Friday, January 27, 2012

New Work in Progress, Not Abandoning the Old

Last post I showed the two new wonderful slabs of wood I am going to be using on my next project. I have almost finished the sanding process (much longer than I thought, but a vital step), and have accumulated all the hardware I need for that "surprise part" I was talking about. The problem is, I need a drill press to finish the job, and was really hoping someone nearby would let me borrow one before I invest a couple hundred for one of my own. And, unfortunately, I need to drill the hole before I can do any burning at all.

While I have been waiting, I have been working on detailed layouts of the two woodburnings. The first one is done, the second nearly so. But even if I do purchase a drill press it will be several days before it arrives, at best. I'm itching to get some work done. What can I do? Both pieces will feature deer, one with white-tail deer and the other with mule deer. I've been sketching and studying their anatomy and everything I can do.

So I have decided that, in the meantime, I will work on another woodburning on the Italian poplar plywood that I used for the giraffe and lion. This time, I will do an 8"x10" of one of the mule deer bucks that routinely pass through my yard (I have hundreds of photos of them), as a formal work but also as a practice for the burl slab.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Maple Burl

These are two of my three new pieces of wood. The third is similar but much smaller and with a cut edge on one side (that will probably be my practice piece). These two are both 19"x24.5"x1.75" and pretty heavy. The wood is maple, which usually has a nice, light color well suited to pyrography.
Where these cuts are unusual is that they are burl. Burl has no grain. It is kind of like a tumor on the side of a tree, usually at the base of the trunk, where the wood grows erratically in a large lump. It may sound odd, but the pattern is beautiful. Coupled with the complete natural edge, these specimens are unique and rare. They both still need some prep work to make them suitable for my plans, particularly sanding to make the pyrography easier. I got these pieces rough-cut from Oregon. Once the slabs are sanded, I will start the layouts for the drawing. I have a plan for the top piece, but am still working on ideas for the other. One at a time, right? Once I have the layouts, I will do a complete pencil drawing on paper. With pyrography, there are no do-overs. It has to be right the first time. I am very excited about this project, and if it works out there will be plenty more to follow. (And yes, I am keeping some of the details a secret for now!)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Giraffe Finished


Yahoo! Finished. I am very happy with how this woodburning turned out. I currently do not have a title for this work, but the original and prints are available.

My next project will be another pyrography on a much different type of wood. Once I finish getting the wood prepared, I will post a photo and write a bit about it.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

WIP - Giraffe

Progress on the giraffe. The leaves are actually pretty easy, as my bent spear shader is leaf-shaped. I have actually made a bit more progress than this, and the next post will be the finished piece!

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Art Book

I just finished the art book I started a couple months ago. The book was 20 pages long, and since I didn't have time to do the full-detail drawings I usually do, I worked on my sketching. Below are a few more of the sketches from my "cycle-of-life"-themed book. Now I will ship the book to the CIAO Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming for an exhibit.





Monday, January 02, 2012

WIP - Giraffe

Happy New Year!

I have been working hard on this one, and I am quite happy with how it is coming out. The textures in a giraffe are amazing, I never really noticed before. After I do his right ear the head will be complete, then I will continue the neck and the background. Burnin' away!