Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hello. Welcome to my class, Wood Burning for Beginners: An Introduction to Pyrography. I'm Hannah, the creator
of Knots and Embers, and I'm so happy
that you've chosen to explore my favorite art form. When I discovered
wood burning art, it became a huge passion. Some of the pieces that I create include nature and
yoga-themed art, pet portraits and other
custom block, and earrings. In this lesson, we'll go
through everything that you need to know to get
started on wood burning. You need no prior experience of wood burning, or even art. We'll talk about
the safety measures that you need to be taking, different surfaces
that you can burn on, types of burners, and more. Once you've gone through all
the necessary information, we'll burn our own
piece of art together, and I'll give you handy
tips along the way. I'd love it if you could
upload your progress and finished photos to
the class discussion. If you upload any
to social media, please tag me at Knots and Embers so that I
can see them there. Now let's get burning.
2. Health and Safety: First, we're going to talk about health and safety when burning. Our pens are going
to get very hot, and getting burned is no fun, so we want to make sure
that we're always holding the pen on the handle
and not on the metal. It's really important
to keep the wire out of the way so that
that doesn't melt. You should also have a stand that comes with your
paleography kit, to rest your pen on
when it's not in use. It's a good idea to tape both of these down to the table, so that they stay in place. Never leave your banner
unattended while it's on, and it's a good habit to get into to unplug it when
you stop using it. Always turn the
machine off and wait until it's cold to change tips. This avoids you getting burned and destroying the
threads on your tips, or depending on the
design of your device, stop you from getting
an electric shock. Always read the manual
before you begin. It's important to
have good ventilation in the room that
you're burning in, so opening a window
or a door is great. You could also purchase a
fan and have it turned away from you so that it's drawing the smoke
away from your face. Another thing I recommend using is a face mask that can protect against very small particles and toxins given off
by burning wood. I use the Cambridge Mass
company mask as I have found it to be the
most comfortable for long periods of time. Other items that
you might like to use are heat proof gloves or finger shields because
the pen can get really hot when you're using
it for long periods of time. Make sure you take breaks, it's good to give your machine a rest and a chance
to cool down, as well as give your fingers, hands, and body a good stretch.
3. Pyrography machines: Choosing a pyrography machine can feel a bit
overwhelming because there's a huge variety out
there in varying prices. There's no need
to go out and get the most expensive one
that you can find. Some of the cheaper ones
do a really great job. My personal burnout is
an antex filewriter, which has interchangeable nibs that get up to a
high temperature faster and where you hold it as closest to the wood's surface
so I get more precision. It also has a variable
heat setting, which is really
good for doing it lighter and darker shading. However, I'm using a
basic solid tip banner from hobby craft
for my lessons and workshops because I think
it's a great alternative for starting pyrography
or doing it as a hobby. If after trying it, it's something that you
really want to dive into it, then you may want to look at upgrading your machine later. You'll find a few
different tips with your machine and I
really recommend practicing with them on a scrap piece of wood to
get the feel of them. I'll just show you a few. The flow tip, which is good for lines, lettering, and dots. [MUSIC] This one's the shading tip
which is good for shading and then lots of
different stamps which are nice for patterns. The one that we'll
be using today is this one, the universal tip. It's called this because it
can pretty much do everything the other tips can do but its best uses are for
lines and shading. The best way to use it is
by dragging it towards you. Because at the point
here is a lot harder to push away from me because
it'll catch on the wood. To attach it I'm just going to screw it
into the end here.
4. Equipment: [MUSIC] Here is the rest of the equipment
that we will use today and is useful for
other wood-burning projects. Scrap wood, carbon paper, and tape for transferring
your design, a pencil, sandpaper, I like this brand as they last a really long time, and a rubber. I like using this sand
one as it's great for getting rid of the stubborn
lines from carbon paper. Just make sure that you
don't press too hard as this can lead to little
scratches in the wood. The other items
that I like to use when burning are
this tea strainer. This is great for scraping off the carbon
buildup on the tip. If you get carbon buildup, it can make burning
feel a little bit harder and less smooth. It's good to have something
to scrape it off with. You can also use sandpaper
or metal nail files. However, I like a tea strainer because it's not too
abrasive on the tips. Finally, I like having something
to balance my hand on. When I get to burning
something near the edge of the wood and have
nothing to rest my hand on, I can find it tricky to
get an accurate burn line. So I rest it on top
of scrap wood or a notebook or just something
that's the same height.
