Parents are always looking for a way to preserve their children's art. I personally think woodburning is the best way to do that. It's a great keepsake, it makes for a great personalized gift, and it's so much fun to do with kids.
Kids of all ages can participate in this collaboration. You could use a tracing of a babies hand or foot print you can use the scribbles of a toddler or the self portrait of an eight-year-old. You can use original art drawn directly on the wood piece itself or transfer a treasured drawing that the child has already created.
These techniques also work for lettering, hand written recipes, love notes, you name it! Pyrography is such a great way to preserve those memories.
Let's talk about supplies. You don't need many supplies or expensive equipment in order to create a beautiful piece of art that you can cherish forever.
What you will need:
Drawing your kids made!
Wood (dried, sanded smooth, unfinished)
Burner (I used a Walnut Hollow Versatool and recommend it as a starting point. Use the coupon code WBC15 for 15% off your order, on us!)
Tape
Embossing Tool (or pencil)
Markers (optional)
Safety Equipment (mask, fan, etc)
Instructions:
Step 1.
Choose your design or have your child draw the design directly onto the piece of wood. Make sure that your wood is sanded smooth, clean, dried, and unfinished. Check out this blog post on: Prepping Wood Surfaces for Wood Burning.
Step 2.
Place your design on your wood (make sure it is right where you want it) and tape down on one side (two if it's a large design.)
Step 3.
Slide your graphite paper with the black side facing the wood underneath your design.
Step 4.
Use your embossing tool or a pencil to trace your design using medium pressure. The more accurate you are with the transfer, the better your burn will be. Make sure you transferred everything before you remove your design and graphite paper.
Step 5.
Ensure you are in a well ventilated space, and don any safety equipment. Check out my FREE Safety guide here. Do remind children of the dangers of a hot tool. Warm up your burner, and get started. Some children may be old enough to do the burning with adult supervision. Kids and adults, no matter the age, will get a kick out of watching the wood burn take shape, just do it safely.
Step 6.
Carefully wood burn the art by simply following your transferred lines. Go slowly. Let the burner do the work. Glide along the surface. When you're finish you can remove any remaining graphite lines with a quick sand with some sandpaper or a Tombow sand eraser. For more tricks and tips, check out: Start Here if you are NEW to Wood Burning
Step 7.
Optional, add a finish or let the child artist finish off their masterpiece with some watercolor or markers. Check out this blog post on adding watercolor to wood for tricks and tips as well as my go to supplies!
Step 8.
Add a picture hanger and hang it on your wall to enjoy for years to come.
Be sure to share about your project with your kiddo or the finished masterpiece on instagram and/or Pinterest and tag me @woodburncorner. I would love to see it! You can also find this full project in my book, The Wood Burn Book.
Want to watch a video of this process instead?
Click Here to watch the process of me burning my children’s artwork for a Micheal’s class.