Beginner intro tips for pyrography
You are interested in Pyrography, the art of woodburning, but you don’t know where to begin. Being a somewhat experienced pyrography artist myself, I have some wisdom I could lend to you if you so choose to accept. In the early stages of my dabblings, that eventually turned into a full blown side hustle, I was gifted a single pen woodburning unit. This little tool was very simplistic, with the only control being an on and off switch. I believe this style is probably the most common among beginners, however, I do not believe it is the most versatile for people starting out.
Enter, the Walnut Hollow Versa Tool !!!! This little baby comes with a high tech, state of the art, variable temperature knob. It also includes a variety of tips that can be interchanged, albeit very, very carefully with needle nose pliers and a non-melting surface to rest while cooling down. This unit does have its limitations, but for all intents and purposes for the curious of art, it does the job. As of 11/15/2025 the cost is around $25 to $40.
As far as the type of wood, ideally basswood is the most forgiving and versatile when it comes to pyrography. This can be purchased at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or other craft stores that sell unfinished wood. (R.I.P Joann !!). Basswood does not cost very much, and hobby stores typically have periodic sales on unfinished wood ranging from 30%-60% at times throughout the year. Pine can be another inexpensive alternative for beginners. Depending on where you get it, you will have to be a little more selective to avoid wood grain, knots, warping, cupping and bowing of the wood.
I have my wood and my woodburning pen, now what ? This is the fun part ! If you are good at free-hand drawing and sketching, by all means, have at it. For those that are a little less, skilled in this arena, check out transfer paper. Transfer paper which can be made of graphite or carbon is attached to the wood. Using a pencil, draw over the lines that you would like transferred to the wood. Test a small portion to make sure you are using enough pressure to transfer the image. The main goal for the step is to get a rough outline of the image. Once this is established then you can go back and burn in the details.
As you are getting your feel for burning, dont get discouraged if it doesnt look like the orginal image. There are a lot of subtle nuances to the medium, but these come with practice. Once you do get a good grasp on it and decide you would like to invest further in your new found hobby, there are options a plenty for pyropgraphy burner units. The next blog will cover more advanced unit options and pointers that I have learned along the way. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share with your friends and family !!!
