Woodburning Project & Pattern Treasury E-Book

Debbie Pompano

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 150

Beschreibung

A fresh take on the craft of woodburning focusing on the drawing, lettering, and design elements that when learned will add dimension and composition to any pyrography project.

Leseprobe

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book with love to my husband, Joe, my life’s companion and helpmate, in gratitude for his constant love, support, and understanding.

And to our beautiful and cherished daughters, Rachel, Rebecca, and Laura, who have brought so much joy and love into our lives.

Most of all, with deep thankfulness for this opportunity to share my love of art and nature with others, I dedicate this book to:

God, the Artist

You take the pen,

and the lines dance.

You take the flute,

and the notes shimmer.

You take the brush,

and the colours sing.

So all things have meaning and beauty,

in that space beyond time where you are.

How, then, can I hold back anything from you?

– Dag Hammarskjold“Markings”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following people without whom this book would never have been written:

My parents, Dorothy and Sidney Beller, for instilling in me a love of art, nature, music, and good books, and for nurturing my imagination.

My sisters, Margie Beller, Wendy Huntington, Laurie Sklar, and Sandy Miller—whose love, friendship, laughter, (and emails) have comforted and encouraged me throughout the years.

Peg Couch, my editor at Fox Chapel Publishing, for believing in me. Her insights, friendly encouragement, expert guidance, and patience made this book possible and have changed my life. And to Kerri Landis and the talented staff at Fox Chapel Publishing, who have turned my life’s dream of writing a book into a reality.

Orchid Davis, for her warmth and generosity of spirit as a teacher, and for her inspiring example.

Robert Becker, editor of Creative Woodwork and Crafts and Pure Inspiration magazines, for his kindness, support, and encouragement.

And to my very talented “guinea pig” woodburning students in my classes at the wonderful John C. Campbell Folk School—their enthusiasm and feedback inspired me and gave me the confidence to write this book.

© 2011 by Deborah Pompano and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., East Petersburg, PA.

Woodburning Project & Pattern Treasury is an original work, first published in 2011 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], quoting the ISBN and title of this book, as well as the pattern or patterns required.

The ambrosia maple platter used in the woodburning “Harvest Time” here was created by Frank Penta, woodturning instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School. All other round platters used in this book were created by Montzka Woodworking, Forest Lake, MN ([email protected]).

Print ISBN 978-1-56523-482-6

eISBN 978-1-60765-892-4

Pompano, Deborah.

Woodburning project & pattern treasury / Deborah Pompano.

    p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-56523-482-6 (pbk.)

1. Pyrography. 2. Pattern books. I. Title. II. Title: Woodburning project and pattern treasury.

TT199.8.P66 2011

745.51’4--dc22

2011012651

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

Note to Authors: We are always looking for talented authors to write new books in our area of woodworking, design, and related crafts. Please send a brief letter describing your idea to Acquisition Editor, 1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

I was very lucky to grow up in a large family with four sisters, in Norwich, Connecticut. My parents, Sidney and Dorothy Beller, were both creative people. Dad was a certified public accountant, but his real love was woodworking, and our entire basement was filled with saws and tools. He always had a project going, and he built everything from a cedar closet for our clothes to bookcases to a handsome inlaid map of the United States made from fifty different types of wood veneers! Dad’s other loves were playing the piano and gardening. I am grateful to have inherited Dad’s love of wood, nature, and music.

Mom was also creative, loved to sew, and taught all five of us girls to make our own clothes. She knitted, crocheted, did beautiful embroidery, and cooked incredible meals. She collected and often read to us the great books of art, music, and literature, which she bought on the installment plan at the local grocery store or through the mail. She would never allow us to complain that we were “bored” but insisted that we find creative things to do, and we did! Mom also fostered a great love of wildlife in me with frequent trips to the Mohegan Park Zoo in Norwich, which was filled with deer, owls, hawks, and even a monkey house.

Our local public high school, Norwich Free Academy, housed the fabulous Slater Museum and Art School, and I am so thankful to Mom for driving me there every Saturday morning throughout my elementary school years for drawing, painting, and pottery classes. We didn’t have computers or video games—just an old black and white TV, so I had plenty of time to climb the big pine trees in our yard, sew, explore nature, read, play the piano, ride my bike, roller skate, paint and draw, and dream. I am so grateful for the wonderful childhood that I had. I know I would not be an artist today if it were not for those cherished years.

I attended the University of Connecticut as an art major and met my husband, Joe, there in 1971. We lived in Massachusetts for many years, and I received my B.A. degree and teaching certification in elementary education and art education from the University of Massachusetts. In 1981, we moved to Virginia. Joe and I live in a cozy old house in Hanover, Virginia, and have raised three wonderful daughters: Rachel, Rebecca, and Laura. We now share our home with our two dogs, Corky and Snow Bear. I have worn many artistic hats over the years, having worked as an elementary school teacher, art teacher, portrait artist at shopping malls and art shows, and scrimshaw artist, carving intricate designs into whalebone and elephant ivory. I’ve also worked as a landscape artist, working in oils, pastels, pen & ink, and pencil. For the past twenty years, I have taught piano and art lessons in my own home studio, the Harvest Moon Studio.

