Pyrography Techniques

Below are some examples of the pyrographic techniques I have used in the past.

BURNISHED PENCIL ON PAPER All of the needles and mushroom stalks were done in monochrome. The Mushroom tops were done by colouring with artists pencils and then gently 'burnishing' to deepen and alter the colour. (Burnishing in this case means using a gentle heat to polish and deepen the pencil colour.) Care to choose non-toxic pigments is essential. ___________________________________________

BURNING/PENCIL/WATER COLOUR AND GOUACHE ON PAPER Paper burning has several advantages. It's readily available, easy to frame and has an aesthetic appeal all of it's own. This piece was burnt on hot pressed water colour paper. A watercolour was was laid first, then the main burning was done, making sure to heavily texture the deer's coat. Colour pencil was then used on the coat of the deer to bring out the colour. White gouache was used to highlight the tail. ___________________________________________

MONOCHROME LEATHER BURNING Leather burning is a lot of fun and very pleasing to the eye. It is a cool burn and a smooth burn. Vegetable tanned leather should only be burnt on. This is very much a tonal burning. Smoothness and a gradual build up of tone was the objective to convey the smoothness of the coat and leather. All shading was done with a spoon shade. ___________________________________________

PORTRAIT ON PLY WITH BLOW TORCH. IN MEMORY OF MY BROTHER, SCOTT. Portraits are extremely effective in pyrography. This one was mainly done with a shader and a skew, but cross hatching can be equally effective and will fade less than fine shading. The background is a gradual build up of blow torch burning. Small gas torches can be bought at hardware stores. ___________________________________________

NEGATIVE CELTIC WITH A TEXTURED, PINE BACKGROUND Celtic work is very effective when done in pyrography. A skew was used to detail the Celtic birds and a hot writing nib was jabbed in an overlapped manner to create the background. ___________________________________________

MONOCHROME PAPER BURNING Monochrome burning on white paper has a beautiful sepia look...like an old fashioned photo. A skew, writer and spoon shader were used. ___________________________________________

BURNT ON PIGMENT, BASSWOOD The shading on the zebras was created by burning on top of white pencil. I have since stopped using this technique on anything but non-toxic water colours (no lead etc) as I'm wary about the safety of wholesale burning on pigments. Until I learn more about the potential hazards, I now use this technique sparingly, in a well ventilated room and with care of colour choice. I'll report more information in the safety section as it comes to hand. ___________________________________________

BURNING ON BURLS Burls can make an interesting canvas for pyrography, especially if the subject is carefully chosen to suit the characteristics of the wood. If the burl is of a pale wood, then colour wont need to be used. Most burls however seem to need a little colour to help define the picture and contrast with the wood. Coloured with gouache. ___________________________________________

COLOUR PENCIL ON BASSWOOD PLY For a more subtle feel to your work, colour pencils can be used. This is not the wax pencil, but the normal artists pencils like Derwent, Winsor & Newton, etc. Wax pencils are more vibrant in colour, but tend to collect in burnt grooves and texture, making a blobby/rougher effect). The Roo was first burn in and then the pencil gently laid over the top. A fraction of 'over burn' was then applied to add a little punch and depth. ___________________________________________

GOUACHE & PENCIL ON POPLAR PLY I wanted this piece to be more dynamic and powerful in colour, so chose gouache paint, which is simple an opache water colour paint. Acrylic and gouache will go over burning quite happily, where water colour and pencil wont. For a final punch, I used a touch of bright wax pencil. This is a Wedge Tailed Eagle, a bird native to Australia. Burnt with a skew, shader and writer. ___________________________________________

PYRO ON UNUSUAL WOODS It's interesting trying different woods and seeing the effect they give. I will grab pieces of wood when I can get them to see what effect they give when burnt. This is how I discovered that burning on Grevillea robuster (Silky Oak) gives a shimmering effect. I certainly doesn't hold sharp lines very well, but a shader, used like a brush will give and interesting effect. It reminded me of being under water, so I did a Platypus diving. Burnt with a shader. ___________________________________________

MONOCHROME ON A GOURD If you are after burning on a 3D project, gourds might be for you. Hard shelled gourds generally are tan in colour, allowing less contrast than a pale wood, but a monochrome burn still gives a pleasing, antique effect. Burnt with a skew nib and spoon shader. ___________________________________________