Pyrography (Fire Art on Wood) for Pleasure or Profit - Beginner? Five Answers To Common Queries
1.
How do I know which Pyrography equipment to buy? If you have done your research, then you will already know the machines that are available to purchase differ in price.
As a beginner I opted for a more reasonably priced Janik pyrography machine.
Janik manufacture several different kinds of machine, some of them have a facility that allows you to select from a variety of nibs/points.
These can be easily fitted onto the machine and can help you to create a combination of results.
Peter Child also produces Pyrography machines that offer different types of tool heads to those of Janik's.
2.
Where will I get reasonably priced wood to practise on? Before I discovered a local woodturning supplier, I went down to the hardware store and bought myself a collection of pine pieces upon which to practise my Pyrography as they were cheap, but don't forget to wear a mask if you do this.
Old furniture, offers you another way of obtaining rarer woods at a reasonable price, but you should be prepared to remove any lacquer or finish from the wood.
You will also need to be able to either cut down the wood to a workable size or find someone who can do this for you.
Another very cheap material to use is ordinary paper.
I have experimented burning mainly onto white paper and it is surprising the level of heat required to get subtle sepia tones for a design.
When I first put my Pyrographic tool upon the paper I was very hesitant thinking that it would go straight up in flames! Why don't you try it out, start by using your machine at it's lowest temperature and make sure you paper is laying on a flame resistant surface.
3.
How do I make a professional Pyrography Design? When I began wood burning I selected many patterns and pictures that were simplistic but realised that these would not be looked upon as pieces of art work in themselves as I preferred to develop a more artistic slant to my Pyrography.
If your aim is to sell simple products with a Pyrographic decoration, then a good craft supplier should be able to advise you on the methods you can use to transfer an image onto your wood.
Develop your own patterns and designs with the use of tracing paper and templates you do not have to be able to draw.
Visit a few craft supply shops and take your time to look at what they sell.
Make a note of what may be useful to buy at a later stage.
With practise your pieces of Pyrography will soon look more professional.
4.
I would like to add some colour to my Pyrography how do I do this? Materials for colouring are easily obtainable from craft shops and are fairly inexpensive.
There are a variety of pens and pencils that you can choose from to colour in your Pyrography designs.
Water based felt tips blend well and you are able to see the surface of the wood more readily than with permanent markers or felt tip pens.
Pencil crayons allow you to create a softer and more gentle range of colours.
Whether you are using watercolours, acrylics, inks, wood stains, pencils or felt tipped pens always take your time to test them out first on a small piece of the same wood.
This way you can see the effect that will be achieved before you colour your Pyrography.
5.
How do I present my Pyrography so that it looks finished? You can buy acrylic lacquer or fixatives to spray your work and also choose whether to varnish with a natural matt finish or a highly polished finish.
You may prefer to use an oil such as Danish Oil or a wax such as Beeswax however, they can deepen the colour of the wood but they do make the grain of the wood more visible which is quite apt for wood art.
Working with wood in this unique way means that there are endless possibilities for the creative use of your imagination.
With practise you will add to your skills and this will result in you being able to produce not only pieces of Pyrography that have great delicacy, but Pyrography that appears consistent and professional, appealing to a wider spectrum of people.
I would encourage anyone to try out Pyrography as it is an enjoyable and very old craft.
It's nature allows you to be able to produce a good piece of 'Fire Art' work with very little drawing skill and it is a very satisfying way to spend a few spare hours in the week.
You will also be playing a part in keeping Pyrography which is an old craft alive and you never know, you may decide to develop it into more than just a little hobby!
How do I know which Pyrography equipment to buy? If you have done your research, then you will already know the machines that are available to purchase differ in price.
As a beginner I opted for a more reasonably priced Janik pyrography machine.
Janik manufacture several different kinds of machine, some of them have a facility that allows you to select from a variety of nibs/points.
These can be easily fitted onto the machine and can help you to create a combination of results.
Peter Child also produces Pyrography machines that offer different types of tool heads to those of Janik's.
2.
Where will I get reasonably priced wood to practise on? Before I discovered a local woodturning supplier, I went down to the hardware store and bought myself a collection of pine pieces upon which to practise my Pyrography as they were cheap, but don't forget to wear a mask if you do this.
Old furniture, offers you another way of obtaining rarer woods at a reasonable price, but you should be prepared to remove any lacquer or finish from the wood.
You will also need to be able to either cut down the wood to a workable size or find someone who can do this for you.
Another very cheap material to use is ordinary paper.
I have experimented burning mainly onto white paper and it is surprising the level of heat required to get subtle sepia tones for a design.
When I first put my Pyrographic tool upon the paper I was very hesitant thinking that it would go straight up in flames! Why don't you try it out, start by using your machine at it's lowest temperature and make sure you paper is laying on a flame resistant surface.
3.
How do I make a professional Pyrography Design? When I began wood burning I selected many patterns and pictures that were simplistic but realised that these would not be looked upon as pieces of art work in themselves as I preferred to develop a more artistic slant to my Pyrography.
If your aim is to sell simple products with a Pyrographic decoration, then a good craft supplier should be able to advise you on the methods you can use to transfer an image onto your wood.
Develop your own patterns and designs with the use of tracing paper and templates you do not have to be able to draw.
Visit a few craft supply shops and take your time to look at what they sell.
Make a note of what may be useful to buy at a later stage.
With practise your pieces of Pyrography will soon look more professional.
4.
I would like to add some colour to my Pyrography how do I do this? Materials for colouring are easily obtainable from craft shops and are fairly inexpensive.
There are a variety of pens and pencils that you can choose from to colour in your Pyrography designs.
Water based felt tips blend well and you are able to see the surface of the wood more readily than with permanent markers or felt tip pens.
Pencil crayons allow you to create a softer and more gentle range of colours.
Whether you are using watercolours, acrylics, inks, wood stains, pencils or felt tipped pens always take your time to test them out first on a small piece of the same wood.
This way you can see the effect that will be achieved before you colour your Pyrography.
5.
How do I present my Pyrography so that it looks finished? You can buy acrylic lacquer or fixatives to spray your work and also choose whether to varnish with a natural matt finish or a highly polished finish.
You may prefer to use an oil such as Danish Oil or a wax such as Beeswax however, they can deepen the colour of the wood but they do make the grain of the wood more visible which is quite apt for wood art.
Working with wood in this unique way means that there are endless possibilities for the creative use of your imagination.
With practise you will add to your skills and this will result in you being able to produce not only pieces of Pyrography that have great delicacy, but Pyrography that appears consistent and professional, appealing to a wider spectrum of people.
I would encourage anyone to try out Pyrography as it is an enjoyable and very old craft.
It's nature allows you to be able to produce a good piece of 'Fire Art' work with very little drawing skill and it is a very satisfying way to spend a few spare hours in the week.
You will also be playing a part in keeping Pyrography which is an old craft alive and you never know, you may decide to develop it into more than just a little hobby!