I'm seeking to understand here. To my friends that do computer generated images you have my bravo. I strongly feel that the tech needs to be in the hands of the artists. I'm trying to decide if this method Will get me to where I want to go.

Anyone headed to SNAG in Savannah? Brad

I'll try to answer some fold forming questions. The process is one where I spend most of my time. What is fold forming? Well to begin with just look at the words fold and forming..gee you could do that with a sheet of paper..people have, they called the process origami..those same cultures also did origami with metal, mostly foils. They folded they formed..origami with metal ignores the properties of the metal and treats the resistance of the metal as an obstacle to be overcome. What if we used the characteristics or properties of metal in the process? When we do that, we are doing what today is known as "fold forming"

If I were to be gifted with the ability to speak and understand different languages, I'd pick Chinese and French. Would that totally change who and what I am? Or would I be a butterfly farmer with a larger audience?..Hmmm I have enough trouble with one language. For today's lesson you will need, all of the stuff you needed last time, paper, copper, hammers an anvil, ect. another banana, and some clams on the half shell. "There's a movie this time". For complete understanding you'll have to watch all of the past Star Trek episodes. There's one I want you to to see in particular. Trekkies will know it right off. It's the one where Kirk is on a planet, his radio jewelry doesn't work, there is an alien there that is trying to kill him, at least he thinks so. Of course the alien speaks English, Well sort of, he says things like "Chakru near the waterfall. Dindal takes a flower " or " Filbert at Sol" Turns out that his language is one of symbols. Ours is also. We describe things 3D with words like cube, rectangle, sphere, elliptical solid, truncated cone or poly dodecahedron. Those words have agreed upon meanings, we can look them up. We agree what a circle is. The problem is that in the natural world oranges aren't spheres, nothing is square and those are hardly cubes. Some can remember what poly dodecahadrons are. I guess that's good. Seems rather esoteric or didactic though. Not a real handy system. The book you didn't read from the last lesson "Form Emphasis For Metalsmiths" by Heikki Seppa addresses the problem. For the moment We are stuck with the sphere "icle" and square "ish" ness of it all. It's my desire to get rid of the ish and icle of it all, so I'll paint word pictures for forms. Here's one " those tendrils from a morning glory or passion vine that hold onto a trellis. My vocabulary doesn't work well here, my geometry doesn't exactly fit. When I cant do that easily I have yu get the object. Tedious I know just be happy I haven't used tree or volcano for pictures...Ok here's where all heck is going to break out, Get your mist bottle. Get one of those squarish roundish any ishy shape will do pieces of paper. Score an arc across the paper. A butter knife might help. Push the sides together. Ah Ha You are going to have so many ah ha moments , you're going to sound like a steam engine. Break ya ya ya you know what to do. My wife came in to tell me that the cassia are blooming..That's cool 'cause cassia attract sulphurs They are big yellow butterfly's very cool. Breaks over. Scribe two arcs, fold scribe an S shape, Make more paper ish shapes. Remember to breath and to ponder.

Where can I learn about fold forming?
Well you started here. How about staying here a little longer? Many of us here do some fold forming, with a wide variety of results, viva la difference. There is much to learn. Hang on here we go!Over the years I've referred to myself as Artist, Jeweler, metal-smith, craftsman, and goldsmith. I've earned those titles. But always found them to be a bit pretentious, Real conversation killers and not very accurate. There needed to be a better term. I found A name for my career field quite by accident. I am a butterfly farmer. It's a difficult career choice to get ones head around. But basically I take something the rest of the world doesn't even see: an egg on the backside of a leaf, a caterpillar, or a piece of copper and I watch it change. When it becomes something cool, beautiful I release it. It's very hard work. but I've found it very freeing. Should you decide that you too are a butterfly farmer then here is my suggestion. Rush (it's the last time you ever have to rush) out and buy a spray bottle that will make a mist. fill with water. Use this to spray your forehead, arms, upper body before anyone sees you working. It helps. Ah you laugh. That's good It's easier to see and learn when we stop taking this stuff and ourselves so seriously. Promise me right now that you'll never tell any one how much fun this is. It's work. Remember that. It's important, you know? For your first lesson you will need A sketch book, If you can't afford that, find a paper bag. The weight of the paper is important. Some Chinese take out food delivered to you in one of those paper containers. The biggest sheet of copper you can buy. Not a foil but just thick enough that you can still bend it with your fingers with a little effort. a pair of scissors and a tin snips are also handy to have. Has the take out food arrived yet? Ok in the mean time we can get started. Make your self a stack of papers about 4" sort of square. Fold one of the sheets in half, open it up easily lay it on the table in front of you and stare at it until you see that it's not flat anymore. Make two folds on another sheet parallel is good, open it up. Bring two edges together. Observe that from flat (bad) and straight (bad)you have made curves good. Take a break..Eat the Chinese food if you must. I don't care I want you to see the paper container that the stuff came in. If yours came in a styrofoam thing that's vacuum forming and will not be covered in this class. Reorder until you get a box thing. Stare at the empty box thing pick it up let your mind digest it. Make one out of paper. It's a 3D solid it's a cold construction, it's origami. Origami is not where we are going. Make yourself some copper rectangles squares circles ect. 3" sort of. Fold one in half. A hammer is a good thing, a mallet good..open it up..That's origani not where we are going Yet. Take one of your pcs of copper Long rectangle is best. fold it in half lengthwise. Hammer the folded edge. don't straighten it out you want it to curve.