Woodburning is also called pyrography, the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks. (Pyromaniacs, stay away please. This project is not for you). For this craft project, Kriz used a soldering iron to burn designs on wooden coasters. Use the smallest tip available if a crisp design execution is required for your illustration. For greater ease in case you want to do a lot of woodburning art, get yourself a wood burning tool. There are wood burning pens or scorch markers available online.

Woodburning Art

Woodburning art is a wonderful addition to homes that have a rustic style. For coasters, try to get pieces with the bark still intact for additional texture. Hardwood such as mahogany looks refined and is durable but the downside would be that it is a dark wood to begin with so the contrast may not be what you would like to achieve. If you want higher contrast, you can go for a softwood like pine but some crafters find the inconsistent grain (especially the dark ones and the knots too) and the sappiness of the wood a pain to work with. Bamboo can also be another alternative. Just surf the internet to find out what wooden pieces are available. If you don’t know the wood, do your research first to see if it would be good for pyrography.

The wood pieces you’ll be working with should be unfinished because you will be burning the surface and you don’t want to breathe in fumes. Prepare the wood like Kriz did in the video by sanding these first with a heavy grit sandpaper followed by a fine grit one. End the preparation by wiping down the wood before making your sketch.

It would be good to finish the wood to protect it. We recommend Hudson Timbercoat since it is water-based and therefore has low odor. It is also non-yellowing so your design would stay looking like you intended it to. Another plus is that you can use Timbercoat to finish pieces that are for interiors and exteriors.

For more info about Timbercoat, click this link.

Rustic Style

The rustic style is a classic. You don’t have to go all out and look like a bahay kubo. You can always incorporate rustic elements in contemporary design. Using wood and other organic materials will never go out of style. It is definitely an advantage for us because many home accessories made of organic materials are readily available in the country. If you know people who can make bespoke pieces, good for you!

The Krafty Krizmas series has these other 3 videos about other items that you can make to give your home that cozy and comfortable vibe.

Belen Lightbox
Hanging Christmas Centerpiece
Circular Placemats Using Rope

We will be coming out with more video tutorials next year. In the meantime, subscribe to Let it B for painting tips, color inspirations and DIY project ideas.

Author

Annie is the Managing Editor of Let it B | MyBoysen Blog. An unrepentant workaholic, she runs this blog and her own company Talking Lions (https://talkinglions.com). She thrives on collaborating with people who are good at what they do, and working together with them to create something special. Annie learned interior styling while managing her own wholesale business in the Netherlands, importing high-end, handmade home furnishings to stock four outlets and a showroom in the country.

Write A Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.