The art of wood burning - pyrography - was given to the world by the Peruvians back in the 7th century BC, who decorated their homes with burnt products. Some researchers consider the African continent to be the birthplace of this type of creativity.
It is known that many creative personalities, such as artists Rembrandt and Picasso, writer Victor Hugo, were fond of burning.
In Rus', burning originated in the 9th century along with carving and other types of decorative and applied arts. They burned it using hot nails and other metal objects.
Thus, Permogorsk painting consisted of burning patterns and subsequent application of paints, Sergiev Posad painting involved burning on three-dimensional figures (matryoshka dolls), although due to the great demand for them, craftsmen had to switch to a faster method - painting with paints.
Burning was then used on things for practical purposes: bread bins, dishes, furniture, souvenirs, toys.
In the 19th century, steam, alcohol and gas pyrographs appeared, and in the mid-20th century, the progenitor of modern burners was invented.
Today, anyone who wants to do burning can purchase all the necessary tools in craft stores: an electric burner, wooden blanks for future products (boards, boxes, pencil boxes, three-dimensional figures), varnish and paints, as well as copying and sandpaper.
Methods of burning drawings
Sketches are preliminary drawings with clear contour lines, along which master burners apply the image to the base. They reflect the main idea and concept of work:
- color and light planning;
- composition;
- proportionality of forms;
- plot component.
Stencils are also used, the main function of which is to apply complex compositions to a wooden surface. The more carefully the sketch or template is worked out, the better and more professional the result will be.
Unfortunately, not all pyrographers are high-class artists - mostly they are lovers of creating something with their own hands, people who gravitate toward beauty and grace, but are far from perfect in using a pencil.
Beginners just starting to dive into this fascinating field of study can be advised to use the following methods:
- search the Internet for the image you are interested in and print it on a printer;
- visit a large market that sells goods for handicrafts and creativity, and choose from a wide range of products any burning set you like, with ready-made templates, stencils and sketches;
- Alternatively, you can find a similar product in a highly specialized online store and place an order.
The last two options require some financial costs, but the first one is quite economical and affordable. Needlewomen and craftsmen often resort to it in a variety of handmade areas. Even without the necessary equipment - a printer, it will not be difficult to implement your idea by using photocopying services in any photo printing salon or office supply store.
The variety of topics and wide range of applications in various household areas place pyrography on a par with the most popular types of crafts.
If we look back at the times of the Soviet past, we can remember that burning was one of the popular activities for schoolchildren. Club activities in pioneer homes and labor lessons in schools were often devoted to this applied type of creativity. Boys and girls enjoyed burning out a variety of pictures for their mothers, fathers, and friends.
Now this direction, gaining strength, is being born anew, adapting to modern realities. New interesting topics are appearing, tools and imaging technologies have been modernized. With their help, professionals create masterpieces of wood art.
Kinds
Bath signs come in different types and are made from different materials. Before choosing, consider whether they will fit the design of your bathhouse. Different types look different and may not fit into your bathhouse.
Thermo
The thermal plate performs several functions at once. The main feature of this plate is the presence of a thermometer and a special screen. As soon as the temperature in the bathhouse reaches a certain point, an invitation like “Time to go to the bathhouse” will be displayed on the screen. This is very convenient, because while the steam room is heating, you can do other things at the same time, without worrying that the bathhouse will overheat or, on the contrary, not warm up. The temperature will always be before your eyes.
From plywood
A plywood sign is the most classic look. At the same time, they are good because you can make them yourself and depict whatever you want on them, pictures and various inscriptions. They are cut out of ordinary plywood with a jigsaw, then processed and coated with special products.
From the array
Solid wood signs differ from others in that they are made from a single piece of wood. The material can be any wood suitable for cutting.
Popular stories
Perhaps the most acceptable place where the pyrography technique fits harmoniously into the interior was, is and remains the sauna. This is facilitated by the excellent combination and uniformity of the material - wood, which, by the way, is often left over after the construction of a steam room and can be successfully used as a raw material for wood burning. There are many sketches for a bath, as well as original ideas for decorating bath accessories and supplies. These include story panels, shelves, hangers, and signs with inscriptions. After all, there is nothing better for a bathhouse than a comfortable environment that sets visitors up for rest and relaxation.
For example, signs with slogans of invitation and wishes for light steam would be good to hang on the doors. Decorate the walls with funny plot paintings that correspond to the spirit of the steam room and, of course, place a panel depicting the owner of the establishment himself - Bannik. The transformed steam room will delight its regulars and attract new steam lovers to visit.
Bath furniture is also decorated with burning, using for these purposes cliches of plant ornaments, depicting mainly oak and birch leaves, as elements of the main attributes of the steam room’s health-improving procedures.
Beautiful openwork frames - frames - are also made with ornamental patterns. You can find a wide variety of wood burning designs.
Installation and Installation
A fully prepared sign is installed on the wall in a bathhouse, steam room or any other room.
Important! Make sure it is completely ready before installation. A poorly processed sign that is not varnished can lead to an immediate fire and irreversible consequences.
It can be installed in different ways. Two main installation methods:
- Attach directly to the wall using nails or self-tapping screws. To do this, you need to make holes in advance. Place a sign on the nails nailed to the wall.
