The Call to Adventure

Before I had my business I always dreamed of being my own boss.  I woke up every morning and decided for myself what direction my career was going to take. That was until, one day, I decided to take my life into my own hands and fulfill that dream. With some tools for wood-burning, a few raw materials, and an Etsy account I began creating what would develop into a thriving business. 

Little did I know that, in the beginning, being my own boss didn’t mean not taking orders. Sure, I didn’t have a boss to take orders from: instead, I had dozens of bosses i.e. my customers. Rather than spend time working on the things I was passionate about I, instead, found myself catering to what was popular, what was in demand, and what was going to sell.  This gave me some mixed feelings about my choices initially but I decided to see it through and find out what lay ahead.

Challenges and Temptations

As time went on it was extremely difficult to meet the demands of my growing business. Competition at markets was fierce. People making similar products by machine could mass produce what I was creating in a fraction of the time for significantly lower costs. I felt like my dream was dying. Sometimes weeks or months passed and nothing was moving on the Etsy shop, I was barely making my table costs at markets, and the custom orders would be down to just a trickle. It was extremely disheartening to see my hopes and dreams go up in smoke. 

You read the statistics about small businesses, how long it takes them to become profitable, how many fail in the first 3-5 years. You never think, however, that your business will fall subject to that fate. Once the profits are drying up, however, you start to question everything. Did I make the right decision with this business? Am I catering to the right audience? Do I need to invest in more marketing? Maybe there just isn’t a market for this product right now. All of these questions and doubts pop up in your head on a daily basis and it becomes more and more difficult to continue on.

Revelation

Sometimes when things are their darkest that is when you see a glimmer of hope. About three years into my journey I realized what it was that set me apart.  I was trying to compete with people selling products whereas what I should have been doing is selling myself as an artist.  Instead of lowering my prices, I would instead demonstrate the value that people get by purchasing my art (yes, now is when I start recognizing my work for what it is, art). When customers would come to my booth I would talk about the techniques I use to create my pieces, what differentiates my work, and the quality of the material and craftmanship. 

What I wanted people to understand is that, when they buy something from me, they are investing in something that tells a story. The wood into which the piece is burned has history, the design was of my creation, and it is truly one-of-a-kind. By collaborating with other artists, learning about different forms of media to incorporate into my work, and building on techniques that I had gained from skills I acquired over a lifetime of learning I was able to differentiate myself. I was no longer trying to compete with the mass-produced, carbon-copy products at the markets, rather I stood apart from them creating something that you buy to add to your house to make it your home.

Transformation

Once I started thinking like an artist then things started to change. With the confidence I gained, I started joining arts councils and guilds to share my ideas with other like-minded individuals. I was no longer intimidated to enter my work into art galleries, juried shows, and other events reserved for fine artists. Much to my surprise, the more I treated myself like an artist, the more others treated me like the same. Invitations started showing up in my inbox, I was accepted into my first juried show, one of my pieces won honorable mention in a show, and now I am going to have a piece on display at one of the most prestigious museums in Charlotte: The Mint Museum in uptown. 

This is a tremendous accomplishment for me. Validation that the past five years of scraping and clawing my way through the grind of markets and festivals was worth the effort. I now have a resume lined with achievements that I never dreamed of when I started this journey. 

Return

I look back at where I started and I see the hope and determination I had. I also see the pain and rejection that I experienced along the way but now I look at it with a newfound sense of confidence. Today, I am an artist. Tomorrow, I will be an even better artist with more exciting opportunities that will be realized based on the successes I have achieved. What is your journey?  Share it with us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post An Artists Journey appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

After all the work that goes into your art, the last thing you want is to ruin your piece by not properly protecting it. When your piece is completed you should do something to ensure the long-lasting beauty of your artwork. Some artists may put it behind UV-protectant glass and frame the piece, whereas others may seal it. Personally, I seal my pieces, so that is what the majority of this post will entail.  There is a good argument for placing it behind glass.  The intention is so you can go back and touch up the shading if it fades over time, although, this is only really for pieces that aren’t colored.

In lieu of placing my pieces behind glass, I will use a spray-on UV Protector. Even with the UV protector, the piece will fade over time, but it does slow down the process. It also helps to make sure that, when the piece is displayed, it is kept out of direct sunlight and brightly lit rooms. To further protect the piece, I will seal it to defend against moisture. Water is the enemy of wood, causing it to expand and warp.

