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The wood I used was just a piece of broken chopping board so slightly uneven but since I was only practicing I went ahead. The picture of the bird was an illustration of a wood burned bird which I drew directly into the wood. I didn't use much detail as the burning tool would be doing the shading of light and dark. Starting with the beak I began to burn the darkest bits and the outlines of the wings then body. This was done using the finest pointed tip in my set applying medium pressure to the wing outline and firm pressure to any really dark areas. The body of the bird was then completed in sections using short strokes. I built up the darker areas e.g. under the wings by layering the strokes until I had the effect I needed. Once this was done it was just a matter of making sure the shape of the wing was visible and’re burning the long feather lines on the tail so they stood out. I used a burner that heats to one temperature and am sure a variable temp tool would be much better but on the whole it worked well. For me it was all about the pressure applied and having control of the tool by using two hands.
Written By Lesley Allsopp
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Wood Burning