- Use lace or thin rope. Tie a rope to the holes made in advance in the sign and hang it on a nail in the wall.
Attention! Before installation, make sure that this method will fit into the design and layout of your bath.
Animal sketches
Which artist or child doesn’t like to draw animals and birds? These are unlikely to be found. Children, for the most part, when choosing a drawing on a free theme, prefer to depict animals, especially characters from their favorite cartoons.
There is a great artist in every child, which is why it is so easy to get children interested in drawing. Instilling a love for pyrography will also not be difficult - all you have to do is give a gift in the form of a pyrography kit for a birthday or New Year's holiday.
A child's first creation will be a wonderful decoration for a child's room. It could be some cute dog or kitten, a bird or a butterfly - it doesn’t matter. Another thing is valuable: the child chooses a living creature. He gives his love to his pet - he takes care of it, plays with it, and captures it in a graphic image. Boys especially love horses, dogs, and predators - lions, tigers, wolves, bears. From fantastic characters - dragons and dinosaurs. Girls, on the other hand, are characterized by more delicate creatures: foxes, hedgehogs, deer.
Animal patterns are varied both in appearance and in the style of execution - from primitive schematic and silhouette forms to three-dimensional, picturesque highly artistic figures.
Also, fairy-tale images are of interest to young people: the Gray Wolf, the Firebird and the Serpent-Gorynych, Kikimoras, Leshy and many others.
Our little brothers often have beautiful landscape views as their backdrop—their natural habitat. Therefore, burning out sketches of nature in paintings is not in last place. The presence of a landscape creates a special flavor and gives vitality to the work. This is especially evident when, having completed the main part of the work, they begin the most interesting part - applying color. After all, scorched paintings do not always remain in black and white; sometimes they are supplemented with color shades.
Nature theme
The beauty of nature can inspire any creative person, and pyrograph artists are no exception. Drawing their ideological ideas from the vast naturalistic ocean, they boldly embody them in decorating not only the walls of the room, but also furniture, dishes, and household items. Modern advanced tools allow us to talk about such a direction as miniature pyrography.
This kind of decoration will look great in a country house or in the interior of wooden houses. Adherents of a natural lifestyle and lovers of eco-style are sure to find many interesting and original crafts, both for themselves and for adding additional charm to their home.
With such a gift you can surprise the most demanding beauty connoisseur. In addition, a hobby can become a source of additional income if the hobby develops into a serious occupation.
On the vastness of the World Wide Web, you can create a mini-site offering your products or a page on the famous “Masters Fair”, posting new items there.
Everything will depend on desire, skill, and most importantly, patience in mastering the art of “drawing with fire.”
Cool wooden signs
The sign “There are no generals in the bathhouse”, “You come in if anything”, “You go to the bathhouse” and others fit perfectly into a real Russian bathhouse. These photos show examples that have uniqueness and a sense of humor, which not only helps create a fun atmosphere, but also makes them stand out from the rest.
Image Transfer Methods
There are still disputes among woodburners about applying a design to a piece of wood. Most people lean towards the old, time-tested method - the copy method. It is more suitable for beginners and children. But professionals prefer an alternative method - shading on the wrong side. It has very weak, barely outlined contours, which subsequently merge with the scorched strokes and do not create a delineation that betrays the amateurism of the performer.
It's done this way:
- The drawing is outlined on paper. As a result, its outline is obtained on the reverse side;
- the image is turned face down and, going slightly beyond the boundaries of the lines, shading is made over the entire area with a stylus;
- The drawing is again turned over to the front side and applied to the base using shading. Secure with tape;
- the composition is outlined again, without effort, so as not to damage the paper;
- A sketch is burned out from the resulting slate imprint.
Another simple method is pressing along the contour:
- attach the sketch to a board or plywood;
- Using a pen without ink, with medium pressure, draw along all the lines;
- There will be an imprint on the wood, which can be easily traced with a soldering iron.
Craftsmen who master the skill of graphic representation prefer to make a sketch directly on the basis, without additional linear markings, being content with only weak outlines of the compositional arrangement.
Those who want to master the art of pyrography can try any technique. And even if it doesn’t turn out at all as expected, diligence and self-confidence will lead to decent results over time.
Pyrography is the burning of designs on wood with a special soldering iron. This type of craft art has existed for many years and still does not lose its relevance. To learn how to burn out drawings, all you need is a small set of tools and desire . This is quite enough to get a good result.
To burn an image on wood from a photo or a ready-made template, you need to select a pattern in advance; often craftsmen use ornaments from books and even fabric.
To burn an image on wood from a photo or a ready-made template, you need to select a pattern in advance; often craftsmen use ornaments from books and even fabric.
The drawing must be transferred to paper in any convenient way (download and print, photocopy, transfer to paper, sketch against light) and cut out the shape along the contour.
You also need to prepare tools and materials:
- Soldering iron of your choice: with replaceable tips, wire, with changeable temperature conditions.
Fine sanded board.
- A pencil or small cutting knife with a thin tip. These tools will be needed to transfer the selected stencil for wood burning.