5. Surfaces: Pyrography is a very
versatile craft and you combine on many
different surfaces, canvas, leather, cork, cod, and of course wood. The type of wood is important as it will change
how your pan works, how your art looks, and your overall experience. The first thing to mention
is dangerous woods. There are a few woods that
are poisonous like hew, contain chemical adhesives like MDF or have a lot of
resin in them, like pine. These fur for release
harmful smoke when burned that would
be dangerous to inhale. We'll say avoid burning on
anything that has paint on it or could potentially have been treated like pallet wood. If you're in doubt,
you can simply Google the wood and see if
it's safe to burn on. The best wood for pyrography is light in color so that it
contrasts with your burn. Dark wood can be used, but your design might
not stand out as much. Soft woods with an even texture and grain are the
easiest to burn on and allow the pyrography pan to move across more smoothly. Some of my favorites
are lime or pa sued, sweet and horse chestnut, batch, willow and cherry.
6. Preparing wood: Now that we've gone
through all that, we're ready to prepare our wood. In order to get a smooth burn, we need some smooth wood. I sand my wood with 120
grit paper and then 240 until it's really smooth and I can't
feel any ridges in it. Once it's smooth, we're
ready to put our image on. You can either sketch straight onto your wood with a pencil or you can use a
template and carbon paper. Whichever you choose, make
sure that your lines are light so that you have less
rubbing out to do at the end. If using your template, first, make sure it's the
correct size for your wood and think about
what position you'd like in. When you think it's right, place it down on your wood and secure the top with some tape. Then paste your carbon
paper with the shiny side down underneath your image and secure it with
tape at the bottom. Then you're ready to gently draw over your lines
with your pencil. Try not to press down on
the wood with your hands as anywhere you put pressure some of the carbon will rub
off onto the wood. When you think you've finished, release one piece of tape and peel back your template just to check that the image
is transferred okay and if there are any
parts that you've missed out. If it's all okay, then you can remove
the template and carbon paper and then
we're ready to burn.
7. Class project: Once your pen has heated up, which could take 30 seconds to three minutes depending
on your device, test it on a bit of scrap, weird to check it's
the right temperature, and then we can have a
go at some techniques. When the tip is not
touching the wood, it will gain heat and
then you can end up getting a heavy band at your
first point of contact. Therefore, you need to try
to bring the tip down to the wood in a smooth motion without holding it in one place. One way to think of it as like an airplane landing
on the runway. You can also gently
blow on the tip as you bring it down to the wood
to help it cool a little. You'll see that the tip loses heat as it moves along the wood. [MUSIC] Once you've done some
lines and feel comfortable, let's practice some
other techniques. These will help you to
add depth and texture. The first is shading. Turn the tip on its side along this edge and lightly
move it along the wood. You can go over this again and again to build up
darker shading. [MUSIC] Another way to
shade is crosshatching. Start by making
some lines going in one direction and then add
more on top going across them. The more you add, the darker
the shading will become. [MUSIC] The final technique is called stippling. Here we use lots of dots placed closely together
or further apart. The closer the dots
are to each other, the darker the shading will be, and the further away
from each other, the lighter it will be. [MUSIC] When you feel ready, you can start to
burn your piece. Start with the base of the
stem and move up to the top. Move slowly and keep a
gentle even pressure. Pressing too hard
will not speed up the process and you may end
up damaging your pattern. [MUSIC] I find it's easiest with a small piece of
wood like this one to move the wood around and keep
the pen coming towards you. [MUSIC] Remember, if you get a build-up of carbon, just wipe it. [MUSIC]
8. Sealing your art: Now that you've finished burning your lovely piece of art, it's time to think
about sealing it. You are fine to leave
your piece unsealed, however, the burn will
fade naturally over time. Putting a finish over the top of it will help slow that down. It also helps to protect
the wood from damage, and it deepens the color and
makes the wood brain pop. Be aware that if you've
done quite a light burn, sealing it will make
the wood darker and therefore may make your
design harder to see, especially as it
fades over time. There are lots of options
out there for this, and it all comes down
to personal preference. My favorite brand
to use is Osmo oil, which is vegan and nontoxic. I use the 410 clear satin oil which has got UV protection; and the finish that I get from
this is always fantastic. If you're making
something that will be used in the kitchen, like spoons or chopping boards, be sure to use a
food grade sealer. Other finishes that you
could use, are beeswax, Danish oil, walnut oil, and various synthetic sprays. Its a good idea to test your sealer on a piece
of scrap wood first. Make sure it's the same type
as your piece of art to see how it turns out before applying it to your final piece. You should keep your art out of direct sunlight, and
away from heat sources, this will help to prevent UV damage, and the
wood from cracking.
9. Conclusion: Thank you so much for joining my class on beginners
pyrography. I really hope that
you've enjoyed it, learned a lot, and feel confident to take on
your own projects. I'm available for any
questions that you might have. I'd love to see your
progress photos, finished pieces, and any other
projects that you create. Please tag me at Knots and Embers or share
in the class discussion. I'd also love to
hear from you in the class discussion about any other lessons
that you'd enjoy. Thank you and goodbye.