When I discovered pyrography in 2002, my life as an artist completely changed. I was deeply attracted to this craft because I have always had a deep love of nature and trees, and I just fell in love with the unique medium of drawing on wood. With each picture I complete, I see the potential for so many new effects and can’t wait to try them out. I have met many interesting, creative, and talented people as I have explored this fascinating craft. After almost four years of studying and experimenting on my own, I took a class in woodburning with Orchid Davis at the John C. Campbell Folk School, in Brasstown, North Carolina. Orchid’s excellent instruction and encouragement were invaluable to me, and I was very honored to be asked by her to teach woodburning classes at the school, which I began to do in August 2009.

Exploring the craft of woodburning has opened up my life in so many new and exciting ways. I hope it will do the same for you!

Contents

ABOUT THIS BOOK

INTRODUCTION

1: GETTING STARTED

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

SETTING UP A COMFORTABLE WORKSPACE

2: DESIGN

BASIC DRAWING CONCEPTS USEFUL FOR WOODBURNERS

SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

SAYINGS

HOW A PATTERN COMES TOGETHER

BORDERS

3: PRACTICE PROJECTS

OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECTS

CRAZY QUILT SAMPLER

FOUR BASIC SHAPES

ADDING COLOR WITH WATERCOLOR WASHES

4: SAW-WHET OWL STEP-BY-STEP BASIC PROJECT

5: PATTERN TREASURY

ELEMENTS

COMPLETE COMPOSITIONS

6: GALLERY

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced woodburning enthusiast, this book covers everything from basic burning tools, how to transfer a pattern, easy burning and coloring techniques, shading and texturing techniques, and how to sand and finish your pieces. The projects range from basic to advanced. They teach you how to create your own unique patterns by choosing a central image, some border accents, and even a favorite saying to personalize the work. By choosing individual design elements and combining them with the mix-and-match pattern section of the book, even the simplest woodburned designs can create subtle and rich effects. From the smallest keychain to a framed wall hanging, the possibilities are limitless!

The “Crazy Quilt Sampler” practice project. Chapter 2 teaches the capabilities of various woodburning tips and helps you build a vocabulary of textures that you can use in your woodburnings (see here).

The “Saw-Whet Owl” is the book’s main step-by-step project. It begins in chapter 4 (here).

You learn how to transfer the pattern from paper to wood. About This Book

Easy-to-follow directions guide you through the steps for completing the central image, the border, and even adding an optional saying or poem to make the woodburning even more distinctive.

INTRODUCTION

More and more people are beginning to rediscover the deep satisfaction and peace that can be found in the creative arts.

As a teacher, I believe that woodburning is a craft that is accessible to everyone, and there is no need of formal art training. Happily, woodburning is an art form that requires minimal workspace and doesn’t create a big mess in your home. It is easy to learn, fun, and rewarding, and you will be amazed at how rapidly your abilities grow and improve with just a small investment of time, patience, and practice. Best of all, you don’t need to know how to draw to get started with this book! Woodburning is not an expensive craft either; a high-quality burner, a few tips, and wooden objects to woodburn can be obtained easily and at minimal cost.

I discovered woodburning at a craft show in 2002, when I saw a portrait of an Indian chief burned into a basswood plaque. I was immediately intrigued and fascinated by the sepia-toned, engraved-looking burned lines, contrasting with the warm, natural wood tones and grain of the wood. I had worked with many painting and drawing media, and done scrimshaw, but had never seen anything quite as unique and beautiful as this.

I have always loved to draw, and I immersed myself with sheer delight in the study of pyrography, experimenting with different woodburners, tips, types of wood, and staining and finishing techniques. I learned the primary importance of including fun and love in the preparation and completion of a woodburning, and I found that the pieces that satisfied me the most came from my heart. Of course, I also made mistakes as I was learning these new skills by trial and error, and you can reap the benefit of my struggles by learning some very easy ways to fix common mishaps. You will find that wood is actually a surprisingly forgiving medium.

This is a book for beginners, intermediates, and advanced woodburning enthusiasts. I show you how to find sources of inspiration and subject matter for pyrography, and I cover everything from basic burning tools, through how to transfer a pattern, easy burning and coloring techniques, shading and texturing techniques, and how to sand and finish your pieces. I have carefully designed the projects in this book for you, ranging from very basic to more advanced, so you can spend many quiet, peaceful hours experiencing the joy of pyrography while creating personalized gifts and unique accents for your home. You will be amazed at how even the simplest woodburned designs can create such subtle and rich effects!

