Embossing leather with plugs
There are many ways to emboss (raising from behind) leather images. Because I use a cut and lift style on the surface for most works on paintings, the plugs used are made from 1.5 to 2 oz. leather stacked and shaped for the desired effect under 6 oz. leather for the primary working surface. This way a plug can be lifted with the top surface when it's cut for extra strength and stability especially on thin parts like the antlers on this deer. Note that during the transfer process I also started some of the modeling. Only the head and right side antler (from your view) will be embossed on this picture. After cutting the work and doing the basic beveling of the subject, in this case the head and antlers, make a tracing, or faster and more efficient a photocopy of the leather surface to use in making the plugs. This is the actual photocopy of the leather When a plug pattern is made from the original tracing pattern you might not be compensating for a cut made heavier or thinner t