Colour & Design Information

If you have an idea but would like me to make up a design, or you would like me to make substantial changes to a design you already have, just give me a few pointers and I will do my best to work out a design to suit your requirements. The design can always be adjusted and tweaked until you are completely satisfied with it.

PLEASE NOTE: THESE REPRESENTATIONS OF COLOUR ARE ONLY APPROXIMATE.

ANY VARIATION IN THE COLOUR OF THE FINAL PRODUCT MAY BE DUE TO THE COLOUR OF THE SCREEN ON WHICH YOU ARE VIEWING THESE SWATCHES

When considering colour for your Old Barn Leather Project here are some things to bear in mind:

  • we cannot dye leather white

  • however, elements of a design may be painted white, providing they are not too large

  • leather darkens naturally with age

  • natural, undyed leather darkens to a light nutty brown, especially if exposed to sunlight (see illustration alongside)

  • if leather is partially covered and left in direct sunlight for an extended period, the section covered will be paler than the exposed parts

  • very pale colours, especially pale blues and greens, may change over time as the leather ages naturally

  • we rarely dye whole surfaces black - studio applied black dye often fades

  • if you require your item to be dyed black, however, do let me know

  • acrylic dyes, inks and paints are used where appropriate

  • occasionally natural substances such as tea, coffee and other natural plant materials and are used to colour leather

  • paint is only used as an embellishment and not as a full treatment of the leather - for that you will need to 'Add dye'

  • a range of paints, inks and dyes, in metallic and flat colours, can be used to highlight details

  • we only use non-toxic dyes, paints and finishes unless otherwise indicated

  • thread for stitching comes in a variety of colours: red, green, blue, orange, natural, white, black and dark brown

  • oiled leather cannot be carved. However, a carved patch can be added (Please see Gallery for examples)

See Carving Sizes and Complexity Guidelines

below

Carving Size and Complexity Guidelines

The following notes and illustrations explain more about simple, loose and complex designs as well as sizes small, medium and large.

  • some of the designs shown here are not suitable for small projects

  • designs illustrated alongside have been carved onto A6, A5 and A4 notebooks, as specified in the headings. This is to show scale and proportion. For a more visual comparison, please click here.

  • most designs can be carved onto other items such as bags, boxes, curtain tiebacks and chairs

  • extremely fine drawings (many lines that lie very close together) are not suitable for carving as they weaken the integrity of the leather’s surface

  • script is definitely possible provided the characters are not too small

  • we do not use stamps for lettering except on narrow wristbands

  • prices displayed on the enquiry forms apply to a single surface only

  • not all designs lend themselves to detail painting (single line drawings, for example)

    Please Note

    Prices displayed on enquiry forms are intended as guides only.

    There is a very wide variety of different options when it comes to personalising a project. But, if you are in any doubt about choices, send me a message outlining your ideas, scales and sizes as well as any images that may help with the design.

    Thank you