For a woodburning artist, wood is a precious commodity. Selecting a wood canvas over another reveals an artistic inclination and style. Each wood canvas has its distinctive features that can influence your design: wood colour variations, grain patterns and knots.

What wood do you yearn to woodburn on?

Creating woodburning art starts with a buttery smooth wood canvas. Even if you purchased wood that was sanded, it may not be sanded to a woodburning standard. Woodburning on a buttery smooth wood canvas allows your hot wire tip to glide unhindered across the surface.

Find out how to prepare a wood canvas for a smooth woodburning experience.

There are several ways to transfer designs onto a wood canvas. The most common way is to use graphite paper.

Find out what other transfer options are possible and what works best for you in the heat of the moment.

When I first started woodburning, I thought the smoke would remind me of the sweet scent of a campfire. I even woodburned outside until I realized that the breeze was cooling down my wire tip and blowing smoke into my face.

The old adage of practice makes perfect applies to woodburning as well. More importantly, you’ll be discovering your woodburning style as you hone your skills. Even if you use the same type of wood, woodburner, wire tips, heat setting and design template, the result will be different from anyone else’s.

Your style will be unique!

You’ll achieve crisper and more consistent woodburned marks with carbon-free wire tips. That’s reason enough to remove any carbon buildup on your wire tips on a regular basis. Your wire tip will be less efficient if it’s bespeckled with carbon, because carbon buildup hinders the transfer of heat from your wire tip to the wood surface.

Find out how to remove carbon residue from your wire tips.

I was naturally drawn to watercolour since I had previously used this medium. I love the way colours flow and seep into one another. A little nudging is all it takes to coax the merging of hues, to create a symphony of soft edges and for unplanned shapes to emerge.

Why put a finish on your pyrography art?

Some pyrography artists prefer not to apply a finish on their artwork. There are many good reasons to apply a finish to a woodburning project. Find out why!

Why use resin to seal your pyrography project?

As with any finish, you need to consider the end use of your project and the effect that you want to create. If you want a crystal-clear and hard coating, resin is a good option.

I discovered pyrography when I was looking for a way to “draw” on wood. I headed to my local craft store to browse the options. I found a woodburning tool that looked like a soldering iron and another that had a small unit with a pen-like component connected to it by a cord.

Which woodburner do you yearn to woodburn with?