you can contact me at scrollsawgoodies[at]gmail.com.  Or PM me at in the forums at Scroll Saw Village.

If you enjoyed this pattern making series, please consider a small donation.
Proceeds go to supporting SSG podcast and other tutorials. Thank you for your support.
Make A Donation

We’re almost there!  We pick up where we left off as we design a scroll saw pattern using Adobe Photoshop.  This time we’re working on the dog’s chin and muzzle.  If you have any questions or comments, drop by the forums!  We’d be glad to have ya.  While you’re there, check out the pattern section where you can find some great examples of this technique being used.

On with the show!

For those who are still with me, here is the next installment of our video series as I create a scroll saw pattern using Adobe Photoshop.  This time we’re working on the dog’s body.  If you have any questions or comments, please stop by our forums.  While you’re there, be sure to introduce yourself.  There are a lot of fun and talented people there.  I think you’ll have a good time.  We also have a nice collection of free scroll saw patterns located in the Pattern Library.  Check it out!

Anyway, on with the show!

Well.  We made it past the half way mark!  For those of you still watching, we pick up where we left off.  This time we’re working on the right ear and the face! If you have any questions or comments, please join us in the forums! We’d love to have ya!

Note: I had trouble with audio drift on this episode as well. But don’t worry, the next few episodes recorded properly.