Shoemaking & Techniques for Creative Footwear Design

Finally my book came out. On the way of its creation was a lot of technical difficulties, especially at the last moment, and I sorry for this delay. But today finally I present to your attention my "Shoemaking&Techniques For Creative Design" book and I'm so excited , as if going to school for the first time, because it's my first  book, in which I share with you my thoughts and knowledge about shoe design that I gain through the years, working as a shoe designer and making my own collections.

Here are few screenshots from the book:

This is just a short glimpse for the 47 pages book. I talk a lot about design techniques, few approaches to the subject, so you would be able to find your own way. Actually it is very difficult to label yourself as one kind of designer or a shoemaker as I see it, because to create you need to have the passion and urge to try different techniques, different methods and thats what I try to do in this book.
One of the most important chapters in this book is the "GOLD POINTS" for creating correct patterns and for me, knowing that it is kind of restricted area for most designers just because they lack this information, gives a great pleasure to share it with you. I explain all the points in the book for different types of shoes and how to use it in shoe design.

Another exciting chapter, (they all are useful and exciting in my eyes!) is the "Building an entire collection just with 2 types of lasts". I explain the differences in types of lasts and their properties that will help you to reflect it in creating entire collection just with one or two lasts. Using this knowledge and creative design techniques that I present in this book, you will be able to do it.In the book I present one of my past collections that was made only with two lasts, and it looks very different in every model.  
 As well, this is the first time I share new technique that I had developed, the "Freehand Pattern Construction Technique".  It is result of my long time search for easy and more affordable ways to create shoe patterns that would allow me to create complex and interesting designs and patterns. I actually use it to create all of my collections and in this book I share this technique with you.
The book also contains a video tutorial for Freehand Technique and I will show you how to build a 3D pattern in most shortest and easiest way. In the video I'm making 3D element of a rose in the toe area, here's the pic.

I look forward to your feedback and to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you all for support and for great online friendship.
I will run this book with a discount of 20% for the next 2 days, specially for readers of this blog.

The book is in online PDF format, and it's will be downloaded directly from my blog. You will be able to find it here on this post and in the "Full shoemaking Guides" tab at the top of my blog (navigation bar).

Here is the book :

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Table of contents

Introduction  3

1. Classic models of shoes and why you need them.               4

2. Must know pattern points or the secret of making correct pattern from the first time.                                                                10

3. Don't wait for a muse, rely on design process techniques. 21

4. The bad the good and the ugly- 3 Methods of footwear design.                                                                                                    24

5. Shortcut to creative footwear design - Freehand Pattern Construction Technique.                                                          34

6. How to build an entire collection just with 2 types of lasts.                                                                                                                                                         35

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Creative Pattern Making As a Key For Wining Design

This post is all about my new book that is coming out by the end of next week, which I'm very excited about. I'm very confident and thrilled about this one, because it has to do more on my field of expertise that is footwear design.

As my experience taught me, the best designs are emerges from creative pattern making. In this book I will give away my best tips on how to create any shoe design, from creatively approaching pattern making if you want to build entire collection or just a shoe for yourself and much more. I will probably place more updated information about the book, before launching it on the blog, so stay tune.

More than that, I finally updated my last collection, so I wanted to share this one with you as well. The concept behind it and what inspired me to create it the way it is.  

ABOUT  "REVEAL RAW" 

Now You Can Make Midsole By Yourself And Say Goodbye to Your Supplier

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Today I decided to share with you one of my "gold" tutorials: how to do mid-sole by yourself. I mean gold in sense that it helped me a lot in the beginning of my way as an independent shoe designer.  As it usually happens at the beginning ,no suppliers want to work with you, because you don't order big quantities. So to make my dream come true (make  my own shoes) I had to come up with a technique of manufacturing mid-soles in home, by myself, as they call it DIY.

Why is it important to know how to make the classic model of shoes?