Different kinds of Sealant

There are a number of options for sealants that can be useful in different circumstances

• Oil-Based (non-food safe): These include Spar urethane and oil-based polyurethane. I will typically use these if I need the piece to be protected against heat and water. Coasters, for example, benefit from this as does anything that will have exposure to moisture. This is also a good option for outdoor pieces to protect against the elements.  Unfortunately, it will tint the wood yellow. Take this into consideration, especially if you are coloring your pieces. It also needs to be used in a well-ventilated area due to the odor.

• Water-Based: This includes your water-based polyurethanes and water-based polycrylic. These are good general-purpose sealants for protecting against water and moisture.  I don’t use this for coasters as it does not protect against heat. It can be difficult to use because it can leave streaks. The best way to avoid this is to use thin layers and apply using a synthetic brush. *protip* General Finishes is an expensive water-based polyurethane but it is worth the money for fine art due to its ease of use and is less prone to streaks.

• Wax Based: Dorland’s Wax is a good example here. This is the sealant you want to use if you are using watercolors. Since it is not water based your watercolors won’t smear and, since it is not a spray, it is more forgiving in terms of streaks. You might want to wear gloves as this can leave residue on your hands and is generally pretty messy to work with. Also, take note if you use handmade watercolors with mica or glitter as it will dull the shine. *protip* use thin layers. You can use a heat gun in between layers to soak the finish into the wood. Once you buff it out you barely even notice the finish and it looks extremely natural.

• Food Safe: Food-safe finishes are a type of oil-based finish but are made using specific, food-safe oils. These are generally best if you are making anything that will be used for preparing or serving food. Be aware it takes longer to dry, typically requiring more layers to seal and more time in-between layers, so plan accordingly.  Also be conscientious because it will darken your wood and, like other oil based finishes, requires ventilation.

• Mixed: I recently learned that there are mixed sealants of wax and oil. I don’t know much about it but, if you have very specific needs, it may be worth looking into.

Always read the containers for sealants for warnings. There may be very specific instructions on how to dispose of the rags and applicators. These are often flammable materials and you want to avoid them combusting. 

Types of applications

• Spray on: Easy to use but needs ventilation.  Good to use for colors because it cuts down on smearing. May require a bit of practice to prevent drips 
• Brush on: Most common. Use thin layers and select the right brush. For Polycrylic use a synthetic brush. For oil based use real hair. Read the instructions on what the best brush is. Use caution when applying over colors because it can smear.
• Wipe-on: You can simply use a microfiber cloth for applying a wipe-on. Also be careful with colors.

*protip* I will typically use two coats of spray to seal the colors in before sealing the entire piece with a brush on.

Tips

• Don’t skip on the buffing in between layers. This helps the next layer adhere to the previous layer.  It also makes sure the next layer goes on smoothly.  
• Buff with a fine sanding sponge (usually 320 or higher) and wipe down with a microfiber cloth to make sure there is not dust when you put on the next layer. 
• I put painters tape around the edges to help with cleanup. This way any excess sealant goes on the tape instead of on the wood. It is a lot easier to pull off a piece of tape versus sanding down a drip.  Use light tack tape to prevent pulling up previous layers.

That is it for this series.  I hope you all found this extremely informative. If you have your own tips and tricks for planning your artwork we’d love to hear them. Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post Planning the Art Part 6 – Finishing appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

It may seem strange that, in a series about pyrography, it isn’t until the fifth blog post that we actually talk about burning. That is because a thoughtfully planned and carefully considered piece of art will often yield a better end product than one which is hastily assembled. For that reason I spend a lot of time making sure that I have the right wood, it is properly milled, I am satisfied with my patterns, and they are carefully transferred to the wood.

Burn, baby, Burn

Now, with our canvas and patterns assembled, it is time to start burning. Some basic tips for creating a good burn:

1. Know your tips. Experiment with the tips you have and really get to know the tips. Try burning at different temperatures, holding the tip at different angles, turning the tips, different pressures (softer / harder). See what kind of different textures you can create. It is important to practice with your nibs.  The only way you are going to know which nibs suit you best is by using them. What suits one pyrographer may not suit another. Some pyrographers prefer bigger nibs for small details. Some can create big details with small nibs. Personally, I prefer the smaller nibs because they offer me better control for more accurate results.
2. Try different woods. Feel free to go out of your comfort zone and try different woods. Just as you need to be familiar with your different tips you need to have experience working with different woods.  Knowing how different woods will react to different temperatures, pressure, and tips will ensure that you’ll be able to have a professional looking piece every time, regardless of the canvas.
3. Turn up the heat. I burn hot. Burning hot gives me overburn which I can then sand down.  This will give me deep, crisp lines. These will serve as the basis for your burn and, after sanding down the overburn, I can add in more details and shading.
4. Plan beyond the pattern. Your pattern gives you the basic lines of your piece but  you have to consider where your details and shading are going to be.  Do you plan to add a lot of shading to this one portion? Maybe use softer lines so that you can blend it in.
5. Think about color. If I am going to add color my art I am not going to do as much shading as it’ll get lost under the paint.  If I am going to do an all black and white, however, I will do more shading. If I am planning to add embellishments I may use fewer details in those spots as the embellishments will be the highlight.

