I’ve been wood burning for almost a decade! I don’t wood burn as much as I used to, but I started to think about my journey the other day and wanted to write a post all about it.
Because of wood burning art, I started my business, did art shows, went on to start my blog, wrote tutorials, and made countless custom orders. From there my business expanded and I grew into selling many products on my website.
All because of a hot pen and some wood slices!
How I Got Started
I have a background in art and wanted to be an artist since I was little. There are several artists in my family as well. I went to college for art and was really into the rustic aesthetic during that time (still love it).
Creating on wood really intrigued me, and my grandpa was a woodworker for many years and I was always amazed by his creations.
I didn’t have a lot of money in college, but I remember wanting to really try wood burning. So I bought an affordable wood burner (I still use it!) and a slice of rustic basswood from Michaels.
It didn’t cost me much to start, and it doesn’t have to. Sometimes when you look at all the wood burning tools available on the market it can be overwhelming. But at the end of the day, all you need is a burner and a slice of wood.
It was a skill that I grew more confident in as the years went on.
Related: Pyrography Tutorials
My First Pieces
I look back at my first wood burned art pieces and cringe now haha. But, we ALL start somewhere.
In this craft, the biggest learning challenge is figuring out the wood burning tool. Once you feel confident with drawing with it, it all becomes easier. It is after all a VERY hot pen that could seriously hurt you, so it’s not quite as simple as drawing with a pencil.
You also have to learn pressure and heat settings for shading and detail.
I experimented a lot with words in the beginning. It was trendy and I loved typography as a graphic design student, but now I despise wood burning letters. Letters are one of the hardest things to burn in my opinion!
Where I’m At Now
Currently, in my wood burning journey, I’m writing more blog posts than I am burning actual pieces.
I like writing tutorials and helping aspiring pyrography artists on this journey.
In the future, I hope to publish some more video tutorials as well. Check out this pine tree tutorial below!
I have done many custom orders over the years, but I no longer accept them. It was super fun when I did them and I learned a lot during that time. Taking custom orders is a great way to build your skills and confidence.
Some pyrography artists only do custom orders, and I applaud them x100 for it!
If you’re interested in learning about my custom order process, check out this post: My Process For Creating Custom Wood Burnings For Clients
Tips For Aspiring Wood Burners
My biggest tip is to keep practicing and not give up if you want to improve. Many people jump into wood burning thinking they can get the results they want instantly. Even if you are an experienced artist, there will still be a learning curve.
Conclusion
So there’s my wood burning story. What’s yours?
Over the years, I’ve received many questions about how I started, the tools I recommend for beginners, and more. It’s a large reason why I started my blog.
If you have any burning questions, post them below and I’ll try my best to help. 🙂
Thanks so much for checking out this post and reading my story.
Want to see my original wood burns for sale? Check them out here on my website.
-Amanda
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