Dacian car flag

Atelierul de istorie has added, upon request, a new product to its history-inspired portfolio: a small car flag with the ancient Dacian draco standard - black on white background. The flag is resistant to weather conditions and comes with a plastic support for your car's window. The flag can be adapted to one's motorcycle as well, though special metal stands must be obtained elsewhere.

See all novelties HERE. 

Car flag with the Dacian draco

Folded car/motorcycle Dacian flags

The motif is original, reproduced after a large-size, two-piece linocut print of the draco, inspired by depictions on ancient Roman monuments such as Trajan's Column.

Original draco depiction by Ana-Maria Gruia for Atelierul de istorie

 

Linocut and golden foil draco painting

Another painting inspired by the ancient Dacian history has been sold by my online shop, Atelierul de istorie. It is a sofa-size painting depicting the Dacian war standard, the half wold half serpent dragon that the Romans called draco. It is a highly decorative, even Art Nouveau-like work, with the main motif as linocut print, glued onto canvas, and the background with golden foil. In order to confer the foil more radiance, underneath I have applied a layer of red acrylic paint, and a black painted acrylic frame renders no need for an actual frame. Here is the painting in context.

See the item page HERE. 

Another variant, smaller size, HERE. 

 

Tooled leather keychain

I have recently posted pictures of this tooled veg tan leather key chain in a leather craft group on Facebook and I got comments that the model was stamped, not tooled by hand. This was in fact flattering, considering the decoration looked so even and good, but still I felt the need to reveal the process for clarification. So here are illustrations of the working stages, from form cutting, to drawing tracing, incision, tooling, fine cuts making and dyeing, all made by hand. The product is available on our website, Atelierul de istorie, and the decorative model is inspired by ancient history, aka the Draco war standard of the Dacians.

For intense comments feel free to join out Facebook handmade leather craft group, Marochinarie artizanala (Romanian mostly, but not exclusively), with 182 members so far.

Draco leather key chain

Handmade tooled leather project

Leather project by Atelierul de istorie

Best selling items by Atelierul de istorie

Best sold items by Atelierul de istorie

For my online business, focusing on handmade artifacts inspired by the civilizations of Antiquity - Roman, Dacian, Celtic, Egyptian, but some later periods such as Viking and Baroque - summer is a time to catch up with website and blog polishing, completion and marketing. One of the means of increasing traffic is to add captions and alternative captions to all photos that include keywords significant to my products. Another is to bring the site up to date with "how it was made" blog entries, completion of product descriptions and updating the best sold items category, illustrated above. This was a good occasion to identify future development directions - in our case artifacts related to the Dacian civilization, mainly those depicting the draco, this ancient civilization's mythical hybrid war standard - half wolf, half snake, that the Roman called "dragon".

DIY leather bookmark

Leather bookmarks are fun and easy to make. One variant is available on my website, www.atelieruldeistorie.ro, that specializes in handmade artifacts inspired by the civilizations of Antiquity, mainly Dacian, Roman, Celtic etc. The bookmarks in question can be included among those from the first category, as the chosen symbol that decorates them is the so-called draco (meaning dragon in Latin), the mythical half wolf, half serpent war standard of the ancient Dacians, once inhabiting the present-day territory of Romania. See my previous post on DIY leather project HERE.

The first step is to cut strips of sturdier leather, the size of the intended bookmarks, and to cut-out the draco shape out of thinner leather, after marking its contours with special marker on the back of the leather, following a cardboard model. The decorative effect of the draco is obtained through punching holes that suggest its eye and body straps.

Cut-out draco shapes

Bookmark-shaped rectangle leather pieces and punched-out draco leather shapes

Then, glue the back of the draco (or other) decorative shape with leather glue applied with a brush onto the base trips. Be careful not to put too much glue on the edges, as the surplus might come out while pressing the two elements together. Leather glue dries fairly fast, so not much pressing is needed.

Apply glue to the back of the draco shape

Gently press the model onto the base strip of leather

The final step is optional and purely decorative. I find the strict rectangular contours of the bookmarks not so pleasing, so I add some asymmetry by cutting out its corners and creating V-shaped indentations, of various sizes, throughout the long sides. They are randomly placed and sized, so just follow your instincts. Thus, no two bookmarks shall be identical!

