Looking for opinions.

[BrianHK]

As i mentioned in my introductory post, I enjoy designing tartans. Here are a couple of my favorites. What does the Rabble think?

[kilted redleg]

Those are some sharp looking tartans like the design !!

[BrianHK]

Thank you, sir!

[Todd Bradshaw]

Looking good! Designing them can certainly be habit forming. It can also get expensive when you start having them woven, but it's neat to have a hunk of custom cloth which is the only one like it in the entire world. With a pretty basic photo program you can do a few additional interesting things which are both fun and can be enlightening.

If you start with a jpeg produced by one of the available tartan design programs you won't be able to see much more than one sett of your new design. You will often find that it doesn't give you a very good idea of what the real tartan would actually look like. You just aren't seeing enough of it. With the photo program you can cut and paste several setts together to get a feel for what a big hunk of the tartan would look like. It very often comes out looking substantially different from how you thought it would - sometimes different but nice, sometimes not so nice.

I even made one pretty simple cut and paste Photoshop file I call "Tartoons"where I can take one of those "expanded" tartan design files and plug the tartan into a blank cut out background with a sporran. If you get the sett size in the proper ballpark and the colors right it will come out looking very much like the real thing.



https://www.dropbox.com/s/uk1y01tzu7...-mock.jpg?dl=0

[WalesLax]

I like it Brian; what are you designing them in?

Rob

[Kiltedjohn]

Very impressive. I particularly like the first one.

[BrianHK]

I like it Brian; what are you designing them in?

Rob

I use the tartan designer at Scotweb. I have tried other online programs, but the one at Scotweb is the most user friendly—for me, at least.

[BrianHK]

Very impressive. I particularly like the first one.

Thank you, sir!

[Steve Ashton]

May I ask if you have measured this design to be able to produce a pleasing kilt from the fabric? While some designs look pleasing on-line, the Sett size and color composition may not appear as you originally intended once the fabric is woven and pleated.

And have you carefully read the terms and conditions from the ScotWeb site? In particular

"...By saving and/or publishing a new tartan design using this system, you are granting Scotweb Marketing Ltd an exclusive right to weave, license, or otherwise use your design commercially. ..."
and
"...Unless and until you commission its production as woven fabric or in similar physical form, you waive all legal rights over any design you create in our systems. Only when you commission its production as physical weaving or other production does it become your copyright design,..."
and
"...if you publish your design in our Gallery, even once you have commissioned the physical production of a tartan design and thereby established your copyright, by saving and/or publishing a new tartan design using this system, you are deemed to be putting it into the public domain,..."

This is not in any to discourage you from designing your own Tartans. It is just a cautionary note to read the terms and conditions carefully, and know understand and agree to them, when you use any service.

[BrianHK]

I appreciate your questions and concerns, Steve.

First, the two setts are 6.5” and 6.7”, which are within the normal 5 to 7 inch sett size considered good for weaving, from what I have read.

On the question of who owns the rights to tartans designed on the Scotweb designer, Matt Newsome raised this issue during my abortive attempt to design a tartan for the State of New York from a few years ago. (A search should turn up the thread.) After Matt mentioned this I contacted Nick at Scotweb by email (he and I emailed each other quite a bit for awhile - I think he indulged me a bit because I was designing several setts a day for a time), and he responded that he would be happy to waive any rights for the project. While I no longer have access to that email, it seems to me that he indicated that he was not particularly interested in enforcing his rights in every case, so it might not be a big deal to begin with.

To be honest, if Scotweb were to be convinced one of my designs was so appealing as to be worth producing on spec in order to sell, I might be more flattered than upset. In any event, I have designed so many setts I would have many to choose from if I were ever in a position to have one woven then turned into a kilt (preferably by Barbara Tewksbury).