You like to show off, I know you do. Whether it's a task you've accomplished, a hurdle you doubted yourself in or when someone you know can't do it, you just want to rub it in their face, figuratively of course. You should show off. You've done plenty that some can not (or shouldn't do if you like to live on the wild side). Well, maybe you can have something else to chalk one up for yourself: wood burning.
If you're in college, working or both, then you definitely need a stress reliever. If you enjoy the sober kind, I'm telling you wood burning is for you.
This is a long process however, so finishing a piece may take multiple days! Other than that, it is actually for anyone, even if you can't draw a circle without a corner. If you can trace, you can burn wood. If you can burn yourself, you can burn wood. That is not recommended or supported, however.
Materials are pretty simple and obtainable from a crafts store like Michael's: Wood burner, graphite paper and any pencil, sand paper or sanding tool and wood to use with scrap pieces which are really recommended. Overall, you can get away with spending less than $50 for two small projects and all these materials.
1. Select the image
The actual artwork can be pretty much anything. Something you made or just a picture from the Internet. Do not sell the piece when you don't have the rights for the artwork! We all like money, but nobody likes being stolen from.
2. Pick out the wood
A very important step but anyone can find a great piece of wood. Any craft store will have previously made wood ideal for burning. Pine makes for a pretty sticky tip and often uneven lines from the burn. Common use would be a basswood, also the most common in the craft store where you can buy wood burners. Scrap pieces can be pine or anything really, as you won't be making big images on these.
Warning: look for any knots in the wood such as the following:
You can not burn through these and they will destroy your hopes and dreams.
3. Sand the wood
You will want to make sure the surface as even as possible. Any home appliance store would have regular sheets of sandpaper which work well. They come in different grit sizes. I use 180 grit for rougher surfaces and 220 grit following that to give it a smooth finish. If the wood is pretty flat, I still go about it with the 220 grit just to be sure. Sand with the grain.
4. Transpose image onto wood
This is the most arduous part. A steady hand helps the most here. This involves a little process you can develop over time. Usually, I tape down the image to prevent it from moving and work from there. Generally, I try to complete the trace in one sitting to prevent any missed lines, crooked pictures or multiple lines on top of each other. The time to completion of this is determined by the image complexity and size. After completing, make sure every line is right where you want it.
5. Burn everything
The best part. All the hand cramps, sweat and elbow grease have led up to this moment. Let the wood burner heat up and try it out on the scrap pieces of wood. When you feel comfortable, start gently tracing the wood. Too much pressure will create little holes along the line and will bloat the line here and there. Just light enough to make a consistent line will be good. You can always come back and increase the density.
Mistakes happen. The bad news is that boo-boo will stick out like a sore thumb. There are only a few pieces of advice I can give you:
Don't mess up. You will. So when you do, use sand paper. If your line was light enough, it will slowly erase it so you can fix the image. Work your magic and incorporate the stray or crooked line into the image. If it is complex enough, it won't catch the eye of anyone, besides you of course which you will only notice and think about every single second you look at it. For example, I didn't even realize the first photo of the wine and coffee quote piece was slanted until I gave it to my friend. It was one of my favorite pieces to make, however.
Every piece is such a personal creation. The small little coasters that took you an hour to do or the giant plaque declaring how much you love a brand. Did I mention the smell? It won't dig into your clothes quite like a bonfire, but the pleasant smell it leaves is a quaint pat-on-the-back from nature saying "I can't believe you've done this."
Regardless if you really do wood burn, find something you can really hone your time on to create. Write code, learn car maintenance, create bead art even! Keep moving forward and don't leave projects unfinished. Share your work with others. Compliment others as well for a job well done. Be proud you did something concrete and tangible that people can admire.