These tips are obviously what works for me and might not be what works for everyone. Experiment and get to know your wood, your tools, and your comfort levels.

The Finishing Touch

The little finishing touches you add to your pieces may not seem like much but they can, ultimately, be what allows your piece to stand out from the crowd. A little glitter, some shine, or some vibrant color might be exactly what draws people to your art so they can then really examine it and see all the hard work and details you have put into the piece.  Some tips for adding finishing touches:

1. Embellish, embellish, embellish: There are may forms of embellishments: foil, gold leaf, acrylics, watercolors, rhinestones, chrome markers, gel pens, resin, beads, gems, and a myriad of others. Pick the ones you are comfortable working with and experiment with the ones you are not. This will enhance your artwork and make it truly unique.
2. Clean up. Go over and clean up any stray marks on your piece. Look for areas where your piece needs to be evened out. Erase any graphite or pencil markings. 
3. Give it a once over. Look over the art and make sure that it is exactly as you want it.  This is your last chance to make any changes before sealing / framing. Double check that you have all your stipples, make sure your lines are complete. Complete lines are especially important if you are planning on using watercolors as they’ll bleed. Make sure overburns are clean and sanded down well.
4. Check the edges: If you are using live edge make sure it looks good. Check for pieces that may be falling off. Glue them back on if necessary.

Bonus Pro Tip: Do you have pets? Make sure that there are no stray hairs from your fur babies on your piece. We love our critters but we don’t want their fur to be a permanent part of our artwork.

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of how to refine your work and get the best final product you can. Do you have your own suggestions for burning and finishing? Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post Planning the Art Part 5 – Burning and Finishing Touches appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

One of the misconceptions of pyrography is that you need to be able to freehand your art when you create your burn.  Although many pyrographers are successful with this type of approach many, including myself, like to have a pattern to work off of so we can make sure we get it right the first time. This medium is highly unforgiving of mistakes and planning out the piece beforehand on the computer before transferring the pattern to the wood and burning is hugely important to me.

Prepping the Pattern

In part three of this series we talked about creating the pattern. In this part we take a look at how to get the pattern to fit the piece you are going to be burning on.  You want to make sure that the pattern is going to fit nicely on your wood so that it doesn’t get lost on the canvas or go outside the edges of the wood.

To get the pattern the right size I use a tool called Rapid Resizer (https://www.rapidresizer.com/). I use the pro version of Rapid Resizer. They have a free version but it is limited. The features I will be discussing are specific to the pro version. 

Step 1: Importing the file

Import the pattern into RapidResizer from where you saved the file.

Pro tips:

• Rapid Resizer will auto-select the level of detail of the pattern.  Make sure to check that it is the level that you would like before continuing to the next step. You cannot change the level of detail after this step.
• You can use the slider to select a softer (less detailed) or sharper (more detailed) pattern. Experiment with the levels of detail until you are happy with the pattern. If you can’t get it perfect always go with more detail because, in step 3, you’ll be able to clean up and fine-tune some of the lines.

Once you are happy with the base pattern click “Customize and Print Pattern”.

Step 2: Resizing the File

If you remember in part 2 of this series I suggested taking the measurements of the canvas. This is where those measurements come in handy. On the left-hand side you will see a pane like the one below.

Click on the customize button.

From here you can crop your pattern. This will remove any whitespace around your pattern. Doing so will ensure that when you are ready to print the measurements will be representative of your pattern and not any margins.

Step 3: Fine Tune and Clean Up

Here is where you have an opportunity to clean up any superfluous details that you didn’t remove in step 1. If you are happy with the pattern and don’t require any cleanup, skip to step 4.

To fine-tune the pattern further click on the customize menu > designer

Here you can further erase, add text (rapid resize has limited fonts), add shapes, and do other simple edits. I typically use Designer to remove any artificats left behind from the import process.

