Form and design - the artistry behind the skills

Many thanks to last night's guest presenter Trefor Roberts from the National Assoc of Woodworkers (NAW). He reminded us that tool skills alone do not achieve great wood art pieces. The principles of design and an artistic eye are of equal importance when turning wood.

To please the senses you must adhere to good design. A well-proportioned bowl with sweeping curves will instantly draw the eye. The thoughtful application of embellishments and textures will invite touch. The woody scents and natural finishes of waxes and oils beckon our noses. The ethereal glow of natural wood grain evokes emotion. When planning your design consider the 7 elements of art: line, shape, space, value, form, texture, and color.

Trefor invited the club's members to offer opinions on some of his turned bowls. In turn Trefor explained his own thoughts on why some designs worked, and why some didn't. The exercise evoked discussion, but also re-iterated the adage "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder".

He also demonstrated some excellent techniques for adding embellishments and textures to turned pieces:

• design transfers (great for those not comfortable with free-hand drawing)
• pyrography (also known as pokerwork or wood burning)
• adding colour with paints and metallic rub-on pastes to achieve highlight and low-light effects

​Stay tuned for the video upload for more detail on these techniques and the products Trefor used.