When I studied at the Art Academy in Jerusalem, I was very fond of classical drawing lessons, because I understood that in the future  for  me to be able to draw any of  my fantasy figure, I must first learn the basics. So, in whatever  you touch upon, in any field, you must first learn the basics of the subject, in which you would like to achieve perfection. At the shoe craftsmanship such a basis, in my opinion, is the study of all the classic shoe models based on which you can make any shoe.

So to be a designer that is not only "creates" and by that I mean "makes a pretty drawing on a paper", but also can really make any of his ideas, it is important to know the construction of the classic shoe models. While I personally have never made any classic model of shoes (in a his "clean definition") in my own collections, I have all my models designed only because my knowledge on how to structure classic models of shoes. Those  models as they are, in terms of design, don't interest me, but the knowledge of their design gives me the freedom to create. They, like the alphabet, for those who wish to be a writer.

How to make shoe pattern with folds

It is example for basing sandal with folds

 I want to show you how to make this kind of pattern. This is one of the existing methods.

Basic model

1) Tape adhesive tape on the shoe last , draw a sandal , cut and paste the  adhesive tape pattern on a piece of cardboard. Reference to the first 2 points in the previous post about the T Strap Sandals.

Learn to Make an Insole Pattern and New Full Guide for Penny Loafer Shoes

After the holidays, as always, there is a lot of unfinished business. I'm working on one shoe last, well checking if it's right, and then basing on this last I want to build another one. That is by the way what I do, I construct all my last.

 Lack of normal production of shoe lasts in Israel (as well as all other services of the footwear industry) leaves me no choice as to construct it by myself, to achieve the desired result. Just between us, to be honest, through trial and error, I learned how to make shoe lasts. But as much as difficult as it might be, it gave me the freedom to make any type of shoes that my imagination creates and that is all I want.
So at the same time I decided to show you how I make inside, solid insole pattern. It is based on the midsole pattern (link to video), but we need to add a small change to it:

1) On the inner side from point A to point B through C1 draw a smooth line. 

Little Known Ways for Springing a Basic Pattern

Often making the correct pattern depends on how we attach it to the cardboard. It's so simple, but at the same time a critical point in the process of work on the basic pattern. But with the help of two simple cuts on patterns we can easily fix it. If we glued pattern below the desired angle, then we close it in the incision. If it turned out with a sharp angle, we will open it in the incision. To do this, you first need to find the lowest point in the pattern curve at the front of the last. It is located in the center of the intersection of a straight line drawn from the middle toe and the other a straight line drawn from the center of arc.

 From this point it is necessary to draw a straight line down and incise it to the middle. Then back down 2 mm and then  continue to the end of a cut in a straight line down. Thus, closing the incision at the top (or, opening, depending on the need), pattern angle is reduced, and opens at the bottom at the same time. The pattern is not deformed, and is easily corrected by using these two simple cuts. And you don't have to make a new pattern with a scotch tape.

My Secret Skeletons & bridges shoes project and incredible designer Koji Horigome

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  My  Secret Skeletons & bridges shoes project and incredible designer Koji Horigome

Slow and steady wins the race. It's about me, in the sense that the slower I do things, I'm  moving  far away from the goal. According to the plan I had already done the following model from my project "skeletons and bridges." But I only now started to create it. Thank God that I made the pattern pretty quickly. 

                 

Sketches

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                                   Sketches

