“Good Eye” – the fifth and newest book in the authors’ "" series – explores furniture design by delving into simple proportions in a new and deep way.
Here, Jim Tolpin and George Walker take a close look at iconic pieces of furniture from different periods, and show you the proportional systems behind each of them at work. Then, they take you a step beyond, and show how to use that same system to create an entirely new design – a piece with bones that can successfully work in just about any design aesthetic.
If you have been following , this new book will expand your understanding of artisan geometry and how to make it work for you. If you are new to furniture design, “Good Eye” is a great point of entry into to the topic.
The book begins by showing you how to find the simple shapes behind a piece of furniture. Then how to tease out the "module" (or two) that is the building block of that design. Then you can use that module to scale mouldings, rails, stiles, drawers and negative space.
If this sounds difficult, don’t worry. “Good Eye” teaches you through example. The lessons begin with a simple 17th-century chest. The authors show you the basic system behind the chest‘s overall proportions. They then explain (using words and clear line drawings) how the module helps lay out the chest’s rails, stiles and panels. Once you understand the system behind the chest, Tolpin and Walker show you how to use the same system to design a contemporary hi-fi cabinet.
“Good Eye” then marches forward with this format. Learn asymmetry with the help of pieces from Asia. Tackle secondary modules while exploring a Shaker sewing table. Then learn to improve existing designs with the process of “refinement,” where you play with different layouts (all using the same system) to find the one that is most pleasing. Then they explain ornamentation and curves.
All of these high-minded ideas are backed up with real-world examples. The book has hundreds of line drawings that make each step understandable.
Like all Lost Art Press books, “Good Eye” is printed in the United States (Michigan, in this case). The book measures 8.5" x 11" and is 120 pages. The interior is printed in black and white with hundreds of line drawings on #60 natural paper. These pages are gathered into signatures, sewn together for durability then backed with fiber tape. The book block is attached to the hardcover with a heavy paper hinge. All this is wrapped in cloth and stamped with a metal die plus foil to create the cover image. Almost no one makes books this way any more. Our books are designed to last through lifetimes of regular service.
Table of Contents
Section I
1. Things We Can't Unsee 1
2. Form, Define, Refine 11
Section II
3. Hidden in Plain Sight 17
4. To Stand or Recline 35
5. Different But the Same 45
6. Modules Upon Modules 53
Section III
7. Refine the Refinements 63
8. Organic Growth 73
9. Origins of Ornamentation 81
10. Playing with Curve 95
Afterword 111
Jim Tolpin and George Walker are also the authors of “,”
