Traditions, CVA, Pedersoli, T/C ... all exact copies built off a single pattern, one after the other coming off the assembly line and a whole lot cheaper than a gun that is hand-built .... ahhh, but they are cold and impersonal and lack the "human touch" because they are all alike .... why then would you put the "human touch" into building the gun but choose to degrade the initial work investment by applying cold and impersonal computer/copier generated artwork to it? Look at the works of any of the "classic" artisans of carving, metalwork, clay or whatever and you'll see that symmetry is not perfect but never is their a complaint filed about it. Collect 100 leaves from the same tree or 100 of the same kind of flower and see if you can find any two exactly alike or perfectly symmetrical from one side to the other. Look at any carving be it on a gunstock, in metal or stone, when you see perfect symmetry from side to side or 30 oak leaves all exactly alike ... dead give-away that it was copied in some manner.
The same can be noticed in engraving, that done with chisel & hammer will have the little flat spots on tight curves, little slip marks at the start or end of a cut, small depth & width differences along a cut and of course the uneven cut marks if you look close enough - few of those "human" touches will be seen in engraving done with powered equipment. Yes, the handpiece may still be controlled by a human but the "human powered" error factor is removed and the more human factor that is removed, the more cold and impersonal the work becomes to the point where it may as well be done on a production line by a CNC machine.
Drawing is like shooting moving targets with a rifle or pistol, if you stop to think about it, you're going to stiffen-up and never make the shot but if you let your mind run your body without conscious thought getting in the way and messing things up, you can make the shot. Same thing when it comes to running the pencil, picture what you want the drawing to look like and let your mind run your hand. When you get to the point where you'll let your brain run your hand by itself, you'll find things go so much easier. Don't start with simple drawings either, draw complex images right from the start because they condition your mind and body to work together not only seeing the 3D drawing but creating it as well.
I never had any "formal" art training. I used to make a lot of shadow/silhouette animals and nature stuff from bailing wire, banding iron and any other junk that was laying around. Long story short, I did some wrought iron work for a fellow, made the outline of his dog from a piece of wire while taking a break, turned out he was a painting teacher in an art school. We chatted a bit and he drilled it into my head to always look at and draw things as if doing so in 3D. That's why it's so much easier just drawing right onto the wood, picture the carving the way you want it to look then let your mind & hand draw it as if it will be carved - you'll find that it becomes very easy and things sort of fall into place on their own. Always start from the center and work outward.