First, my daughter got sick, what can you do, children garden is a pool of diseases , and after her I got sick. But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, I got a free week and I was able to work on the project. I draw and sketch, lying in bed, and then noticed that in all sketches, figures constantly present a decorating element that does not carry any function other than decoration. I wondered why I draw this, I do not like just decorative elements. I love it when they are an integral part of the whole pattern. That's why I drew so much and could not understand why they do not impress me. It was just pretty  pictures, but without any thought, empty. They did not inspired me, I just did not want to do them. So I stopped for a moment, trying to remember my original idea. I had to emphasize the natural flexibility of leather and maximal use those characteristic  in my shoe. In my last collection, where the hidden interior of the shoe, which is never seen, I put it all out. My bespoke shoes. This, in fact, the most important structural parts of footwear, made of thick leather. I had enough of the kind of glimmer and at the same time, rough skin, for me to make a simple cut, no tricks are necessary, it walks the walk. In the sole, I use the natural properties of the leather to give the flexibility for the total construction of the shoes. Therefore, wishing to create a closed shoes with no cords, I had to do something that emphasize the importance, flexibility of the sole, and at the same time was decorative element, shoes should be not only comfortable, but also beautiful.

Finally, I drew a sketch, and I liked it.

               

 Here, the top pattern is designed as a flexible lock attached to a pole-arc on the sole. Thus used the flexibility of the leather in the sole with a specially designed structure of the sole. This is what I was looking for. I hope that my calculations are correct, and I'll get exactly what I planned. I will discover this soon. I do not know if I can make this shoe for the next post but I'll try. Please subscribe to my Email list to get updates.

Thank you for reading.

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Bridge&skeleton shoe project. Slow but confident

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Bridge&skeleton shoe project. Slow but confident     

In my spare time, in my "leisure time", I do not read, I don't  walk, I do not watch TV, Ii continues my work on a project where I was experimenting with the possibilities of the leather in shoe design.

Time passes quickly, I can feel it in a  physical way. Anything that  I put off for tomorrow, at best, will be done next week. That is why my project is moving so slowly. But recently, my daughter start going to kinder garden , I finally decided on this and I get a little more time, so I made another sandal in the "skeletons" series.  I called it "a bridge", as originally  I was inspired  to create them thanks to  Santiago Calatrava bridges. Sandals are constructed from the shoe sole and sliding to the upper of the shoe .It is the basis for the rubber cords that wrapped around the leg. 

           

For a more complete understanding once again here is my first model of sandals. 

                   

Thinking about the future development of the idea, where the sole -is the basic, or even, the main element of the design, I can see only the images and the shape of those shoes. Its exact design I'll get when I start working with the sole, and has its form and function dictate to me the whole design of the shoe.
This is like working with the fabric on a mannequin, soft tissue, structure and flexibility dictate fashion designer the look of the dress. This  is the magic of the creation, for me, when you merge with the idea and only it directs you. At that moment ,there is no ambition, no selfishness, no vain pursuit of commercial success. So I just love working on non commercial projects, where I don't lead by the thought of the sale, but only the desire to recreate the right idea, like a fire burning inside of me. I'll finish this post with a  trite phrase, but a correct one.
Don't  put off for tomorrow what you can do today.

Thank you and have a nice week.

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 You can find more information about me at :

www.sk-shoes.com

http://pinterest.com/svetakletina/my-designs-timeline/

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Ready for the "Kickstarter"

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Ready for the "Kickstarter"

Last night my friend asked me to upload my new project , which I am working on for quite some time, to the www.kickstarter.com. "Kickstarter" is a community of creative people who help each other realize their projects, and it's based on real financial assistance. I'm, as someone who has realized the benefits of the Internet just recently, had no idea of the existence of such groups. At first I thought it was just like facebook where you can gain popularity regardless of the quality of your work or whatever else that you do, which is not my strongest side. But then, looking at the projects uploaded on "Kickstarter", I found there a lot of really cool ideas and talented people. I really liked this social network. Here is where you can get an objective assessment of your work and get real help for projects that would have remained undone. I particularly liked this project:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madgod/phil-tippetts-mad-god?ref=card

For all those who have interesting ideas and there is no financial support, I advise you to pay attention to www.kickstarter.com

Good luck to all!

Sveta Kletina

You can find more information about me at :

www.sk-shoes.com

http://pinterest.com/svetakletina/my-designs-timeline/

http://svetakletina.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/SKDEZIGN?feature=mhee

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