pyrography

Free Pyrography Wood Burning Project by Lora Irish

Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer

Walnut Hollow Woodburner DetailerA little history

Please click on the images in this posting for a full-sized photo!

Henna Moon Pyrography Project
Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer – Introduction
Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer 2 – History of Henna Tattoos
Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer 3 – Tracing the Pattern

Let’s take the Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer out for a test drive by working through two step-by-step free pyrography wood burning projects featuring Henna Tattoo designs.

I began my wood burning passion over three decades ago when I purchased my first Walnut Hollow burner.  That first burner was a one-temperature tool with five interchangeable brass tips.  You plugged it into your wall socket, waited a few minutes until the tip got hot, then did your project.  Around 2005 I purchased a second Walnut Hollow burner.  There was nothing wrong with the one that I already had, I simply wanted to have two different tools, each with its own tip, to make it easy to change tip profiles without unplugging, waiting for the tool to cool, then changing out to the new tip.

Walnut Hollow Woodburner DetailerThen about six years ago I got my first Walnut Hollow Versa-Tool that features a rheostat temperature dial control on the cord.  I still actively use all three burners even though I do own a Colwood, RazorTip, and Optima – full temperature, high-end, total-control machines.  For quick burns, adding a touch of detailing or lettering, adding an accent border around a relief carving, or for burning away the fuzz bunny wood fibers in my wood carving, this style of burner is perfect.

For someone just starting into Pyrography I always recommend that you start with a Walnut Hollow.  They are extremely reasonable in price, give you a nice range of burning tips, and are available at most large craft stores.  If you come to love pyro as I do you can always invest in a high-end burner, but I promise you will return to your Walnut Hollow often.

Now, owning two one-temperature Walnut Hollows, one Versa-Tool, and three high-end full temperature control machines I really didn’t need another wood burner!  But … in browsing through Michael’s not long ago I noticed a burner I had not yet seen – the Woodburner Detailer.  I admit I was curious as to why another would want a one-temperature burner that has only one fine ball tip when the Versa-Tool was hanging right next to it on the display.  So, of course I bought a Detailer, brought it home, and put it to the test!

Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer

The package says that the Detailer is “A perfect temperature for precision and detail” and shows that the one-temperature setting for this tool is a 120 volt, 16.5 watt, 750 degrees F (398.89C) unit. In comparison the Versa-Tool uses 120 volts, 25 watts, and reaches 950 degrees F.

It has one brass interchangeable tip that is a 1/16″ wide x 3/16″ long ball tip profile.  It has the classic Walnut Hollow styled handle with the hand guard flare, but is a beige color instead of the tradition burgundy of the Versa-Tool.

The cord is very flexible and measures 56″ long.  About 19″ from the end of the handle, the cord has an in-line on/off switch.  I have been working with this burner for about a month now and have not once found myself out of reach of my project, or having to fight the cord to get the tip into proper position.

Now, owning three other Walnut Hollow I have a large assortment of interchangeable tips, all of which fit the Detailer.  So any tip that I commonly use with my Versa-Tool I can use with my new Detailer.  If you are just starting out and want to give the Detailer a try yourself, pick up a set of Special Technique Points I and/or Special Technique Points II to give yourself a wide range of burning tip profiles.

Why?  Why would I want another Walnut Hollow?

Free Pryography Henna Moon Face Plaque ProjectThat’s the question that we are going to explore over the next few days as we work through two step-by-step pyrography projects using the Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer.

Henna Moon Plaque Supply List:

Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer
8″ x 10″ Birch plywood plaque
Soft #4B to 7B pencil
White artist’s eraser and a Document Cleaning Pad

Henna Moon Spell Book Journal Supply List:

6″ wide x 16″ long vegetable-tanned leather
1/4″ leather hole punch
2 yards of black waxed linen cord or heavy twine
Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer
Special Technique Points I or your interchangeable tips from any other Walnut Hollow burner

Walnut Hollow Wood Burning ToolSneak Preview!

When I began working with the Detailer I really thought it was going to be ‘just another’ woodburning tool that would end up on my craft shelf …. Boy!  Was I wrong !!!!  I was just going to give it a try but by the time I made myself put the Detailer down I had finished the Henna Moon plaque, two large gourd winter roosting houses, one gourd art miniature gourd ring box, two leather and lace wrist bands, and a Vintage Gryffindor-styled Leather Spell Book. I will be posting the photos of the other finished projects throughout this project.

The Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer does exactly what it advertises – it holds a perfect temperature for precision and detail wood burning.

So, get your supplies together.  Tomorrow I will be posting the free pattern to these two projects and begin the step-by-step photo instructions.

Walnut Hollow Woodburner Detailer Read More »

Gourd Bee Houses

DIY Bee and Bug Houses

One of my many autumn projects for the blog is a series of roosting houses for our winter birds made from dried craft gourds and decorated with pyrography and colored pencils.  Along the way to the creating these kettle gourd houses I wanted to first play around with ideas on making different roof styles.  Most DIY birdhouses use the stem area of the gourd for both hanging and as the roof area, but I wanted something different.

DIY craft gourd bird houses

So I picked up some smaller dried craft gourds off of Ebay.com – nest egg gourds, small bottle gourds, and some dipper gourds.  Next I got out my bench knife, my boxes of craft supplies, my dried flowers and grass, and began experimenting.

I never meant to use these practice pieces here on my blog, but they were so fun to create and have so many possibilities that I just had to share them with you.  One of the little delights, shown below, is made with a nest egg gourd, approx. 2 1/2″ high by 1 3/4″ wide, with a corn husk roof, grapevine twist and barberry seed accents.

DIY Egg Gourd Christmas Decorations

I was only going to make one or two to figure how the easiest method of adding a roof to a gourd.  I ended us with over a dozen in just a couple of day’s play.  As I experimented with several different roof material ideas I also came up with a multitude of uses for these small gourd houses.

DIY Mini Nest Egg Gourd Bird Houses

Some of these miniature gourd birdhouses will become Christmas ornaments, some are made to go out into my garden as bee and bug houses, one became a little garden scene shelf decoration.  But my favorite so far is my larger, 4″ x 5″, seed house that will be my sister’s Christmas present.  Inside of this gourd, before I added the roof, I added 3 Red Oak trees, 5 Tulip Poplar trees, 6 White Dogwood trees, 6 Chinese False Dogwood trees, 6 Golden Chain trees, a huge bunch of marigolds, and 12 nest egg gourds – all viable seeds from my Maryland garden to her new Colorado home!  (Shhh! – Please don’t tell her!!!  It’s a surprise!!!)

DIY Gourd Birdhouse Project

So join me this week as I share the steps with you for making your own DIY Bee-Bug-Seed Houses for your Christmas tree and autumn gardens.  Then at the beginning of October we will start the pyrography roosting gourd houses with a free Lora S. Irish pattern.

Let your friends on FaceBook, Twitter, and Pintrest know so they can share the fun.

Lora ~

DIY Bee and Bug Houses Read More »

Free pyrography wood burning project and pattern

Free Celtic Pyrography Project

free pyrography wood burning project and patternStamp Collecting – Philately

Stamp collecting is one of the top hobbies worldwide.  As philatelists, we delight in little bits of art work that come from far away places, and that tell about a tiny bit of history, geography, social changes, or feature someone that has effected their country. The vast majority of the stamps that we collect cost less than a US quarter, yet bring hours and hours of fun as we track down complete year sets, special revenue issues, or even discover cancelled stamped envelopes from distant cities.

free pyrography wood burning project and patternIt is estimated that to have a complete worldwide collection you would have over 500,000 different stamps, from so many countries that Wikipedia has their own WikiProject just for collectors.   Many of us focus on several favorite countries, or perhaps a topic or theme that is important to us.

Where you might specialize in butterflies, steam engine trains, or famous women in history, I personally search for stamps that feature maps, geology, and space endeavors. On one of my stamp collecting forums, Stamp Community Forum, one member noted that he collected stamps that feature men with mustaches.

Treasure Trove of Ideas

As wood carvers, pyrographers, and craft artists stamp collecting is a treasure trove of ideas, designs, and pattern work.  Over the next few days I will be working on a pyrography pointillism project that features two Celtic birds, entwined in a Celtic knot pattern, inside of a traditional stamp frame.

Pointillism is the process of creating a design using only small dots.  Small, widely spaced dots will create our pale tonal values; medium-sized dots, loosely packed give us the mid-tone values; and large, tightly packed dots will make our dark tonal value range.

