MODELLED LEATHER
Leather may be modelled in two ways; with a cut
outline or with the traced outline merely accentuated with the tracing-point or opener. In the former case the leather must be fairly thick, in the latter it may be thin calf or Russia, which is very soft and delicate.
FIG. 12.—LOWERING THE OUTER EDGE WITH A MODELLER
Leather modelled after being cut should, when finished, have the appearance, with regard to the relief, of a metal or modelled wax plaque. The leather takes the desired
shape easily, and should therefore be delicately handled.
The great charm of modelled leather lies in the softness of its forms, and care must be taken to avoid irregularly cut outlines which disagreeably arrest the eye by failing to merge into the ground.
Faulty incisions, or those too deeply cut, are liable to leave a light line between the modelled subject and the background, due to the cut having exposed not only the surface, but the inner substance of the leather. This light line will also have a tendency to appear if the modelling is not done directly after the opening of the lines, or if they are too widely opened, or if the opener is too sharp and unduly deepens the cut. The fault can be remedied by staining the line to match the surface of the leather.