Pyrography Workshop

by Brian Graham

Instructions for Wood Burning a Red Squirrel





1. General: Remember that this is not rocket science. But to do it properly you must be relaxed and stay loose. Don't over complicate the project. Use your practice boards often, especially when you are unsure of the heat or the type of stroke. You will notice that the steps below start with the easier part of the animal and then progress to the harder parts. This gets you use to the tip and the feel of wood burning before you have to do the intricate parts. Also remember that most mistakes can be sanded out and redone.



The main thing is to have fun and develop friendships with your fellow students. These are the main things you will take away from the course.



Before you start, ensure that your board is as smooth as you can get it. Start with 120 grit. Then go to 220 and follow that up with 400. Dust off well!



2. Start by placing the pattern of the squirrel on the basswood board or round so that it looks centered and is the appropriate size for the board. Tape it down with the carbon paper beneath. Ensure the carbon paper is the right side up.



3. Trace out the pattern onto the wood with a red pen or pencil. This will indicate when you have traced the complete pattern. NOTE: just outline the squirrel - as few solid lines as possible please! Use very little marks on the chest and other areas where the wood burning will be light.



4. Practice your strokes at different heat values for 10 - 15 minutes before you start the piece. Use the orange boxes provided. Look over the accompanying notes on fur and eyes



5. Start Burning on the stump. Use the skew to outline all of the stump. Fill in some straight lines on the left hand portion of the stump. Note: Small hatched lines running horizontal. Put these in very lightly. Switch to shader tip for darker area on the right hand piece of the stump.



6. Using the skew, outline the tail with long strokes going from the outside to the inside. Remember to look at the way the fur is aligned (follow the direction of your pencil line). Pull other lines of different lengths to fill in the fur on the tail. Burn darker section of fur around top interior of tail with skew.







7. Burn dark short lines along his back to differentiate the tail from the body. Also do this to indicate arms and paws, upper body from lower, and feet. Fill in body with short strokes. Remember to curve the stokes to fit the direction of fur in different parts of the body.



Remember to burn at a medium heat - Do not over burn at this stage. You can always add darkness later. Outline front of body (white area) with a few very short strokes.



8. OK! You're ready for the head. Do short strokes in the proper direction from the tip of the nose to the ears. Do the ears Note the dark shadow areas in the ear closest to the viewer. Note do not do a solid line around the outer white area of the eye or nose. Do this with short light strokes outward toward the other fur on the head. OK now make a circle for the eye. Blacken in with shader, but remember if not using colours, leave a dot of white. Use shader for mouth, but be very carful - too big a mouth can blow the picture!



9. Pull mustache hairs from top to the white area - shorter hairs hear nose; larger as you go towards the eye.



10. Go over areas on the stump to darken a little more - similarly with other areas on the squirrel where you think it could use some emphasis.





Colouring your squirrel:



Use Walnut Hollow oil pencils - keep sharp

Colours: Raw Umber, Grey, Red, Terra Cotta, Sienna brown, Cream, Blue, Green, Dark brown, Indigo blue, Yellow ochre, Silver, Orange, white, Burnt Umber, and Alizarin Crimson.



DO NOT USE BLACK - this colour does not blend with the others well and darkens the lighter ones badly.



See above photo for reference .



Blend colours dry with Q tip. Dab Q tip with varsol and blend colours into the wood. Burn in some of the colours to give more depth. Burn in the burnt stump to give more depth.



Subtly blend some lighter colours into the work.



Remember to put the spot of white in the eye.



NOTE: Use an air filter unit to filter the smoke from your wood burner and the fumes from the varsol. It is possible to obtain odourless varsol.