Butterfly Dreams Pyrography Tutorial wood burning art

This is just a quick notification that the tutorial I wrote called Butterfly Dreams is now available on Kit Kraft’s website.  The tutorial features a multitude of butterflies flitting around the board.  I embellished the butterflies using colored pencils, Pearl Ex pigments, and some rhinestones.  I went all-out in the glitz department!   

Watch a time lapse video of the artwork being created by clicking on the icon to the left.

Butterfly Dreams pattern     Unfortunately, Kit Kraft is having a slight issue with the format I put the pattern in, so while we work to resolve that I’ve been authorized to put the pattern on this site.

UPDATED February 19, 2024

I have been going through my list of blogs to make sure all of them are accounted for on my tutorials page.   Today I came across this one.  Since this was a commissioned tutorial, I wasn’t allowed to post it on my website.  I was allowed to write a blog announcing the tutorial, and provide a link to Kit Kraft’s website.   

For some reason I decided to check to see if the links to Kit Kraft were still good.  Nope.  Apparently Kit Kraft has gone out of business, so I now feel that I can post the tutorial on my website. 

Before I get into the tutorial, please keep in mind that I had a limit of 2000 words and 20 pictures.  They actually wanted the word limit to be 1000, but I told them I couldn’t write anything remotely worthwhile in so few word.   If you’re read one of my blogs, then you know that I generally exceed both of those numbers by a lot!  Word count is usually closer to 5000 (sometimes more).  The picture count can vary a lot, but is generally 100-200 pictures.   Kit Kraft’s limits were a challenge for me. 

Another stipulation to the agreement was that I used a piece of basswood that Kit Kraft had in stock.  I ended up selecting a board that was 4 inches tall by 24 inches long (10.2 x 61.0 cm).  I cut the board in half.  I used the first half to test out and fine tune my idea.  The second half I used for the final artwork.

Please keep in mind that tutorial was written a few years back, and I no longer have the video files.   This means you’re stuck with the photos I used for Kit Kraft’s tutorial. At the end of the tutorial I did add progress photos I took.  They may, or may not, be helpful.

Below is the tutorial as I wrote it Kit Kraft.

Materials:

• 1 – 3/8” x 4” x 24” basswood sheet (can go thicker, don’t go thinner)
• Creative Versa-Tool wood burner with temperature control or equivalent
• 220 Grit Sandpaper
• Design Drawing Pencil 2B or Graphite Transfer Paper
• Magic Rub White Eraser
• Prismacolor Color Pencils:  White, True Blue, Canary Yellow, Orange, Violet, Crimson Red, Goldenrod  (all found in 12 & 24 pencil sets)
• Pearl Ex:  Turquoise, Bright Yellow, Silver, Lavender, Flamingo Pink, Antique Copper (all found in 12 piece set).   Plus Micropearl & Pumpkin Orange.
• Dura Clear Glossy Varnish
• 6 well mixing tray
• Paint Brush – wash or oval wash
• Simple Tweezers w/flat bent tip
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue
• 1 pkg Topaz Rhinestones size 7 flatback
• 1 pkg Sapphire Rhinestones size 7 flatback
• 1 pkg 7mm x 15 mm Screw Eyes
• Yellow 2mm Nylon Craft Cord
• Krylon’s UV-resistant clear acrylic coating – matte

Why Basswood?

1. Tends to be uniformly pale in color
2. Has pale grain lines that are few in number
3. Non-resinous, so won’t ooze sap like pine wood can
4. Very economical especially compared to wood like maple or poplar
5. Much smoother surface than any plywood – including those found on most craft boxes

General Burning Tips:

1. Make multiple passes to build up the color
2. Keep the heat low; it’s easier to darken than to lighten
3. Don’t exert heavy pressure on your pen – – no death grips
4. Let the pen tip glide over the surface of the wood

Pyrography Pen Tips Needed:

Writer – is used to draw lines, create dots, and work on the small butterflies.  The Versa-tool Taper point is a good choice for this.

Shader – is used for most of the art.   The Versa-tool Universal, shader, or calligraphy point would all work.  I mention more than one as each tip is differently sized, so test them out to see which one works best for you.

Step 1 – Prep Work

• Cut the board in half so you have 2 pieces that are 12 inches long (30.5 cm).
• Sand the board using 220 grit sandpaper. A smoother finish will produce better burn results.  
• Print the pattern and coat the back of it with graphite. I recommend using a 2B or higher graphite pencil as the results will be easier to see. You can also use a wax-free tracing paper like Graphite Transfer paper.  Secure the pattern to the wood and trace over the design.   NOTE:  I did not trace the dots as those are pretty easy to burn in when needed.
• Use a writing pen tip to lightly burn over all of the trace lines.  Rub over the entire surface with a pencil eraser, like the Magic Rub white eraser, to remove any residual graphite.

