Hello, dear friends!

I wanted to tell a little about this technique of burning out, or pyrogravure and also show you the process of burning this pendant:

Excuse me for some dim photos.

1. Take a pendant from cedar, basswood or pine. They are easier to burn. The harder the wood, the harder it is to be burnt smoothly. Oil it. I took simple linen oil. Let it lie down and soak up.

What is it for? I noticed that when you burn dry wood and then cover it with varnish, the contrast of the picture is lost. You burned out on a piece of such a colour (left, dry birch), but it turned out very different (right, it's soaked with oil):

As you can varnish the blank only after the burning, oil helps to show the true colour which will be seen after treatment with varnish at the end. Now you can work without been blind :).

Make a sketch. The picture is complex so it is necessary, although I usually don't make them.

2. Apply the pendant to a paper and cut out a circle of the desired size. Make the sketch.

I decided to move the hand up, because there is no feeling of cuddling without it :). In order to understand where the shoulder should be, make a general sketch:

Don't worry, there is an easier way for those who don't like to draw))). I'll talk about it in another small publication.

3. Our pendant has dried up. Blot it with a napkin. Take a special transferring paper for burning. It is similar to carbon paper, but does not stain hands, does not give black colour and is thinner.

it is sold together with other materilas for burning.

And then just burn out on the photo following the contours. From simple general parts to the details:

I could not resist making eyes in detail first. It is the most important thing in any picture for me. The image immediately vivifies and then follows your work))).

Almost all parts are transferred and now you can wipe unnecessary strips with a cotton swab and the remaining linseed oil:

Emphasize each pile:

Finish and take white acrylic paint:

Too much white here.

Apply paint on the hat, shade the face and varnish all:

The pendant is finished. Of course, this is not an exact copy of the photo. But let's leave exact copies of photographers, we are artists)). Indeed, in the drawing, no matter what: paint, pencil, pastels, pyrography, - the main thing is the soul of the artist that lives within the image.

Now a little about the tool. In the first DIY on burning, I told about it. It has special nozzles, but each of them is quite expensive. And I want to have a LOT of them. ))

There is a budget option is to buy one nozzle with replaceable blades (in the left). And the blades:

It is very convenient and cheap — to have three or four conventional nozzles (in the right) and one with replaceable blades.

The first and almost the most important difficulty that might arise on the way of a young burner is a discrepancy between what was expected and what has come out. What to do to reduce this difference:

1. To choose the right tool for the job.
2. Be clear about what you want to portray. Make a sketch.
3. Transfer the sketch on a wooden base.
4. Learn some basic techniques for working with wood.

Now You know almost all the pitfalls that I've managed to mention :).

Thank you for your attention! Success in work!

Always Yours,

Daria :)