Читать книгу Yearn to Burn: A Pyrography Master Class - Simon Easton - Страница 21

People regularly approach me at craft events where I am demonstrating and state that they could never take up pyrography as they are “not artistic enough.” I will then demonstrate to them how I use designs that are traced and transferred onto the surface that I am burning. I always tell people that they just need to be able to use a pencil in order to take up and enjoy pyrography, and it is not necessary to be able to create your own designs from scratch. I know many pyrographers who sell their crafts very successfully and work purely from designs that they obtain from a range of sources, rather than creating them from their own imagination. They simply enjoy the process of burning the design into the wood and are extremely skilled in doing so, hence their appeal to paying customers. All you need to be a potentially successful pyrographer is a steady hand and a high degree of patience; everything else about the craft can be learned with time and practice!

Many of my designs are created through freehand drawing or through working on the wood spontaneously to create an idea as I burn. I do regularly design layouts and compositions on my computer using photo editing software, particularly when it comes to anything that involves lettering and text. A computer is a fantastic way to ensure that you get the layout exactly the way you want without having to erase and redraw elements of the composition several times before getting them just right. This also enables you to keep a catalog of your previous designs so that you can easily replicate or adapt a previous work for a new client that wants a personalized version for themselves.

Several of the projects in this book use the process of tracing and transferring to complete an entire design, or specific sections of a composition such as lettering to add a custom message or dedication. I generally use traditional tracing paper in my design work when required to do so, but there are other alternative methods that you could consider using. Graphite or carbon paper can be used as a potential substitute. These sheets are placed under a piece of paper with the design that you intend to transfer so the carbon or graphite marks transfer to the wood as you draw over the source material. The main drawback with these options is the difficulty in removing any excess residue that can sometimes be left on the wooden surface after the burning. As with any tracing technique, it is always best to transfer as few lines as possible in order to prevent having lots of marks that may show through the burning. Only transfer the bare minimum necessary to construct the design that you are creating.

You can never check a design for accuracy too many times. If I’m working on a commission piece, I will send a concept layout to the customer before I start burning so that they can ensure everything is 100% accurate and correct before I start burning it. I will often even let them see the traced or drawn design on the wood prior to using the pyrography machine to give them a second opportunity to look for errors or problems. Fortunately, I’ve only had a couple of occasions when a mistake has been found after the design had been completed. These included a missing letter from a name and a couple of rogue apostrophes on a frame. Spelling or grammatical errors can turn a fantastic design into a failure; check, check, and check again.

This house sign had already been completed before the customer realized that “Mara” had been given an extra “R,” demonstrating how important it is to check thoroughly before you start burning.