Wood burning originated in ancient times as a way to decorate household items. Later, based on this craft, the art of pyrography (drawing with fire) evolved. Today, it is popular in many countries around the world as both a folk craft and a creative activity for children and adults alike. Burned compositions are used to decorate furniture, jewelry boxes, wooden panels, kitchen utensils, and interior elements (frames, arches, shutters, cornices).
Check out our selection of the best step-by-step video tutorials on wood burning (pyrography) for beginners below.
Types of Wood Burning Tools
https://youtube.com/watch?v=e3yCPM-xtpQ
Initially, a red-hot poker or sword was used for “fiery” drawings, followed by special shaped stamps or metal rods. Now, for finer work, there is a specialized tool called a “pyrography pen” or wood burner. Crafters typically use two types of devices:
- Solid-state (wire-nib) burners with nichrome wire tips (usually with variable temperature control);
- Soldering-iron style (solid-point) burners with brass tips (often without a temperature regulator).
Professional pyrographers often modify their tools to suit their individual needs or even build a custom wood burner from scratch.
Transferring the Drawing
Before starting work with a pyrography pen, you need to sketch the future picture on the wood. There are about a dozen ways to transfer outlines from a paper sketch: using carbon paper, a soft graphite pencil, a heated calligraphy pen, white spirit, a photo enlarger, an awl, or the grid drawing method. Each method has its pros and cons, ranging from the time spent to the quality of the resulting image and the convenience of the process.
Workflow and Process
- Place the electric wood burner on the side of your dominant hand (usually the right) and plug it in.
- Position your wooden canvas at a slight angle, about 35 cm (14 inches) from your eyes.
- Hold the burner pen like a regular writing instrument, resting your elbow on the table.
- Place dots on the sketch lines, then connect them.
- Outline the external contours first, then the internal ones, followed by toning and shading.
- Every 2-3 minutes, turn off the tool to let it cool down (especially important for solid-point burners).
Preparatory Exercises
Beginner pyrographers should practice on scrap wood before tackling complex compositions. For a while, you’ll need to imagine yourself as a first-grader practicing simple strokes and hooks in a copybook. You will need to execute strokes of varying depths, straight and winding contours, dotted lines, and shading, using various tips (such as knife-shaped and decorative tips). To properly execute shading, you can practice on paper with a pencil first.
Basic Techniques
To start, you need to master simple pyrography techniques.
- Contour technique involves applying dots and small strokes that connect into a continuous outline.
- Silhouette drawing means objects are outlined with continuous, sweeping movements.
- Simple toning is conveying light and shadow using hatching and stippling (dots).
Smooth Transitions and Shadows
To make the picture more expressive, it is worth learning how to transition from light to shadow. Shading can be done with strokes and dots of varying depth inside the main contour. Hatching is done in one direction, while stippling is done with varying degrees of density. Large areas are convenient to fill with shaped tips (triangles, squares, and other elements). Based on the laws of composition and perspective, objects in the foreground should look darker, while those in the background should be lighter. There should be as few purely black objects as possible.
Black Background (Torch Firing)
Pyrography can be contact and non-contact. The first case involves using a traditional wood burner, while the second option is drawing with a flame from a gas torch. By directing the fire to the desired areas of the wooden canvas, you can create a black background (and with some skill, other colors as well). Thanks to this toning, the picture looks much more professional and attractive.
Proper Technique
Thin lines are created by moving the pen quickly; thick lines are made slowly; very thick lines are drawn in several layers. At the end of a line, the pen should be lifted quickly, otherwise, a dark spot will remain. The pressure applied is adjusted depending on the direction of the wood grain: use less pressure along the grain, and more pressure across it. The hot tip can be held perpendicular to the surface (to get dots and curves), or at an angle, like when writing with a pen (for straight lines). Sudden movements should be avoided, otherwise, the strokes will end up having different widths.
Lichtenberg Figures (Fractal Wood Burning)
The most spectacular type of pyrography is creating drawings using a transformer block (usually taken from an old microwave oven). Two high-voltage wires are connected to opposite corners of a wood board moistened with water and plugged into the network. Under high voltage, grooves in the form of branching lightning begin to appear on the board. The crafter cannot direct the drawing, only observe the creation from the outside. Note: It is crucial to strictly observe safety rules and avoid any contact with the board while the electricity is running to prevent severe electric shock.
Wood Burning + Painting
An interesting craft option is combining wood burning with painting. The correct workflow is to burn the drawing first, then color it with paints. Doing it in the reverse order has two major drawbacks: you end up breathing in toxic fumes from heated paint, and the lines will be unevenly colored. For coloring, you can use water-based, acrylic, or oil paints, markers, felt-tip pens, or wax crayons. Finally, it is best to coat the completed composition with varnish.
Over time, you can learn to create three-dimensional images by utilizing the foreground, middle ground, and background. A great continuation of this hobby and your creative development would be mastering alternative artistic burning techniques: hot foil stamping, acid burning, and pyrography on fabric or leather.