Don’t be concerned if you think you don’t know how to draw. As you begin these projects, you can simply use the ready-made complete patterns provided for you, which can easily be transferred to the wood. As you become more confident, you can learn to create your own unique patterns that truly express your spirit by choosing individual design elements and combining them with the mix-and-match pattern section of the book. For example, you could begin with a central image, add a simple or more complex border to your design, and perhaps even add a poem or saying to personalize your work even more.

There are so many ways to use woodburning. A woodburned platter looks lovely as a wall hanging, and you can frame woodburnings done on birch panels. Woodturners can burn small vignettes and designs to accentuate their platters and bowls, using the grain of the wood as part of the design. Basket makers can use these designs on their woven baskets, and the patterns also work well for woodburning on gourds. Picture frames, mirror frames, box lids, chess or checker boards, wooden utensils, stepstools, and furniture can all be enhanced with woodburning designs. From the smallest keychain to a large, framed, woodburned wall hanging, the possibilities are limitless!

When exhibiting my work at craft shows, I have sometimes overheard a disconcerting comment from people looking at my woodburnings: “These are made by a laser—they aren’t handmade.” I suppose it is a sort of backhanded compliment to hear that my work looks that good! I can assure you that I have designed, hand-drawn, and hand-burned every line in these pieces and patterns, and now it gives me great fulfillment to share them with you. I hope they will provide you with many happy hours of creativity and results you can be proud of.

Well, enough talk! Let’s turn up the heat, and start creating some woodburnings!

VARIATIONS ON A PATTERN

To give you an idea of how differently artists will interpret a theme, even when using the same patterns, study the student work presented at right. Three different moods and interpretations were created using the same lighthouse pattern. One student decided to create a simple border, while the others used only the central image pattern. You can see how unique and individual the results can be. It may inspire you to know that two of the students were beginners and had not tried woodburning until this class!

Student lighthouse woodburnings from the 2009 John C. Campbell Folk School.

Ruth Elsner

Bob Maher

Frank Penta

Chapter 1:GETTING STARTED

A piece of wood, a woodburning machine, a few simple supplies, and the desire to create a picture that excites you—that’s all you need to get started! The simplicity of the tools and setup needed for woodburning makes it an ideal and affordable hobby.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

Every teacher has a different way of doing things, uses different techniques and materials, and achieves widely varying effects. I share with you the materials and techniques that have worked for me. You will also benefit from studying other teachers’ books to broaden your appreciation of the incredible potential of the art of pyrography.

SELECTING A WOODBURNING MACHINE

Choosing a pyrography machine is a personal decision that can be bewildering because there are so many types and brands of woodburners available, each claiming to be the best! I’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of three types of woodburners I have used. I now work with the Colwood Detailer, exclusively.

It is worth investing in the best materials you can afford. As with most projects, your tools have a great effect on your level of achievement and the quality of your work, and thus, your satisfaction with it. In this book, you discover which tools best suit your needs as you experiment with the projects.

If your budget is a major factor, you can start with a simpler and less expensive woodburner (as I did in the beginning), but do not blame yourself if you are unable to achieve lifelike detail. I do not want you to be discouraged by the limitations of inexpensive tools.

Basic, one-temperature “soldering iron” type woodburner. Many people have had great success with this inexpensive tool. I used it for my first year learning pyrography, mainly because I didn’t know that variable temperature woodburners existed. It is readily available at local arts-and-crafts stores. The tool heats to a pre-set, high-heat, temperature and uses solid brass, interchangeable burning tips that screw on to the tool head. There are several tip styles available: a universal tip, used for fine-line and shading work; a calligraphy tip, used for lettering; a flow tip, used to fill in large areas; and a cone tip, which creates fine detailing. There is also a large shading tip available, which burns large areas and shadows.

The disadvantages of this type of tool include limitations in achieving lifelike detail without scorching or burning the wood. I would accidentally create holes in the wood that could not be scraped away. I found it difficult to control because I could not adjust the heat settings and the tool became very hot while I worked. Also, it was necessary to wait for the tip to cool down before I could change tips.

Nevertheless, some crafters love this tool and have great success with it, so I don’t want to malign it. To each his own, as the saying goes. Although I rapidly became frustrated with this tool, I was forced to continue using it until a friend mentioned that a Woodcraft store in Richmond had variable-temperature pyrography machines. I was thrilled, and drove down to investigate right away.

The hot-wire pyrography machine. The British Janik is a European-style burner with a variable temperature control. It doesn’t have a solid working point but uses a flexible point, or nib, that is made from a short length of nickel chromium wire. There is a power box with an on/off switch, and a dial that allows you to change the temperature of the nib. The nibs are changed by loosening the two connection screws, swapping the nib for a new, handmade one, and retightening. The wire point can be shaped into a spoon point, or other shapes, by hammering out the wire into flat shapes.