Finishing touches - cutting off the corners

Creating V-shapes indentations along the long sides of the leather bookmarks

And so the draco leather bookmarks are ready to be used! See other color combinations on my website HERE.

Handmade leather bookmark inspired by the ancient Dacian civilization, by Atelierul de istorie

Red leather draco wallet

Atelierul de istorie has just created a personalized variant of the handmade leather wallet with tooled decoration consisting of the mythical Draco, the half wolf half snake war standard of the ancient Dacians. The bi-fold wallet is entirely made by hand - original drawing, transfer, incision, tooling, dyeing, sewing, and finish. This color combination - red and brown both inside and outside, degrade on the outside, one red card pocket stamped with the same ancient symbol - is but one of the options available.

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Here are some images during the manufacturing of this wallet, i.e. the hand stitching and gluing of the components. These are all made of natural veg tan leather, the pieces varying in thickness.

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

Draco leather wallet by Atelierul de istorie

 

Art bookmarks

The fast-approaching history book fair VOLUMEN, to be held by Virtus Antiqua NGO at Camp Virtus near Cluj-Napoca, includes the selling of special bookmarks inspired by history or art. 

These handmade bookmarks, created through techniques such as printmaking (linocut, monotypia) or openwork&collage leather, are produced by Atelierul de istorie or the Transylvanian Trove. 

Most of them depict the ancient Dacian war standard, the mythical half wolf half serpent creature Draco, others the fish-boar hybrid of the Getae, but there are also contemporary art ones - colorful, graphic, fresh. Take your pick for the best accessories while reading history!

Handmade leather bookmark - Draco - gray and red

Handmade leather bookmark - Draco - gray and white

Different color combinations of handmade leather bookmarks with Draco

Linocut bookmarks Draco black and white

Detail of the above

Linocut bookmarks inspired by a symbol of the ancient Getae

Lincout bookmark, contemporary art, numbers

Linocut bookmark, contemporary art, geometric print

 

History-inspired car accessories

My online shop, Atelierul de istorie, proudly presents a new line of products inspired by history, namely by the Dacian civilization of ancient Romania. The lot includes three car accessories decorated with the war standard of this civilization, the mythical half wolf-half snake creature that the Romans called Draco (dragon in Latin). One does not know how the Dacians themselves called it:

The first is a miniature version of the Dacian hat worn by the nobles and aristocrats (tarabostes). The typical hat is entirely handmade out of black woolen cloth, with the draco hand-sewn on one side. The black elastic allows one to hang the mini hat from the rear mirror, though it can also be used as a key fob.

Dacian draco tiny Dacian hat - key fob or car accessory

The second item is a car sticker with the Draco inspired by an original linocut design of mine. The sticker is specially designed for outdoor conditions, but could also be used inside the car.

Dacian draco car sticker

The third products is a handmade leather car charm in shape of the same Dacian draco. Available in several color variants.

Leather car charm ancient Dacian draco

 

Handmade leather flag

A special order received by Atelierul de istorie consists of an entirely handmade leather flag inspired by the ancient Dacian civilization. The project is a complex one, with several working stages and materials involved. The central element is a piece of veg tan leather, tooled with the ancient Dacian war standard, the Draco, hand-dyed in contrasting colors The background is made of brown, predyed leather, with the letters for "Dacii liberi " (the Free Dacians") perforated and sewn with silk thread, as it is more resistant. The flag is meant to be attached to an inverted L-shaped support.

Size: ca. 50 x 40 cm

Read more in Romanian HERE.

 

Silk thread sewing on leather

work in progress handmade leather flag

Freshly dyed veg tan tooled leather

 

Free Dacians leather flad

Dacian-inspired gifts for men

Continuing the special offers for the 2016 shopping season, Atelierul de istorie presents the gift for men, with items inspired by the ancient Dacian civilization. The package includes:

• cotton T-shirt, black, serigraphy imprint in white Draco-the Dacian war -standard
• handmade leather pendant (stamped veg-tan leather, hand-dyed with Gel Antique) on leather cord - depicting the same symbol
• bone pendant, camel bone on leather string
• linocut book mark / business card
• red wrapping