You can also add previous designs you’ve saved to your account.  I will often use this if I want to print multiple patterns at once. This is, however, beyond the scope of this post and maybe the subject of a future post.

Once you are happy with the pattern click print. This will take you back to the previous menu.

Step 4: Mirroring the Pattern

Since you are heat transferring the pattern onto the wood, you need to mirror the pattern. This works similar to the old iron on transfer you put on tee shirts.

Click on Customize menu > Rotate and Mirror > Mirror

Hit Apply.

Step 5: Save your work

Remember to save the pattern. You can save it to the website, but only if you have a pro subscription. I like to save my patterns both on their site as well as on my own cloud storage. This is critical in the event of your computer crashing, you lose power, or your shop cat decides to walk across your keyboard.

Step 6: Print

Once the pattern is ready I’ll print it on a laser printer.

Pro Tips: 

• In the Options Menu:
  • “Number Pages: column, row” will print the row and column number of each page so that you know how to arrange them after they print out. This can be useful for arranging pages on a very large piece. I typically disable this as I find it gets in the way of the pattern.
  • “Page Orientation: save paper/horizontal/vertical” You can choose to orient the pages horizontally (left to right), vertically (up and down), or you can select save paper which will let Rapid Resizer choose the best orientation to use the minimum amount of paper.
• “Page Border: Outline the area to trim” This is very helpful for knowing where to trim the excess after printing.

Step 7: Print

Print the transfer. Trim off extra paper.

Step 8: Heat Transfer

I use a Walnut Hallow versa tool with a heat transfer tip to transfer the image from the paper to the wood.

Protip: use a seamstress tape measure to find the center of your pattern

I found the easiest way to find the center of the wood without calculating is by using a seamstress tape measure or a piece of twine.  Put the tape measure horizontally on the wood edge to edge. Then carefully fold the tape measure itself. Where it bends is the center. Repeat to get the vertical center. Use a ruler (preferably a clear ruler) to *LIGHTLY* mark the center using the marks you created.

Now that you’ve found the center of the wood it’s time to prep the pattern. Fold the pattern in half horizontally and vertically. I use masking tape or low tack tape to tape the pattern to the wood to keep it in place.

Use the heat transfer tool, starting in the middle, and work your way out.  I do this because otherwise the paper won’t stay flat and it’ll bow out at the edges. If that happens the pattern won’t transfer properly.  You have to be careful and go in sections/quarters.  Periodically check to make sure that the transfer is complete before moving to the next quarter.  When you are done you want to lift it do so carefully and check to see if you transferred everything.  If not lay it back down and go over any pieces that didn’t transfer

Press firmly but let the heat do most of the work.  Set the heat as high as it will go.  When you are pressing you don’t want to let it sit to long in one place because it’ll scorch the wood.  This can be difficult / impossible to remove with sanding. Move at a steady pace.

Finally, it is time to burn. Next week we’ll talk about burning and finishing touches. In the meantime share with us what works for you when transferring patterns. Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post Planning the Art Part 4 – Transferring patterns appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

Creating beautiful art is a challenging endeavor. You want your piece to be original, compelling, and cohesive and that the message you are trying to express comes across clearly. Before creating, however, it is important to have a plan for what your final product is going to look like.

Why create patterns?

Some people have a talent of drawing. I am not one of those people. Drawing patterns from scratch would be a flex for me, but the truth is, that is not where I am at right now. There is always the option to teach myself but there just isn’t enough hours in the day. So, instead, I use several tools that I have at my disposal to create my patterns digitally.

Tools of the Trade

My tools of choice are my iPad and Procreate. There are other tools, such as Canva and Cricut Design Space, that I use to supplement my workflow for things such as lettering. Procreate for iPad, however, is what I use primarily for patterns. According to their website, it is “the complete art studio you can take anywhere.” Some of the advantages of Procreate:

1. No subscriptions. You pay for once and it is yours.
2. It comes with many standard brushes that you can use to get started working with at no additional cost
3. There are plenty of basic lessons on their website to learn how to use it.

Beyond the standard brushes, you can also download and import your own. There are hundreds of brushes in my arsenal some of which I paid for, some of which I have been found free. Websites such as Etsy, Creative Fabrica, Design Bundles, Gumroad, and Procreate Folio are great for finding specific brushes to fit your needs. There is also the option to create your own brushes.

We’ve all heard the old adage: “Work smarter, not harder”. Rather than attempt to take on the daunting task of drawing a pattern from scratch, knowing that drawing is not my strong suit, I play to my strengths. I uses brushes, stamps, and SVGs in Procreate to create completely unique digital patterns that I can transfer and burn into wood.

