Pyrography Techniques | Wood Burning with Matches
Okay y’all, so you know I’m crazy right? Just want to make sure. I’m experimenting with new pyrography techniques and it includes matches this time (don’t try this at home). I wanted to document and show the process because I’m super encouraged about how it came out this time.
The first time I tried this pyrography technique, it didn’t not turn out well at all. I made the mistake of lining up the matches in one huge clump. This time, I’m only doing small sections at a time. That way I’m able to line things up way better and get a better outcome. Plus, I think the design is a better fit for the tiny match explosions that are created on the wood.
Let’s do this.
Setting up the art and matches.
The setup. I’m just doing a rough sketch here. This is going to be a bird wing and face. I’m using the matches for the wing and then I’ll use my burner pen for the face so I can get better details. I don’t need the wing drawing to be super detailed since the matches will do their own thing. I just need a rough sketch so I can give myself a little direction for placing the match heads.
I’m using the diamond matches because they come in bulk and a small poplar wood canvas.
I’m placing the matches in these small sections, lighting them and letting them do their magical thing. It’s going to help me control the placement of the match heads.
Every match has a tiny explosion of fire and they create these scorched bursts on the wood. The effect has left a dreamy, faded blurry look. I love how it has turned out.
Now that this wispy wing pyrography technique has been created, I’m going to take out my burner pen and start adding some finer details. I don’t want to add too many details to the wing, just enough to connect the pieces.
Adding the Wood Burning Pen
It’s time to break out the wood burning pen and add it to complete the piece. I’m using the TRUArt wire tip kit with my flat shader tip here to connect all the feathers of the wing. Then I switch to my fine point tip and fill in the details of the face.
I’m loving the combo of the pen and the matches to create a unique pyrography technique. It gives me the perfect marriage of whimsy and detail.
Adding Color
I wanted to add touches of color to finish this piece. I didn’t want to add too much. A little color goes a long way when it comes to burning. I like to add accents of color that enhance the piece without covering up any wood burned details. India ink is a the perfect way to stain the wood and leave the beautifully burned details visible.
All done! This piece is finished and has left me thinking about new ways to incorporate this pyrography technique into new pieces of art. I can’t wait to try it again on a larger scale.
Thanks for reading my experiment with these pyrography techniques.
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