The Beginner Wood Burning Guide: How To Get Started With Pyrography

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Do you want to start wood burning?

Wood burning is an awesome art where you use a really hot pen on wood to create unique designs. It does take practice to really get the hang of it, but once you get into it, you can’t stop (trust me)!

In this post I am going to cover some basic wood burning questions, what tools are best for beginners, and how to get started with pyrography.

Think of this post as your basic beginner wood burning guide. I can give tips, tricks, and advice all day but you have to really put the work and practice in to become a confident wood burning artist.

Let’s get into how to start wood burning art for beginners!

What Is The Difference Between Pyrography & Wood Burning?

Pyrography and wood burning are the same thing. The more technical name is pyrography, but it is essentially wood burning. You’ll see people use both terms, but they are the same. Many people don’t know what “pyrography” is, so I often use the term wood burning art so they understand.

What Do You Need To Start Wood Burning Art?

To start wood burning, all you need is a piece of wood, a wood burning pen, and some confidence. Anyone can wood burn, but when you start, it can be imitating. When I started, I practiced on scrap pieces of wood until I built up my confidence.

You have to play around with the pressure of the pen and different tips to get the hang of it. Every wood burning pen usually has several different tips you can use. Some are great for shading, some are for writing, and some are used for textures. It takes practice to try all these out, but when you do, you’ll see what tips you like and feel comfortable with.

The Versa Tool by Walnut Hollow has a universal tip, which can be used for many different techniques. Some pens are great for many things, and you’ll find that out with practice.

The Best Wood Burning Kit For Beginners

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Walnut Hollow Versa Tool is the best wood burning kit for beginners. It’s the kit I started with and I still use it. It’s budget-friendly and helps you get your feet wet with pyrography.

The Versa Tool may not be the best wood burn tool on the market, but it’s great to get practice in. Once you learn how hot the tool should be, and how hard you should be pressing down on the wood, then you can consider getting a more expensive tool later on if you want to get serious in the craft. Honestly, you can use this tool and be a professional wood burning artist. It doesn’t matter how expensive your tool is that defines you as a “professional.” Many professionals use the Versa Tool. It is what YOU are comfortable with to create your art.

Once you get some practice and want to start sealing your wood signs or coasters, make sure to check out my post on how to seal wood burning art! That post is a basic and quick guide on how I seal my professional wood burning artwork.

Wood Burning Art Tools

As mentioned previously, you need a wood burning pen, a piece of wood, and some confidence really to start. There are also tools that are helpful when starting wood burning like tracing paper, graphite transfer paper, erasers for removing pencil lines from wood, and so on.

If you want to see my full list of wood burning supplies, check out my Amazon Storefront or click here for another post on all my wood burning art recommendations. Every tool I list on here is what I use to create my professional wood burning artwork.

Check out my Amazon Storefront here!

Wood Burning Ideas For Beginners

Wood burning art ideas for beginners depend on how comfortable you are with drawing, wood burning, and creating in general.

If you are a new artist, start with something easy, like maybe hot letter stamp art (see below). You could also create simple coasters, like tree coasters, heart coasters, floral coasters, or whatever you’re interested in to get a feel for the craft.

Or maybe create something you want for your home or as a gift for someone. Scroll Pinterest for ideas but remember to never copy someone else’s art. There are many free patterns online that are also available.

How To Wood Burn Letters

Wood burning letters by hand can be tricky and takes practice, but if you’re looking for a cool hot stamp effect, these hot stamp letters by Walnut Hollow are great. You can create some pretty cool art with them and they are super beginner friendly! These hot stamps work with the Walnut Hollow Versatool.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Wood burning art is a skill you learn. Every pyrography artist started exactly where you are starting right now. You can never have enough practice!

You will create bad pieces and you will make some wood burned art that you LOVE. Trust me, I have made so many art pieces that I hate, but I grew through my mistakes and practice. I have many scrap pieces of wood where I test the pressure and heat of my wood burning pen before I start creating something.

As I mentioned, pyrography art is a skill that is learned over time. I have improved so much over the years. It takes time and practice, so make sure to not give up early on and keep pushing if you want to improve your skills!

I hope you enjoyed this beginner wood burning guide!

If you have any questions, please comment below and I will get back to you! I have been wood burning for about 7 or so years, and if you want to check out my work, click here to see all of my current wood burned designs I have for sale.

Talk soon,

Amanda