My Pattern Process

If you want to know how I choose patterns/wood look back at last week’s blog post or listen to this episode of PyroToasty Talks my podcast with Renee and David from Its David And Renee.

1. I take a picture of the wood, from above. If you have an iPhone use the crosshairs to align your wood as best as possible. This is important when you are creating the pattern so you have an accurate rendition of the canvas. I save it in my photos.
   
   I do this so I can edit the picture before I export it. Next, I will crop the picture removing all things around the wood leaving just a picture of the wood (as much as possible). I have used Canva to remove backgrounds and edit pictures also as this is less cumbersome than trying to crop the picture down in Procreate.
   
2. Once I am satisfied with the picture of the canvas I export it into Procreate. I create a canvas the exact size of the wood.
   In this example, the above canvas is 12.5” x 12.5”.
   
3. Once I create the canvas, I will stack the imported picture with the created canvas. This keeps all the elements in one place, on the stack. It also keeps the original handy in case I need to copy it over again. It also helps if I completely destroy the picture; I can simply re-copy it to a new layer.
   
4. Now I create and rename the layer on the canvas. Renaming the layer helps when navigating them so they don’t all have similar names like “layer 1, layer 2”. This particular wood canvas came from It’s David and Renee so I name it IDnR. I also label the layer name with the dimensions. Here the inner canvas is 9×9 and the frame is 12.5 x 12.5. Now I can tell, at a glance, key information about the canvas in case I forget where I got it from.
   
5. I then create a grid to help me with sizing. To create the grid: actions > canvas > drawing guide (turn it on if you do not already have it on) > edit drawing guide > Grid Size > Inches 1 > done. You should now have a preview of a grid on the canvas. I then make sure that the grid is where I want on the picture. I arrange the grid so that it is in the exact center of your canvas. This helps laterin knowing sizes.
   
   
   
6. Now that I have my canvas ready, I will add svgs, templates, pictures, stamps or whatever I plan to use for the pattern in the stack. I will put each picture, svg, and stamp element in its own layer. This is so that I can keep an original in the layers and duplicate them as needed. Protip: Get in the habit of duplicating layers before using them. This will save you frustration when you inadvertently draw/erase on the layer you didn’t mean to.
7. I rename layers as I add elements to them. I put the name of the brush set and the number of the stamp. I have over 100 stamp sets and brushes. Some stamps are part of sets that are in the hundreds. It’s very time-consuming to search through all of them for a stamp I used. Naming the layer tells me exactly which stamp it is. (In the picture I also put the size of the element which makes it easier when I am printing out patterns).
   
8. Lowering the opacity of the layer with the wood makes it easier to place the elements and create the pattern with the canvas in mind.
   
9. I add layers and elements as I go. I never delete layers until I am closer to finishing the pattern.

Once the pattern is completed, I will save it to my cloud. It’s frustrating to lose all the work you’ve done because the program crashed, or you accidentally deleted it.

That is how I create my patterns digitally. Next week we’ll take a look at how I heat transfer my patterns so that I can start burning. What are your tools of choice for patterning? Share them with us and tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post Planning the Art – Part 3 appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

Creating a piece of pyrography does not start with burning a design into a piece of wood. For me, at least, it starts long before that. It starts when I lay out the design for the piece I am planning to create. That is when I have to start making the preliminary decisions on my upcoming creation. Like the old carpenter adage, measure twice, cut once, it is important that you make careful considerations before burning your piece because, once you start, it can become difficult, if not impossible, to recover from a mistake.

Estimating

When I was in grade school I absolutely hated when my teacher told me that I needed to create an outline for my paper. It seemed like an extra step and a waste of time. What I didn’t realize then was that, creating an outline, allows you to think about structure, to understand the scope, and to make sure you know what you need to gather in order to complete your task successfully.

The same applies in art. Before starting on your piece you should know:

• The size and scale of your piece: this will help you know what materials you are going to need.
• The time it is going to take to work on the piece: whether it is for a commission, an art show, or just to get ready for a market you should know how much time to dedicate to your work so that you don’t take on more work and set expectations accordingly. Knowing the size of the piece also helps calculate the time you will need to complete the project.
• The appropriate canvas: as pyrographers we have a wide variety of canvases to work on. Is this going to look better on a lighter or darker piece of wood? A slab or a cookie? Live edge or clean edges?

