Basic woodburning, or pyrography, is an easily learned skill. Most beginners to the craft start with the standard woodburning pen that can be purchased at most hobby stores. The pen tool is a single temperature tool that allows hobbyists to change out different burner tips. The basic pen tip, usually a blade tip, can achieve most desired effects such as shading, creating thin & thick lines, and more.
Having the proper wood is also important in woodburning. Images will show up much better on light colored woods than on darker wood. The wood needs to be as smooth as possible to prevent the pen tip from straying and marring the image. If necessary, sand down any rough areas on the wood before beginning a pyrography project.
Woodburning Tips and Tricks
The trick to woodburning is learning exactly how long to hold the burner tip to the wood, not in how much pressure to apply. In fact, very little pressure should be applied to the pen. Light, quick pen strokes will create faint lines and shading, while a slow pen stroke creates a darker lines. The angle of the pen tip can also create thin or wide lines. This is especially useful if applying calligraphy onto the wood surface.
Another important tip in woodburning is to keep a small piece of sandpaper handy for use in removing carbon buildup on the pen tip. A clean pen tip will provide a better burn stroke, and the pen won't have to remain on the wood as long. While working on a project, periodically run the edge of the pen across the sandpaper to keep it clean.
Keep a piece of practice wood handy when working on a project in order to test the temperature of the blade tip or to experiment with different strokes before applying it to the actual project. Mistakes may not be impossible to correct, but they do involve quite a bit of work such as shaving and sanding the mistake away, or covering up with a heavier burn pattern, both of which can potentially detract from the project.
Techniques for Using the Woodburning Pen
Take time to practice different techniques when not working on a project. For instance, feathering is a technique that uses small, quick, light strokes. Using the point of the blade tip, start a short line and pull it away from the starting point. By repeating this stroke several times, one can insert detail such as the feathering of a fern leaf, duck wing, or a dandelion puffball.
To produce the effect of scales, create a crescent shape by drawing a dark line and filling in the scale detail with several feathering marks. This technique is handy for adding details to fish, dragons, or reptiles. Keeled scales can be achieved by creating a dark line down the center of the scale instead of adding the feathering technique. The line should be darkest closest to the curve of the scale, although not touching, and will fade as the line pulls away.
Get Familiar With Pyrographic Art
Pyrography truly is an art form, and there are several quality books devoted to the art of woodburning, the best techniques, stencils, and beautiful pictures of finished examples. Invest in a couple of these books, and let it inspire the muse. Then get practicing and before long woodburning will be second nature.
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