by Annamarie Hudson
Have you ever wanted to play with fire? When we were children, many of us were scolded or warned about the hot stove, only allowed near flames with s'mores supplies in hand and an adult looking over our shoulders. However, now that we are adults and know how to handle fire ourselves, we can wield that heat for art. Pyrography is the ancient art of taking a heated metal tool and using it to burn images, designs, and writing into wood of all varieties. Pyrography is also an easy hobby to pick up, as it does not have a large learning curve and materials are affordable. Pyrography is a fun, easy, and creative hobby that anyone can learn even without prior experience in art.
Before we walk through the process of pyrography, it would be beneficial to learn more about the history of the practice. Pyrography is an art form that has existed since ancient times, and the remains of pyrography can be found in the history of Egypt, China, Rome, Peru, and a multitude of European countries (“A Brief History”). In ancient times and the Middle Ages, pyrography artists would use portable wood stoves to heat metal pokers that would then be used to burn wood objects including cups, bowls, chests, and other furniture (“A Brief History”). Nowadays, we use electric multitools with different attachments that allow for easier use and variation in burning techniques, an essential tool for the process.
You can also acquire the wood through natural means, such as when I gathered cut saplings from my family’s farm. I stripped the bark off the saplings and allowed them to dry in the attic for around 4 months before I was able to sand them down and burn them as walking staffs. When gathering natural wood, it will take months to prepare as the natural moisture in the wood dries, but there’s something special about collecting your own materials. Collecting your own wood for your projects will also save the cost of buying them in store; however, the wood needed for a standard project would cost anywhere from $3.00-$20.00, so the cost is not so great that I would wait months to finish most of my projects.
Once you have your equipment and have selected a workspace, it’s time to prepare your wood and plan your design for your first project. Sand your wood and scrap pieces down with the sandpaper, then lightly mist them with water so that they are damp but not wet (Wilkie). Allow the wood to dry, and then repeat the process another two or three times to completely smooth out the wood in preparation for burning (Wilkie). Now that your wood is fully prepped and drying, you can move on to the design of the project. Decide what you want the end goal of the project to be, search for reference images, and grab a piece of paper and pencil. Sketch a simple version of what you want to create, and if you are pleased with the design, you can sketch it very lightly on the wood itself. However, ensure that any areas you sketch will be burned later, as you cannot erase these marks without burning over them. With a design in mind, you can now select a multitool attachment for the project.
Multitool attachments come in many forms, so it’s a good idea for you to become more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of each attachment. When you begin the burning process, test different attachments in different ways, such as testing how well they create lines, circles, dots, lettering, and shading. However, a good place to start is the universal point, as it is the standard attachment and very versatile. Once you have decided on your first attachment, connect it to the multitool and plug it into an outlet to begin heating. At this point, be very careful to remove anything flammable in the area, and do not a touch the metal end with your hands. The tool will heat up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is powerful enough to start a fire if you are not careful. Hold the tool by the safe end, similarly to a pencil, and take this time to test the multitool attachments on your scrap pieces of wood until you have a physical familiarity with them, allowing the tool to completely cool between changing each attachment to prevent burns.
With both mental and physical experience with the burning process, we can now move on to your first project. Select the attachment you plan to begin the process with, and heat your multitool. Before you begin, remember that the process of burning lays down the shadows of an image or design, so leave places unburned to act as highlights as needed. The pressure with which you press the tool into the wood will also determine how dark the burns become, so a good idea is to go over your entire design lightly at first, laying down soft shadows to get an impression of the design before you go over it again with deeper shadows. You can also use sharp attachments to create lines that cut into the wood for depth, which can be useful for adding an outline to the image if desired.
Once your design is complete, it’s time to add the finishing touches, clean your station, and store the multitool. Look over your design for any imperfections and polish it by adding optional textures such as crosshatching or dots. You can also burn a border to the image if desired, and burn your signature into either the front or back of the wood. Set your piece aside, and turn off your multitool. While it cools, clean your station by sweeping up any chips of wood or sawdust from the process. Grab a pouch or small box to store your attachments so they don’t get lost, and once your multitool is cool, store them together for convenience. Once the tool is taken care of and the station clear, the process is complete, and you now have a beautiful brand-new piece of art of your own design.
Pyrography is a fun activity that yields beautiful pieces of art that can be used for almost anything, and these pieces are both handmade and exactly to your taste. You can create pieces akin to paintings, create designs using patterns and shapes, or even treat it as a different form of calligraphy. The possibilities are endless for the pieces you want to create, and it’s a form of art without a sharp learning curve or expensive materials. Depending on your selection of wood, you can have a piece to hang on your wall, a customized box for jewelry, or even a walking staff with a magical feel. With so much variety under the art form, there’s something for everyone, and I would encourage anyone to give pyrography a try.
Works Cited
“A Brief History of Pyrography & Wood Burning Art [Updated].” Working the Flame, 14 June 2020. workingtheflame.com/history-of-pyrography/.
Wilkie, Brenda. “Pyrography for Beginners – Jaguar wood burning tutorial (part 1).” Pyrography Made Easy, 16 Mar 2021. www.pyrographymadeeasy.com/2021/03/16/pyrography-for-beginners-jaguar-wood-burning-tutorial-part-1/#:~:text=Pyrography%20for%20Beginners%20–%20Jaguar%20wood%20burning%20tutorial,6%20FACIAL%20FEATURES.%20...%207%20THE%20LOG.%20.
