Winter Birdhouse Woodburning Tutorial

[Irish]

Step 5: Burn layer one

Standard writing tip
5.5 temp setting

I printed a copy of my first shadow drawing image (shadow-7.jpg) and I am going to use it as my guide for my first burn layer. This drawing shows me where the darkest areas of the design should fall.

Working with the standard writing tip in a comfortable writing position for my hand I have placed my temperature at a 5.5 setting. That is a cool or pale burn setting for my unit.

I want to keep the early burns in the pale tones during this early mapping step. As I work through the project I will slowly bring each individual area up to it's final tonal value.

The holly leaves and berries behind the post are worked in a random curling doodle stroke. This will give the leaves a touch of texture. I am filling in the entire leaf and berry area as all of this grouping falls in the shadow area.

For the post that supports the bird house I used a tight scrubbie stroke working up and down to keep with what would be the wood grain direction of the post.

A simple straight line stroke fills in the two areas on the house that fall behind and under the perch struts.

Before I begin shading under the right side roof strut I wanted to pull a pencil guideline. Since the roof strut has a fairly straight edge the shadow it would cast will also have a straight edge. I marked my line about 3/4s of the way down on the house from that roof strut. This is a very light pencil line.

That roof strut shadow is now worked with a straight line. Because these lines are long they tend to burn a touch more cool than the short straight lines under the perches. That's OK as this area is one of my largest shadows and the pale tone will create a nice gradually blend to the dark later.

burnlayer-1a.jpg
burnlayer-1b.jpg
burnlayer-1c.jpg
burnlayer-1d.jpg
burnlayer-1e.jpg

Susan

(Hey Carveduff and Jax! Thanks for joining in the thread. Duff ... somehow I just don't think I can twist Mike's arm that much, even with a smile. Jax, I really believe that if you try the drawing steps you really will be surprise that you already know more than half of that stuff.)

[Irish]

Step 5 cont.

The hole into the house will eventually be black but for now I am using a tightly packed random doodle to fill it in.

I made a few quick notes on my printed drawing that I used for this step.

After I am finished this project I can keep these notes with the patterns for my files.

Here is the large and close up scans of where we are at in the project. I have even color tones and some nice texture starting.

burnlayer-1f.jpg
burnlayer-1.jpg
burnlayer-scan.jpg
burnlayer-scan-cu.jpg

Susan

(I hope that you will be understanding as I post throughout the day ... it takes so much more time to stop, take photos, edit them, write the text then get a chance at our computer to post. So I will posting as quickly as possible ... but !?!)

[Irish]

Step 6: Burn layer two

I have printed shadow-8.jpg and will be using it as the guide for this layers burning.

I am not changing either my temp setting or my pen tip. This step will be worked at the same 5.5 temperature setting. As we work together you will see how adding layers of burning at the same temperature setting will darken the tonal value on an area.

I have stared with the background holly leaves and berries and added a new layer of burning for my first shadow area. Since the leaves naturally curve any shadow that falls on them will also curve. I have worked this shadow in the upper right side half of the leaves.

Adding a third layer of burning darkens the area even more. This third shadow is worked on one half of the second shadow and on the upper right side.

My holly leaves now have a preliminary three tone graduated shadow. We will be working this area again at a later stage.

Laying my practice board with the tonal value grid squares onto my project I can see that I have three distinct tonal values and lots of room to add even darker shadows later.

burnlayer-2a.jpg
burnlayer-2b.jpg
burnlayer-2c.jpg
burnlayer-2d.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

Step 6 cont:

Just as the holly leaves the acorns behind the post are curved - rounded - shapes. So as I am working the second shading into the upper right hand half of the acorns and caps. I want a curved edge to the bottom line.

The third layer of darkest shadow for the acorns again cuts the previous shadowing area in half.

The shadow area under the post and perches is done with the straight line stroke pulled half way down from the perch element line. Since the side wall of the house is a flat surface this shadow has a straight edge effect at it's bottom line. Compare that to the shadows on the post with their curved edge. The post is round so the shadow is round.

