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Leather & Wood — Shop & Workshop Sign

Project overview

This is the sign for the Leather & Wood shop and workshop. The idea was to make something that represents both crafts — wood and leather — through imagery rather than just text. A dragon on the left, a mermaid on the right, Gothic lettering for the name and subtitle, and decorative wave scrolls at the bottom. Carved in relief from a solid wood panel, finished with dark stain.

Design

The composition has three parts: the header "Leather & Wood" in Gothic script, the central relief scene with the dragon and mermaid, and the footer "Shop & Workshop" with ornamental scrollwork. The background is textured with a hammered finish so the figures stand out clearly.

The dragon and mermaid aren't just decoration — they carry the spirit of the two crafts. Something wild and elemental about both.

Technical details

  • Material: Solid linden (basswood)
  • Technique: Deep relief carving
  • Lettering style: Gothic / Old English
  • Figures: Dragon (left), mermaid (right), in high relief
  • Background: Hand-textured hammered finish
  • Finish: Dark wood stain
  • Style: Medieval heraldic sign

Leather & Wood sign — completed Sign with carving tools — workspace Workshop view — in progress Carving in progress — tools on panel Dragon and mermaid — rough stage Progress view — dragon and mermaid Detail — figures carved Full panel — central composition Full panel — central composition (2) Mermaid tail — close-up Mermaid — detail work Mermaid figure — progress Mermaid — side detail Dragon body — detail Dragon wings — carving detail Dragon wings — close-up "Shop & Workshop" text — carved "Shop & Workshop" — lettering progress Bottom ornament detail Bottom ornament — second view Full panel — both figures and text Dragon scales — texture detail Background texture — hammered finish Corner ornament Corner ornament — detail Gothic lettering — close-up Relief depth — side light Full panel — "Leather & Wood / Shop & Workshop" Full composition — polished Full composition — front view Surface refinement — in progress Full panel — refined stage Mermaid — refined detail Mermaid — scales and tail Dragon — refined detail Dragon — close-up detail Dark stain applied — full panel Dark finish — close-up Dark finish — lettering detail Dark finish — panel view Dark stain — side angle Dark stain — first coat

Process highlights

  1. Sketch on wood — drawing the composition directly on the panel with pencil
  2. Background clearing — removing material around the figures to set the relief depth
  3. Rough shaping — blocking out the dragon and mermaid forms
  4. Figure detailing — scales, wings, fins, hair, facial features
  5. Lettering — carving Gothic script for both the header and footer
  6. Corner ornaments — decorative wave scrolls at the bottom corners
  7. Background texture — hammering a uniform texture across the recessed background
  8. Dark finish — staining the entire panel to bring out the depth and contrast

Craftsmanship notes

The lettering was the most demanding part — Gothic script in relief requires clean vertical and diagonal cuts with no room to fix mistakes. The dragon's wing membrane and the mermaid's scaled tail took the most time in terms of pure detail work. The hammered background texture was done last before finishing, which helped unify everything visually.

Sign for the Leather & Wood shop and workshop. Completed in April 2026.