Any artist's manual will tell
you that shape is anything with height and width, which is very true
when you are slapping paint onto a canvas, For knives we add a third
dimension, depth. Knife making is a three-dimensional art and as such,
the feel (I do not mean the emotional "feel" but the one you do with the
thing at the end of your arm) of a knife becomes important, as important
as its profile, which is described by lines.
There are three different kinds
of shapes used in design:
Geometric shapes; such as
triangles squares and ovals.
Natural shapes- animal, plant
and human shapes are irregular and fluid.
Abstracted shapes are natural
shapes simplified.
As the knife and the hand
holding it acts as a unit, it is obvious that natural and abstract
shapes make better knives than geometric shapes.
Knifemakers new to the trade
often make the mistake of making their knives' handles too square, with
corners that are only slightly rounded. Take a look at hammer handles,
especially lightweight cabinetmaker's hammers for a reference. These all
have oval handles, as they have to be comfortable in use.
Comfort in use dictates the form
of the knife, the exception being ceremonial daggers and some “art”
knives.
