Project planning - How do you do it?

[palmermethod]

When you are planning a new project, pen or whatever, how much time is devoted to design and preparation?

 

[RMB]

I plan, depending on how big of a project I probably draw, of course I have many more drawings than completed projects. Drawings of houses, boats, hovercrafts,etc,... I'll get to them some day. For pens, I pretty much buy a kit and select a wood that I think will look good on it so far. I have sketches of crazy segmentation work that I haven't tried yet, but I will. Mostly I just daydream of pens and how I could acheive a certain look. Been trying to figure out how I could do a spiral effect, any idears?

 

[Daniel]

Depending on just how envolved the project is. For a pen a customer orders from my site there usually is not alot to it. for sometign new I am trying I do hte whole drawing thing. I have several pen kits in my shop wiht rough drawings of what i want to do with them. Only to help me remeber the idea I had.

 

[palmermethod]

As a newbie I look at this site for ideas. First the type kit. Can I do it justice? Some are expensive and easy to screw up.

Then I look at members pix for wood & color mixes on similar pen styles.

Then I re-read the instructions, not only for the kit but member tips. Especially finishing.

Lastly I remember the last time a blank blew out or measurement got out of whack. Scar tissue. Those are valuable lessons. I haven't really taken pix of my better pens yet.

After a while the techniques are ingrained and you (they) just make them. I have done a lot of woodwork production in the past and am not interested in that anymore. I just want to see if I can do it. Just for me.