Finding the Canvas

Now that you know what your piece is going to look like you should start gathering materials: namely your wood. If you are like me, you likely have a decent sized inventory of wood on hand in your studio. Start by looking through what you already have and determine if that is going to work.

If you don’t have a suitable piece available you’re going to need to find something to work with. There are a few options:

• Local lumber mills: most cities are going to have a great selection of lumber mills that have locally sourced raw wood and semi-milled wood available. The only disadvantage to this wood is it will need to be milled to a workable canvas. Keep in mind when choosing woods, whether they have been dried (whether via kiln or air dried), dry wood is a must. “Green” or newly cut trees that still have sap and are wet do not make for good canvases. It can be virtually impossible to burn onto, and will release more smoke.
• Specialty vendors: companies like “It’s David and Renee” specialize in wood canvases for pyrographers. They are a great option if you want a piece that is ready to go: no fuss, no muss. They do al the work for you: all you have to do is create.
• Hobby stores: hobby stores often have a selection of wood that is designed for crafters. Some woods may be acceptable for pyrography. This can be suitable for some projects but you will be limited in the types of wood, sizes, and quality. Make sure that the ‘wood’ is actually wood, not mdf with a wood veneer top. Take note of what wood it is – as a general rule of thumb you shouldn’t buen on wood that you don’t know, or materials you don’t know. It may look like real wood but be a toxic material if burned into. The wood in the wood crafters section is usually unsealed. But hobby stores may carry other wood canvases like spoons, spoon rests, bowls, etc that you may want to burn on. Take note if it is sealed or bare. If it is sealed you will want to remove the sealant by sanding it before burning into it.

Make sure when you are selecting the wood you think about other things like the weight of the piece. Heavier pieces of wood are going to be difficult to transport and more likely to get damaged en route. Consider how you plan to mount the piece. This is going to dictate how large you want your piece. Look for knots, cracks, wood rot, bowing, bending and quality of the wood.

Think about what do you want the end result to look like. Use lighter wood if you want lighter, translucent colors to pop and you want fine details to be seen. If you are using translucent colors avoid dark woods like walnut or ebony and instead use a lighter color wood like clear poplar.

Prepping the Wood

Now that you have your wood, it is time to prep it. If you got your wood from a specialty store there is a good chance you don’t need to do any of this (it’ll have been taken care of for you). If you purchased your wood from a lumber mill or, to a lesser extent, from a hobby store you are going to have to clean the wood up before burning

If you have your own tools, that is ideal, because you can work on the product right in your studio. If, however, you don’t have a full wood shop in your studio then talk to neighbors. Often time they are happy to share their workshops with you. Many cities also have MakerSpaces that you can join which allow you to use professional grade tools to mill your wood.

• Leveling: Planers and jointers are ideal for this type of work. They will allow you to cut excess off your wood and get a level, even canvases
• Cutting: Table saws and jigsaws are your best friends when cutting your wood down to size. Jigs are create for precise cuts and corners. Saws are best if you for large cuts.
• Sanding: You are going to want to finish your piece by sanding it. Raw lumber often has cut marks and is very rough. You want a nice smooth canvas to avoid blobby burns. Orbital sanders and drum sanders are both great for smoothing out your canvas once you have planed it down.
• Laser Engravers: Blasphemy, I know. But laser engravers can be a major asset when prepping your wood, and creating your art. If you use them to cut out the basic shapes they can become an integral part of your toolset.
• Edges: Routers are amazing a making beautiful edges to your canvases. This can give your wood canvas an elegant, finished, professional look.

Once you have your plan in place, you have selected your wood, and it is prepped it is time to move on to patterns. Next week we’ll talk about adding patters to your pieces and burning. Until then, if you have any tips on how you plan the art, let us know. Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

The post Planning the Art – Part 2 appeared first on Burning with Purpose.

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Vincent Van Gogh

As a pyrographer rarely, if ever, do I sit down and start burning a piece without a fair bit of planning. Save the occasional cork trivet or incense holder I will generally follow a pretty meticulous process in order to create. This helps ensure I am working with the right materials to create my vision, reduces the risk of mistakes, keep a clear head while I am working, prevents wasting precious, potentially one of kind, materials and results in the best possible end product I can deliver. 

Why Plan the Art

As an artist you are going to often have deadlines you are going to need to meet. This may be for an upcoming art show, for a commission you took for a customer, or to simply get pieces ready for an upcoming market. Whatever the reason you will often find yourself worrying if you have enough time to finish the piece. Or, you may leave yourself enough time, but you spend too much time working on one component and don’t leave yourself ample time for the remainder. Then, in the worst case scenario, you end up missing the deadline for your show or not delivering to your customer on an agreed upon date.