Step 2 – Flowers & Leaves

All of the flowers and leaves were created using a pull-away stroke. 

1) Place the pen tip on the edge of the petal along the flower center

2) Pull the pen tip away from the edge towards the outer edge of the petal

3) Lift the pen tip near the halfway mark  

4) Repeat until the petal end is filled with pull-away strokes of assorted length

Repeat this same technique on the opposite side of each flower petal

• Fill the opposite end of the petal with pull-away strokes
• Then move on to another petal and repeat the steps. Rotate the board as needed to make the process easier. 
• Continue until all of the petals have been burned
• Take a moment to look at this flower and notice that there are long streaks on some of the petals. That was done deliberately and created by burning very long pull-away strokes.   Also notice that the strokes are not all the same color of tan. 

How to change the color without adjusting the heat setting on your wood burning tool:

• Slow hand movement results in a darker streak
• Fast hand movement means a paler streaks
• Burn over the same streak a couple of times to darken it up

• The leaves get the same pull-away stroke treatment. Burn pull-away strokes along the outer edges on one side of the leaf and along the center vein
• Rotate the wood and burn pull-away strokes on the opposite edges of the leaf
• Fill in the stem so it is dark in color
• Lastly, use the writing pen tip to draw tiny short dark lines in the center of the petal.

Step 3 – Butterflies

• The first butterfly has a dark border along the outer edge of the wings. Notice how the pen tip end is right on the outer edge of the wing.  This is optimal pen tip position and ensures you have nice clean edges and are only burning on the butterfly’s wing and not on the background.
• Rotate the wood, as needed, to keep the pen tip in optimal position as you burn along the inner edge of the dark border.
• After burning along the edges of the border, fill in any gaps so the border is dark brown to black in color.
• Use pull-away strokes on the half circles near the dark border. Start the stroke on the edge of the half circle and pull it towards the butterfly body.

• Use pull-away strokes on each end of the tear drops. Remember to rotate the board as needed to keep the pen tip in optimal position.
• Burn the body a dark brown color.
• Lastly use a writer pen tip to burn in the antennae so they are easily seen.
• On this little butterfly, use the writer pen tip to darkly burn in the top half of the wings avoiding the spots. On the lower half of the wings just burn in the spots.

• With the heat setting on very low, press deeply into the wood with the writer pen tip to create divots. A low heat helps this process without adding color to the wood.
• Turn up the heat and add a row of tiny dots right next to the dark border edge.
• Switch to the shader tip and fill in the dark edge of the wings keeping the pen tip in optimal position.
• Fill the rest of the wings with a few pull-away strokes that start at the body and head towards the wing edges.

 

• On this butterfly, burn the dark wing border
• Burn some pull-away strokes next to the pale streak
• With this butterfly, burn pull-away strokes that radiate outward from the body.
• Add a dark line of dots along the wing edges.

• Keep the pen tip in optimal position as you burn the dark streak down the center of the wing.
• Burn the body to a dark brown-black color
• Burn along the outer edge of the wings
• Burn some pull-away strokes that start on the outer edge and head towards the body of the butterfly.

• Use the writing pen tip to darkly burn around the small wing streak and the wing edges.
• Burn pull-away strokes along the outer edges of the wings and the body
• Burn pull-away strokes that radiate outward from the small wing streak
• Burn the body a dark brown color

• Keep the pen tip in optimal position to darkly burn along the edges of the spots and bands on the wings
• Rotate the wood and repeat so the bands are a dark brown-black color, but avoid the spots.
• Burn pull-away strokes that radiate outward from the body.
• Burn pull-away strokes that start on the outer dark band edge and head towards the middle band.

Step 4 – Background Arches

The last thing bit of pyrography we need to do is burn the background arches.

1. Start by filling both ends of an arch with pull-away strokes
2. Rotate the wood, if needed, to keep the pen tip in optimal position when working near the edges.
3. Apply small dots with the writing pen tip along the edges of the arches
4. Lastly apply small dots along the inside edge of the spirals

Step 5 – Prismacolor Colored Pencils

I lightly colored the butterfly wings and flower petals with colored pencils.  When I was done you could still see the pyrography underneath. Also, I avoided the dark areas on the wings and the butterfly bodies.