The third layer of shading under the perches and post gives a nice dark area. Notice under the goldfinches feet and rump that the entire trapped air area of the wall has a dark toned shadow.

burnlayer-2e.jpg
burnlayer-2f.jpg
burnlayer-2g.jpg
burnlayer-2h.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

Step 6 cont:

I am pulling the straight line second shadow into the wall under the right hand roof strut. Again, I am working one half of the originally shadowed area. The third burning is bringing out the gradient look to this shadow area.

The inside of the hole is done exactly the same. Notice that the bottom edge of this shadow is almost circular to match the hole's shape. The third layer keeps that same semi-circle shape at the bottom.

burnlayer-2i.jpg
burnlayer-2j.jpg
burnlayer-2k.jpg
burnlayer-2l.jpg

Susan

[Irish]

Step 6 cont:

When I set the project across the table I felt like my first burning layer on the background holly leves was just not solid enough. So I have turned down my temp setting to 5 and added another layer of tight packed random doodles over the entire leave area.

This fills in the open, unburned areas that were left in the first layer of work.

Here is the scan of this step and my written notes.

burnlayer-2m.jpg
burnlayer-2-scan.jpg
burnlayer-2.jpg

Susan

(OK ... I have hogged the computer since 7am this morning. It's now noon and it's Mike's turn for awhile. Hopefully I will be back later.)

[MagicKiwi]

have just been enjoying reading over this tutorial - now I have to find the time to soak up the information and practice. Wonderful tutorial. Thanks.
Rita in Michigan

[Irish]

Ooops! I had a PM that asked who I was and I realized that I did not introduce myself to the newbies and visitors to the forum.

I'm Lora S. Irish but here on the forum I go by my middle name - Susan.

My beloved hubbie and I own Classic Carving Patterns at Woodcarving Patterns, Classic Carving Patterns Online, Wood Carving Designs & Patterns Online. Hope you stop by the site as we have lots of free tutorials on our site. We also own Fine Art Dog Prints as Fine Art Dog Prints, Dog Art, Dog Art & Pet Portraits Paintings and Prints, Pure Bred Dog Art Featured, Dog Bronze Art where my limited eidtion prints are featured.

I am also one of Fox Chapel Publishing's authors. To date I have 15 books in print with two more to be released in 2009 all of which are available here at Wood Carving Illustrated/Fox Chapel's website.

Classic Carving Patterns
The Great Book of Woodburning
The Great Book of Dragon Patterns
The Great Book of Fairy Patterns
The Great Book of Floral Patterns
The Great Book of Celtic Patterns
The Great Book of Tattoos
Landscape In Relief Carvings
Wildlife in Relief Carvings
North American Scroll Saw Patterns
World Wildlife Scroll Saw Patterns
Classic Chip Carving One
Classic Chip Carving Two
Wood Spirits and Green Men
Reilef Carving the Wood Spirit

This spring 101 Artistic Carving Patterns will be released and we are very excited about this particular book as it so beginning carver friendly. Fox Chapel made this one a great deal of fun for me to do to the point that it got the nickname in studio of 101 Dalmatains

So ... now I that have done a S.S.P. (shameless self-promotion) you know who "Susan" and "Mike are.

Susan

[Steve Martin]

Susan Hello, I just joined the Forum after seeing a reference to your tutorial on another forum. I am intrigued after reading through the first six pages. The only burning I have done so far is an owl and a ruffed grouse. I'll try to post photos later. Love your work and the process you've laid out. Thanks for sharing.

[Irish]

Step 7: Paper holly leaves

Leaves are not flat in either direction of their grain. They curve from the leave node where they attach to the stem to the leave tip. They also curve from the center vein to the outer edge.

I have cut out a paper holly leaf, moved my light source to where our light source is in the design and then taken a photo. Since my holly leaf is made out of paper it has only one curve at this time - from stem end to tip.

You can see that the area closes to the light source is highlighted with white light and that the shading gradually deepens as you move toward the tip.

Gray scaling the photo shows the graduated shading more clearly. In this photo, since the light directly touches the surface the shape of the highlight or shadow are created by the shape of the light source. The lamp on the table has a round blub so it casts a rounded highlight or makes round edged shadows.

You have seen this in action when you see a rectangluar bit of sunshine on your floor that is coming in through the rectangular window.

paper-holly-1.jpg
paper-holly-2.jpg
paper-holly-3.jpg

Susan