Woodburning for Beginners: Learn the Secrets of Drawing With Fire With Minimal Tools: Woodburning for Beginners: Learn the Secrets of Drawing With Fire With Minimal Tools

Introduction

Pyrography or wood burning is an ancient art that has been widely adopted globally. Pyrography is a unique skill for decorating wood by applying enough heat to wood, so that burn marks are created according to the detail in your design. Pyrographers control the way heat is applied to wood to create the desired shades and tones. Pyrography is a common term used to describe wood burning on a wide range of surfaces, and wood burning exclusively refers to wood.

Wood burning art forms are as ancient as cavemen. It is believed that cavemen created drawings with charred sticks. Pyrography was recognized as an art hundreds of years ago. During those days, craftsmen placed metal pokers in hot coals of fire. They would wait for the pokers to get red hot and start burning wood when the poker reached a temperature ideal for burning wood. The art of pyrography gained popularity during the 17th century. Ever since, artists have used many different techniques to create burn marks on wood, such as focusing sunlight on a magnifying lens to generate heat, using a metal tool heated by fire, or using specialized tools designed for the purpose. Pyrography received true recognition in the Victorian era.

Pyrography allows a high-level of creativity. To become a successful pyrographer, it is important to understand different techniques used in shading and shadows, and be able to successfully create different forms of artwork, ranging from simple signboards to detailed landscapes and portraits.

This book teaches you important skills to master the art of pyrography. It takes you through a step-by-process to acquire basic skills in a wide range of pyrographic art forms. Tips and tricks are available for artists and crafters and serve as starting points for designing professional masterpieces.

The goal of this book is to provide you with the required resources and information to be able to design pyrography projects. The whole process is described in a careful manner, supported by relevant illustrations. You will learn everything from choosing the right materials and tools, to following proven techniques that help achieve the desired shade and texture on wood.

Wood burning for Beginners covers basic burn tools and varieties of wood available, and demonstrates the correct use of tools, including safety precautions. It teaches you how to make your own pyro-pen with a basic USB cable and syringe needles. Basic line art and shading techniques are covered to help you understand the essence of the art. Further, the use of stencils and image transfer techniques are discussed. Burning Lichtenberg figures as a modern art form is also covered to enable you to implement the technique safely. Other projects covered in the book include burning a basic mandala, making a Christmas Box, and making fridge magnets. Towards the end of the book, more techniques for shading and line art are explained, and ideas to burn common landscape are covered. Finally, pursuing pyrography as a business is discussed, and ways to promote your business online and offline are discussed in detail.

Chapter One:  History of Pyrography

Pyrography, or the technique of wood burning, traces its linguistic origin to the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the words pur, which means fire, and graphos, which means writing.

Pyrography, also known as pyrogravure, is a traditional art of burning wood surfaces using heated metal tools. The art may be simply referred to as wood burning, or sometimes, pokerwork, and is chiefly used as a decorative art for wooden items such as utensils and furniture.

History of Pyrography

The art of wood burning has been around for many years. The term was first coined in the 1900s. Pyrography has been an essential part of cultures around the world in the regions of China, Rome, Peru, and Egypt.

The purpose of pyrography was originally to decorate musical instruments and tools to impart an artistic look and communicate a personalized message. The 19th Century witnessed a marked improvement in the adoption of pyrography when the technique was used on wood canvasses and a range of other materials.

Pyrography was essentially a male-dominated art until the late 19th Century. It was during this time that pyrography kits and machines began to be used in homes, marking a significant involvement of women in the art of wood burning. Women mostly used the pyrography technique to decorate their houses with beautiful hand-crafted artwork.

During this time, the art was popularized through magazines and printed publications to encourage young artists to embrace the technique. Pyrography kits were also sold at reasonable prices to provide the means to decorate homes or sell hand-crafted items. Women engaged in different types of projects, from handkerchief boxes and picture frames, to chairs and cabinets. Thereafter, pyrography became an integral part of fine craftsmanship across cultures and continents globally.

Chapter Summary

●  Pyrography is a word derived from the Greek language. It is composed of the words pur, meaning fire, and graphos, meaning writing.

●  It is a traditional art of burning wooden surfaces with heated metal tools.

●  Initially, artisans decorated musical instruments with pyrography artwork to put across personalized messages.

●  Pyrography was widely adopted globally during the 19th Century as magazines and publications served as tools to promote the ancient technique.

In the next chapter, you will learn about basic tools and techniques used in pyrography: selecting an appropriate wood base to burn your pyrography artwork, selecting the right burn tool, and the burn tip.

Chapter Two:  Basic Pyrography Tools and Techniques

Over the years, pyrography has been used on a variety of materials, including clay, leather, and gourds. However, wood is the primary medium for pyrography. There are several types of wood that may be used, ranging from birch, sycamore, beech, and basswood to pine and oak. Wood choice matters as it affects the texture and color of the final product.

Professionals have different opinions on the options available as the process produces different textures and colors based on the type of wood used. If you are looking for a particular look and feel for your artwork, then it is