Winter Birdhouse Woodburning Tutorial

[Mottles]

Hi S-a-d-i-e, wonderful woodburning you did really well it has a soft like quality. I see why Susan used the spacing between each letter of your name. If you don't the 'crying face' shows up instead of your name.
Kathy

[BobD]

FYI...the way to keep the emoticolons from showing up in your posts is to click on the "disable smiles in text" box under "Advanced Options"

Bob

[Irish]

I have three options to adding color to this project. But I wanted to let you chose which we will do.

1. Colored pencils
Most wood burning artists use oil based colored pencils. I prefer and use wax artist quality colored pencils. They do not build up a thick layer as oil pencils do and you have total control over how thin a line you can create. Wax based colored pencils as Prismacolors are perfect for those who have not practiced fine line painting.

2. Watercolors
Watercolors are wonderfully transparent. Using watercolors you lose none of your burned lines yet can create vibrant colors. They are easy to master for any project.

3. Oil Glazes
Oil paint can be quite thick when used straight from the tube. But thinned with stand oil or linseed oil they become beautiful crystal translucent colors that can be applied by brush, q-tip or rag. Thin layers can be built up with a layer of spray sealer between to create what is called a glaze effect. This technique is excellent for your wood carvings as well where you want blended color but no brush strokes.

So please go over to Winter Bird House Poll and let me know which coloring process you want to learn.

Thanks!!!!

Susan

[Sadie]

I am resending my pic. Hopefully this one will be a little better.

[jharris]

Susan,
This may not be the proper place for this question. If so let me know and you can also send me a pm if needed. I've done a search on this site for wood burners and haven't found what I'm looking for. I'm wanting to get a comparison of the different kinds and which one would be the right one to go with. I've not done any woodburning, but am fascinated after reading this tutorial and would like to give it a try. I also know there are other carvers, like Lynn, that use them to also enhance their carvings. Can you point me in the right direction?

Thanks,
Jim

[burnin_passion]

Hi Jim...
Probably going to the Internet and searching "woodburning pens" will give you many, many listings of possible kinds/makes. For myself, I have two Razertip units (and although I've used other brands) that I've found extremely versatile as well as very long lasting. My original single pen unit is now ten years plus old and has never given me an ounce of trouble. Like I say, there are lots of them out there and I'm sure a little research will lead you to one that will meet your needs.
Regards.....

[jharris]

Found what I was looking for. It's Susan's review of the Colwood under the WIP. I've also done some other research based on what she stated she owned.

Thanks,
Jim

[halfgiantalmighty]

hello, I'm new here and am thinking about getting into wood burning and carving. I've never really done any carving or burning and am starting to look to get into it.

[Mottles]

Hello and welcome, woodburning and carving can go hand in hand, but each one take lots of practice. I started out woodburning and transitioned into carving. Now, I enjoy using both together as they each compliment the other.
There are some really good threads in both the Pyrography/Woodburning and Carving forums you might want to take a look at, lots of good information.
Questions just ask!
Kathy

[burnin_passion]

Let me add my welcome as well!
Kathy offers some sage advice....examine, explore, search out, as many sources as you can find. Like her, I started carving and migrated to burning, and while I spend time in both pursuits...well my handle sort of says it all :-).
The lady who hosted this tutorial (identified as IRISH in all her postings here), is Lora Susan Irish who, along with husband Mike, owns and operates Creative Carving Patterns (Woodcarving Patterns, Classic Carving Patterns Online, Wood Carving Designs & Patterns Online). Now I'm not her agent, but I am a HUGE fan, and I can tell you that a visit to their website will provide you with tons of info and practical guidance. I should quickly note that she is a multi-talented artist, at home in a variety of disciplines, so that's probably an excellent starting point for you.
And, of course, as Kathy succinctly states: Any questions, just ask! We're always ready to help....