Each flower was first colored with Goldenrod, but later I felt it was too dark and added Spanish Yellow over it.  The centers of the flowers were colored with Dark Brown.

The butterflies got the following color(s)

1.  Canary Yellow
2. Orange with white on the teardrops
3. Canary Yellow
4. Nothing
5. White
6. True Blue
7. Crimson Red
8. Violet

Step 6 – Pearl Ex Pigments

To give the butterflies some sparkle, I glazed them with a mixture of varnish and Pearl Ex pigments.   I love Pearl Ex pigments and the sampler color sets are a great way to get variety of pigments economically.    Pearl Ex is powdered pigment, so they won’t go bad, and a tiny amount goes a long way.  Since they are a powder they need a binder to adhere to the wood.  I use Dura Clear Glossy Varnish for my binder.

• Pour 1-2 drops of varnish into a mixing well
• Dip the tip of a damp paintbrush into the pigment (a little goes a long way)
• Mix into the varnish
• Apply varnish mixture to wing. If needed, apply a second coat to increase color.

The butterflies got the following Pearl Ex colors

1. Bright Yellow (avoid dark wing edges)
2. Pumpkin Orange (avoid dark wing edges) & Micropearl on the teardrops
3. Antique Copper (avoid yellow streak)
4. Silver
5. Micropearl
6. Turquoise & Micropearl
7. Flamingo Pink
8. Misty Lavender

Let the Pearl Ex varnish mixture dry for 15-30 minutes and then apply a layer of Dura Clear Glossy Varnish over the entire wing on all of the butterflies. Let dry.

Step 7 – Rhinestones

The final step in our glitzing process is to add the rhinestones.  Dab a small amount of Aleene’s Tacky Glue onto the wood with a paintbrush, use tweezers to place a rhinestone in the dab of glue, and let dry flat for several hours.

I used Topaz on the large orange butterfly and Sapphire on the ends of the spiral swirls, but the possibilities are endless: emerald on the white butterfly, amethyst on the red one, etc.

After you are done embellishing your wood burning art sign it.   I usually sign in the lower right corner.  I sign in pencil and then burn over the pencil marks with a writer pen tip and rub over with a white Magic Rub eraser to remove any residual graphite.

Step 8 – Seal & Hang

Once the glue is dry, seal the wood with several coats of Krylon’s UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating in matte finish.    Make sure to seal the sides and back.   Let the board dry for several hours.

Next put 2 eye hooks in the top of the wood

Place each hook approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) from the end of the board

Cut a 20 inch (50.8 cm) piece of yellow cord

Thread the cord through the eye hooks and make a triangle

Tie the ends of the cord into a knot

Your artwork is now ready to hang

Wood Burning Ideas:

Cut up the pattern and create a new Butterfly Dream on the other board.

Print the pattern in reverse and, again, create another Butterfly Dream masterpiece. 

This ends the official Kit Kraft tutorial   

Below are progress photos I took.  Progress photos are pictures I take at the end of each day’s burn session.  For some reason I do this will all of my art projects.  On rare occasion the photos come in handy.

The pattern lines have been burned in.  Plus I rubbed a pencil eraser over the lines to remove any excess graphite.

All of the flower petals have been burned in.

All of the leaves have been burned in.

The butterflies have been burned in.

The arches have been burned in.

The flowers have a layer of colored pencil on them.

The butterflies have been colored in.  At this point there is only colored pencil applied to the board.

Now the Pearl Ex has been applied to the butterflies to give them a metallic sheen.

The board is slightly angled to show the metallic sheen that the Pearl Ex imparts.

Despite all of the constraints or limitations that were placed on the tutorial, I thought it turned out decently.  Submitting composite photos allowed me to present more visual instructions while keeping within Kit Krafts limits.

I even have the artwork still hanging on my wall.  Unfortunately, I hung it in a spot that gets direct sunlight, so it has faded substantially. 

The artwork is angled to show the metallic sheen of the Pearl Ex and of the sparkle of the rhinestones.

The artwork measures 4 x 12 inches (10.2 x 30.5 cm) and took me 6 ¼ hours to create it including all of the embellishments.

CONCLUSION

I burned the artwork onto a piece of basswood they stock in their store.  I’d have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the board.  I used a 3/8” thick board and I wouldn’t recommend using anything thinner.  The reason is that thinner boards are more susceptible to warping and curling.

I thought the artwork turned out rather nicely and I love the bright sparkly colors.  Heck, just the pyrography portion looks great.  I hope will try the artwork for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did.

Brenda

Mar 10, 2018

Updated February 2024