Art Styles of Pyrography

Pyrography E-Project E-Book by L S IrishTo learn more about the different styles and patterns that can be used in your pyrography work please check out Lora Irish’s Art Style of Pyrography190 pages, 15 projects, Ready for Download, which we have placed on sale for those following our blog and this free project.

This is a quick, easy, beginner’s level free pyrography project that can quickly be personalized to include your name, a date, or a location.  By the time we are done this project you will discover how you can create your own postage stamp designs by mix and matching topic patterns with stamp frames.

Supplies needed:

12″ x 12″- 1/4″ sheet of birch, poplar, or basswood plywood
Wood burning unit – either one temperature or variable
220-grit sandpaper
#2 to #4 soft pencil
Painter’s tape or masking tape
Red ball-point ink pen for tracing
Loop tipped burning pen
Ball tipped burning pen
Ruler

free pyrography wood burning project and pattern

So, while you get your supplies together, I am off to get our newest e-Project completed, which will, of course, focus on stamp collecting designs and ideas.  See ya’ tomorrow with the free pattern to this project.  – Lora

Free Celtic Pyrography Project Read More »

July 4th Freebie!

July 4th Freebie Pattern Pack

LSIrish July 4th Freebie Pack

 Click on the link above for your free download pattern pack.

Free Lora Irish Pattern PackageHave you had that burning desire to create your own quilting batik wax stamps?  Have you been looking for wallpaper border stencils?  Do you need something special for this 4th of July scrapbook photos?

Well, we have what you want — and its absolutely free!

Our LSIrish July 4th Freebie Pattern Package includes 4 small quilt square motifs, 4 large quilt square motifs, and 3 star border motifs.  Plus you will find fabric idea samples and a simple Nine Patch quilt layout for your personal use.

Hope you have fun with this one!  And, please, email me through our contact page, above, with photos of what you have created.

Free Lora Irish Pattern Package

Happy 4th!!!!!

 

July 4th Freebie! Read More »

free wood carving projects by Lora Irish

Carving the Wood Spirit Face, Lora Irish

Introducing
Two New Free Online Series
of Free Carving, Pyrography, and Craft Projects
…..
Great Book of Free Carving Projects & Patterns by Lora S. Irish
Great Book of Free Pyrography Projects & Patterns by Lora S. Irish
…..

PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE – ADD US TO YOUR FAVORITES!

Stop by often at our carving, pyrography, and craft pattern site, ArtDesignsStudio.com to see what Great New Books you can have for free for Carving Patterns, Pyrography Projects,  and Craft Designs by Lora Irish!

Free Wood Spirit Carving Project by Lora IrishGreat Book of Free Carving Projects and Patterns by Lora S. Irish Online Series

The first release in my new, free online series  is an in-depth tutorial on how to carve the wood spirit face using the planes of the human face as our guidelines.  Join me as we work through the detailed steps and 199 photographs to learn how easy the Wood Spirit is to carve.

 

 

Wood Spirit Carving,
Free Project by Lora Irish
1 Introduction and Supply List
2 Walking Stick Preparation
3 Exploring the Human Face
4 Planes of the Human Face
5 Carve The Human Face
6 Shaping the Facial Features
7 Sloping the Sides of the Face
8 Rough Cutting the Features
9 Carving the Eyes
10 Detailing the Eyes
11 Shaping the Features
12 Defining the Cheek and Nose
13 Working the Facial Hair
14 Refining the Face Shape
15 Carving the Wrinkles
16 Trimming the Beard
17 Review of the Techniques

 

So, Gang, pull up your chair to your computer screen seat at my class table, and let’s have some FREE FREE FREE wood carving, and pyrography fun.

Lora S. Irish, June 01, 2015

Copyright, Lora S. Irish, 1997 – 2015
Art Designs Studio.com, 1997 – 2015
All International Rights Reserved
Use of any information, images, or text in digital or printed format
or in any magazine, book, or booklet is strictly prohibited without
the written, hardcopy permission of the author, Lora Irish.

This is new work, created after May 2013, by Lora S. Irish.
Use in part or whole by any publishing company
is strictly prohibited without a written, signed,
and dated contract for this new work with the author.
June 01, 2015

Carving the Wood Spirit Face, Lora Irish Read More »

Scroll to Top