How to Learn Wood Burning: An Easy Arts and Crafts Activity With Wood
Woodburing is an easy and favorite hobby of mine. You can buy woodburning kits at Michael's, Walmart, Joann's Fabrics, and other crafting stores for around 20+ dollars. To begin with I think it is ideal to buy a woodburning kit because it comes with picture transfers you can trace onto the piece of wood. Also, the kits come with pieces you can woodburn such as pictureframes or small pieces of wood. After you become more experienced I suggest that you draw you own pictures onto the wood with a pencil. At first I thought this would be difficult, but I just used a simple number two pencil for my drawings. My woodburning illustrations are simple and are not overly detailed. First I draw my picture until I get it exactly the way I want it. Next I burn the picture into the piece of wood.
I drew a picture of a bird with a number two pencil free hand on the wood. I used to use the pencil transfer pictures when I first started woodburning a few years ago, but I became bored with these, so I decided to start drawing my own pictures on the wood. Basically I just found a picture of the bird and I drew and erased until I got the picture to look the way I liked it. Next I took the woodburning tool and traced over the pencil lines with it. Woodburning is similar to outlining your drawing with a black marker, but the difference is it is burned into the wood. I also enjoy painting the woodburned picture in, but many people just keep it more basic. It is all personal preference, but there are many different types of woodburning techniques people can try. The best place to start is the use the one that comes with the box you buy at a craftstore like Joann's or Michael's.
I like to experiment and try different tips, and this is all part of the fun. I do not feel the pressure to take a class because I just enjoy doing this for myself. Once I am finished woodburning the picture onto the wood, I begin to paint it. Sometimes I do not paint the picture, but most of the time I enjoy doing this. I am providing an example of a piece that I am still working on, but it will give you an idea. The most important thing is that you enjoy woodburning because it is a fun and simple art. Even children can enjoy this activity, as long as parents provide supervision of course.
