Pyrography pattern making

[GILLY]

Here's a question, I initial all of my carvings on the back, with a portrait like this or others, do you folks sign the fronts like a painting?

[Mottles]

Hi, your pelican and landscape turned out really nice, and you are to be CONGRATULATED on a job well done. I was thinking while looking at your pelican it has the appearance of looking a little like a relief carving.
Kathy

[Sharynideas]

Thank you all so much for your kind comments. They encourage me to try again. I will sign and date the pelican.
I learned quite a bit from that. I used carbon paper and won't do that again. I forgot to sand the surface before I started. Actually I didn't plan ahead at all, just grabbed a piece of plywood from the scrap pile that was big enough to trace on. What kind of wood do you recommend?
Also, how do you decide what to leave unburned? That was the most difficult part for me-the indistinct edges and the variations from unburned to shaded.
I left a lot of detail out of the pelican because I wasn't sure how to add it without ruining it.
Shari

[brian-bailey]

I use graphite paper or just freehand sketch the design with a pencil.

As far as wood, I try to find a piece that will compliment the subject and add to the over all composition.
Basswood is bland and will lend itself to most designs.

Knowing what to burn or leave unburned is the intuition of the individual artist.

In most cases "less is more", let the viewer's eye fill in the detail.

I'm by no means an expert, so take all of the above with a grain of salt.