So, like most things in life, it helps to start planning every project in advance. This series is going to serve as an outline of what you need to do to create a refined piece of pyrography. I’ll explain, in detail, everything from selecting the wood to hanging it on the wall. Then you can work your way backwards from the date you have set for when you project needs to be complete, and figure out how much time you can alot to each of these steps and ensure that you give yourself ample time to create.

Trust the Process

I am very particular when it comes to my process for creating. I need to have all my ducks in a row before I start burning. In this series I am going to go through an outline of how I plan my art:

1. Sourcing and prepping the wood: If you are going to create a beautiful piece of art you have to start with a beautiful canvas. In this section we’ll be looking at places to source wood from. We’ll talk about the advantages of sourcing raw lumber versus finished wood. Finally, we’ll go through the process of prepping the wood if you decide to go with something that is unfinished.
2. Patterning: Before starting my burns I always like to have my pattern ready beforehand so that I don’t risk mistakes free handing the design. This means creating the pattern and then transferring it onto the wood. In this part we’ll go through several approaches to this.
3. Burning & finishing touches: Here we’ll talk about some of the techniques for burning, giving texture, and fixing mistakes along  the way. We’ll also take a look at things you can do to take your art one step further using paints as well as other unique adornments
4. Sealing and framing: Finally, in this last part, we’ll take a look at how to seal your work. We’ll discuss what factors should go into selecting the appropriate sealant. We’ll also go over hardware to hang your pieces and methods for framing your piece.

The First Step

Next week we are going to take the first step into creating our art: Sourcing and prepping the wood. I am currently working on a fairly substantial piece for a show and it requires a good deal of planning because of all the moving parts. This will be my inspiration for this series. If you have steps to how you create that you would like to share be sure to do so and tag @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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Casting the Net

Much like a fisherman trying to maximize the surface area when they cast their net into the sea you need to make sure the surface area of your marketing is sufficiently wide. You should be focusing your attention on key platforms that your customers may find you on.

Google: Google has several tools to ensure that you get traffic to your webpage. Google Search Console, Google Merchant Center, and Google Business Profile are all tools at your disposal to make sure you are reaching a wide audience. Check these often if you run your own website as these will give you keen insight into your website’s performance and click-through rates. Also, keep an eye out for validation errors as they may be preventing your site from reaching the maximum number of users. There are usually instructions on how to fix these errors and get your account back in good standing.

Meta Business Suite: Two of the largest Social Media platforms, Instagram and Facebook, are both owned by the same parent company: Meta. Meta has a product that they offer specifically for business to manage their social media called Meta Business Suite. This tool let’s you create posts, schedule them, respond to customers, manage ads, and set target goals. It is a little clunky in some places, especially in the way it handles reels and stories, but it is great for planning out your social media in advance so you don’t have to constantly remember to post every day.

Etsy: A lot of artists use Etsy as their main source of income. For some artists, this works out exceptionally well. The rest of us, who get burned by Etsy’s algorithms and fees, may venture off to create our own websites. That doesn’t mean to write Etsy off completely. Use it as a supplement to your main website. Make sure that your website is optimized so that the Google search results for your business return your personal website above your Etsy, but keep some of your inventory there so that you don’t miss out on that audience altogether. Just make sure to price your products on Etsy such that you cover the cost of the fees.

Of course, there are plenty of other options online for promoting your business. Other search engines, social media platforms, collectives, storefronts, and aggregator sites. The ones above are the largest and the ones you should focus on initially but don’t write off those smaller ones. Again, the wider you cast your net, the more people your product gets in front of, the better your chance of making those sales.

Do you have any tips for getting sales? Tag us with your ideas @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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The Markets

Ah yes, the grind of doing markets. This is, by far, one of the most grueling tasks of being an artist. The good news is you probably don’t need to be doing two markets a day every weekend and every day from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Here are a few helpful hints to find the right markets:

1. Look for markets that are going to align with your price point. If you lower your price to match the market price you will end up undervaluing your product and, as a result, working harder to make more art to keep up with the demand
2. Scope out markets before signing up. Look at pictures online of past events, talk to other vendors about markets they participated in, and attend the market yourself as a customer to see if it is a good fit.
3. If you have done a market several times and it isn’t working out, don’t double down and sign up again. There are plenty of others that can be a potentially better fit

