2024

Pyrography Junk Journal

I have found over the years that I often have the desire to create something new far after I have run out of space to display the work.  I literally have dozens of banker boxes filled with finished projects, tucked away under my work table or in a closet, that are simply stored away.  Yet not having space for another pyrography, wood carving, or craft project does not stop me from wanting to create new ideas.

So I have come up with a small solution to my addiction to pyrography wood burning – a Pyrography Junk Journal!

Small wood pieces can be hot glued to my watercolor paper pages to add too my junk journal.

I cut the front and back of my junk journal from scrap, vegetable-dyed leather, then used a leather punch to create the holes for the clip rings.  Of course I worked a leather burning on my cover.  My journal measures 6 1/2″ x 8″.  Next I cut blank pages from heavy weight water color paper.  These pages measure 6″ x 7 1/2″.  Aligning the left side of the watercolor paper pages to the leather cover I marked the clip ring holes on the pages and cut them with my leather punch.

I wanted to test sample a new set of watercolor pencils that I will be using to add hue to my larger projects. This journal page let me check how well they covered and how transparent the were to allow the sepia shading to show without investing the time into a larger, in-depth work. A fun starting page for my junk journal.

I can work a pyrography wood burning pattern directly on the watercolor paper pages or I can use those pages to mount other media as small basswood squares, chip board shapes, paper mache squares, or leather scraps.

Fun, random, geometric shapes are great when you just want to spend an evening pyrography doodling.

Quick, easy, and so ready to fill with new free pyrography project patterns, experimental texture practice boards, and test sample for the next large pyrography burning!

 

Hope you have fun with this idea!!!!

~Lora

Pyrography Junk Journal Read More »

Crafting with Gourds

Gourd Art at LSIrish.com

Gourds make a wonderful base for many of our favorite crafts – wood carving, wood burning, decoupage, and sculpture painting.

In these projects we will learn how to clean, cut, prepare, and decorate dried craft gourds.

Bee, Bug, and Seed Gourd House Roof Decorations

Begin this free, online dried craft gourd art project with our Basic Constructions step-by-step page. Then enjoy how to create your roof accents on our Bee House Roof Accents page, and the Bee House Gallery page.

In-depth tutorial coming soon!
I am working on posting over the weekend – March 29, 2024
Discover how easy and fun it is to cut and glue gourd together to create new shapes.  In this free online project we will explore the basic steps needed to make your own crafty bird gourds.
String House Decoupaged Gourd Art

Free online gourd art beginner’s project

Any natural fiber material can easily be collage to the surface of your gourd using archival white water-based glue. This fun bird house uses paper coffee filters, cotton cheese cloth, burlap, garden twine, and cotton cord to create a riot of texture. When the collage work is dry we will use oil pastels to brightly color the high ridges of the texture.
10” high, 8” diameter, 23” circumference kettle gourd

 

Crafting with Gourds
Lora S Irish
Available at Amazon.com
Crafting with Gourds
Building, Painting, and Embellishing Birdhouses, Flowerpots, Wind Chimes, and More (Fox Chapel Publishing) 14 Step-by-Step Projects for Natural, Seasonal Décor from Lora S. Irish Paperback – October 8, 2018Transform ordinary gourds into extraordinary art!14 step-by-step projects with bright, beautiful project photography
Learn to make delightful wind chimes, birdhouses, pitchers, flower pots & decorative figures
Covers a variety of color media, including colored pencils, watercolor, acrylics, oils, pastels, gel pens, & more
Explains all the gourd basics including selection, cleaning, cutting, shaping, surface prep, transferring designs, & finishing

Crafting with Gourds will teach you an amazing array of techniques for creating unique and attractive décor! This complete artist’s guide to gourd crafting provides useful tips & techniques on a wide range of color media, from craft acrylics and artist’s oils to pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, gel pens, and more.

