Читать книгу Yearn to Burn: A Pyrography Master Class - Simon Easton - Страница 19

Pyrography can be used across a range of different materials. Wood is the most traditionally suited to the craft, and this is reflected by the wide range of wooden blanks that are available from both physical and online craft supply retailers. I also enjoy identifying and working with a broad spectrum of woodworkers, such as woodturners, frame makers, and the like. There is no greater pleasure than working on something that has been made to your own specifications for a unique project.

Certain woods are better suited for use with pyrography than others. Birch, ash, sycamore, and lime are perfect for pyrography because they have a fine or smooth grain, while also proving a good natural contrast to the burned marks through their pale tone. Some hard woods can be used but present their own different challenges due to their heavier grain; for example, oak has a dense, tough, and dark surface that can be used when creating bold monotone designs but isn’t as suitable for delicate lines or soft shading. As well as having a sticky sap residue that bubbles up when burning, pine can be very tricky to use due to the frequent changes in texture from hard to soft as you move across the grain. This can result in uneven lines or marks where the wood resists the burning in one area before burning exceptionally easily in the next. My simple recommendation when you decide to try a new wood type is to obtain a small offcut to practice on first. This should help you to ascertain whether the material is suited for the purpose that you have in mind before you spend any wasted effort attempting a masterpiece that is ultimately doomed to failure.

Above all else, avoid manmade wooden materials such as MDF, as the glues used to compress the wooden fibers together are extremely toxic when burned. These would be very harmful if you breathe them in while burning a design into the surface. Burning into MDF is no different from burning into a piece of plastic due to the substances used in its creation. There is never any harm in doing some online research first to see if there are any health and safety warnings associated with a specific wood or material.

Leather and canvas can also be used for pyrography with great success. Lighter tones of each are preferable in order to provide a pale surface that allows the burned marks to stand out, but a subtle effect could be achieved with materials in a darker color. Make it a point to use vegetable-tanned leather in place of regular leather since the latter is made with chemicals that are unpleasant and potentially dangerous when burned. Softer materials require a lighter pressure as you work in order to prevent the nib snagging or catching on the surface, which can ruin the quality of your mark making.

Paper, cardstock, and canvas are all cheap and readily available materials for experimentation. The options available in any good art supplier are practically limitless, and the results can be extremely impressive. One obvious benefit of paper over a material such as wood is that you do not need to prepare the surface before working on it. Paper and cardstock can be purchased in a vast range of colors, thicknesses, and textures, giving you a great deal of scope in finding a perfect material for your project in mind. Experimentation in how you combine your woodburning marks in a design with the individual surface qualities of the chosen material can allow you to create some very special and attractive combinations that are enhanced by each other. As previously mentioned, care must be taken to ensure that you do not select any material that involves the use of potentially harmful dyes or chemicals in the manufacturing process.

There are many other materials that are used by pyrographers outside of the more common choices described above. These include (and are not limited to) bark, cork, bone, horn, antlers, and gourds. Each material brings its own individual qualities and challenges, so do your research before using them and see whether they are suitable to achieve whatever idea or concept you have in mind.