The Art Shows

Art shows are usually the next step after markets. If you want to be taken seriously as an artist you need to have a presence in the art community. This can be having your work in a gallery, entering it in juried shows, participating in local art walks, or entering your art in competitions. The challenge here is that the curators of these shows are looking for very specific things, and it isn’t always immediately obvious what those are. A few things to consider:

1. Talk to other artists. Join a local art guild or society to meet other artists and see how they socialize their work. Even if they are artists who specialize in different mediums than your own they will have valuable information.
2. The pictures of your pieces, as well as the pictures of your booth, should look professional. This means staging your pieces for your pictures. Look at other artworks and how they are being presented by those artists. If you can mimic their presentation that will only help you in applying for these events. Look into guilds and organizations that offer professional shoots to their members at lower costs.
3. When you are part of a show: talk to the judges, talk to the organizers, and talk to the patrons. Understand what it is that they want. Remember, they are the ones who are judging and buying your work, so it is important that you understand their wants and needs.

Local Venues

More often than not local shops, restaurants, and bars are going to want to adorn their walls with artwork to give themselves a more cultured look and feel. Talk to the proprietors of these establishments. Ask them if they work with local artists. Maybe they will let you put a few pieces up. They may even rotate artwork from different artists from month to month giving you an opportunity to showcase multiple pieces for a limited time. These are fantastic ways to engrain yourself in the community and make a name for yourself.

Whatever you do, don’t limit yourself. Explore as many options as possible while trying to find the locations that best meet the demographic you are trying to reach. Do you have your own success stories for how you were able to establish yourself in your community? Tag us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.

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• Episode 1 – The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How – In this episode we introduce ourselves, tell you a bit about the podcast, what to expect, and give you an idea if this is a podcast for you.
• Episode 2a and Episode 2b – It’s David and Renee and BZ Furfur – In these two episodes we talk about our respective businesses. How did we get started, what did we love, what were we looking forward to, and what were some of the challenges of starting a business?
• Episode 3 – Our Favorite Pyro Things – Much like the great Frank Sinatra we like to discuss a few of our favorite things. In this episode, we talk about the things that we love about pyrography and wood-burning.
• Episode 4 – Our Least Favorite Pyro Things – In this episode, we spill the tea and talk about things that we dislike about everything pyrography. Everyone loves a little drama.
• Episode 5a and Episode 5b – All About Doing Shows – Another two-parter. In these two episodes, David and Renee and BZ FurFur discuss, respectively, about how we do shows. Tips and tricks, what you need for your first market, and all the things we learned along the way.
• Episode 6 – Custom Orders: Dos, Don’ts, and Definitely Don’ts – Should you or should you not do customer orders? We discuss the pros and cons of doing custom orders, our process, and how we set prices.
• Episode 7 – What Sells and What Doesn’t… Choosing Items – One of the most difficult parts of running a business is finding your customer. In this episode, we talk about who our customers are, what sells for us, and how you can find your “people”.
• Episode 8 – Transporting and Protecting – Transporting products to and from shows and markets can be a challenge. When you are traveling with thousands of dollars worth of product it is imperative you protect your assets. In this episode, we discuss our tips and tricks on how to make sure everything is delivered safely and securely.
• Episode 9 – The Toolkit – We often talk about our toolkits. The necessary items that we travel to and from every show with so that we can MacGuyver our way through any situation. We both discuss what we travel with and what we can’t live without.
• Episode 10 – Pricing Your Work – If you are new to selling your art this is the episode you MUST listen to. We talk about how we set our prices, what things to consider when pricing your work, and how to pay yourself for your time. Also, you learn about the illusive “Spreadsheet”.
• Episode 11 – Fireside Chat – In this episode, we take a break from specific topics and just talk about art, business, and life.
• Episode 12 – How to Stay in Love with Art – It is so easy to become jaded when you are working every day on your art that you can forget why you fell in love with making it in the first place. We discuss what we love about our art and ways to keep that spirit alive.
• Episode 13 – Year in Review – This episode was our retrospective on 2024, what worked for us, what didn’t, who inspired us, and what we are looking forward to in the coming year.

Overall our first season of Pyro Toasty Talks was a huge success. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and discussion in our Discord Channel, lots of fans following us on our Instagram, and a steady stream of subscribers on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify. So, catch up on what you may have missed last year, get yourself a T-Shirt, and make sure you subscribe in your podcatcher of choice so that you don’t miss when the new episode drops on March 5th and, as always, stay unique (and toasty).

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