 

Braided Raffia Gourd Rim
This step-by-step Autumn Bird Nest Gourd project focuses on a simple braided raffia rim that you can use for your gourd art.
Free online gourd art projects
Wood Spirit Gourd Mask
Some hot glue, copper foil, electric wires, vintage and damaged jewelry pieces, some thick cotton yarn, and a pair of old glasses quickly turned a practice gourd scrap into an Urban Warrior Gourd Art Mask.
Wood Spirit Gourd Pencil Jar
This Wood Spirit Colored Pencil Gourd is worked along the same technique as our free online gourd art project, Wood Spirit Gourd Mask, an in depth tutorial that will take you through all of the steps to create your own acrylic paint and colored pencil face painting.

 

Lora S. Irish patternsCreating Gourd Art Musical Instruments – Banjo

What happens when you unite the joy of gourd art crafting, the joy of bright and vibrant colors, and the joy of music?  You create this joyous gourd banjo with copper wire strings.

An extra large kettle gourd with some damage around the stem area inspired this fun gourd musical instrument project.  While I did not take step-by-step photos … I was too involved in the fun of creation to remember … I will share four easy ‘secrets’ that made the construction quick and accurate.

 

Coloring Wood Carving, Pyrography & Gourd Projects

Our navigation page for all coloring instructions for wood carving, pyrography, gourd, and craft projects

Color Theory by Irish
Free PDF Download

 

Elk and Wildlife Patterns by Lora IrishWildlife Elk PatternsMushroom Wood Spirit Patterns by Lora IrishMushroom SpiritsHeart Shaped Flower Patterns by Lora IrishArchitectural Icons
Visit our pattern website
ArtDesignsStudio.com
for more fun patterns, ideas, and designs to use
in your next craft project.

 

Crafting with Gourds Read More »

Free E-Project PDFs on Pyrography Color Theory

 

Two free E-Projects, for your download, are posted
on my pattern website – ArtDesignsStudio.com.

Please get your copies today!

 

Painting Wood, Water Colors, Colored Pencils, Marking Pens

 

Coloring Your Project

Painting with Eye Shadow for Wood Carving and Pyrographyfree pyrography clock pattern
Coloring Your Project
Color Chart for LSIrish.com
Basics to Painting
Adding Skin Colors with Watercolors
Basics to Painting
Acrylics over a Primer for Wood Carving
China Painting with Acrylics for Wood Carving
Dry Brushed Acrylics over Oil Stain for Wood Carvings
Marbling and Splatter Painting
Simple Dry Brushing for Wood Carving and Pyrography
Vintage Painting
Wood Carving and Burning Painting Supplies
Paint Kit Supplies for Painting Your Wood Carving
Steps to Success, Painting Your Wood Carving
Burnishing Your Wood Carving
Simple Blending with Acrylic Craft Paintsfinishing and paintinf techniques for wood
General Techniques Used in Wood Carving Painting
Basics to Painting for Pyrography and Wood Carving
Painting Eyes
Watercolors and Wood Burning
The Color Wheel, Who Is R. G. Biv?
Dry Brushing, Wood Painting Techniques by Lora Irish
Colored Pencil Let’s Talk Color
Marking Pen Quilts
Adult Coloring – Colored Pencil Application
Adult Coloring – Working with Colored Pencils
Adult Coloring Portraits
Colored Pencil Let’s Talk Color
Colored Pencil Pyrography
Color, Shadow, and Light in Pyrography
Coloring your Pyrography using Colored Pencils
Painting a Color Wheel for Pyrography, Gourd Art, Wood Carving
Working in Layers, Colored Pencils
Color Chart for LSIrish.com
Painted Blue Jeans 2, Free Craft Patterns
Painted Blue Jeans, Free Patterns
Sepia Toned Crayons

LSIrish.com

L S Irish Mission Statement
Free Wood Carving, Pyrography, Painting PDF Files
Selling Your Finished Work – Art and Craft Shows
Copyright, Can I sell my finished projects?
Lora Irish Copyright Article
How to Download

Free E-Project PDFs on Pyrography Color Theory Read More »

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