Wood burning a Mandala Dragonfly pyrography tutorial

In this blog I will talk about Mandala Dragonfly artwork that I did.  This blog is not what I would consider a tutorial blog.  I will discuss a few things in the blog, but mostly it is an easy way for me to share the pattern and the products I used.  I will provide some progress photos that some of you may find helpful.

A video tutorial is available on YouTube.  The video tutorial covers a lot of information not in this blog.  This blog does have some information not covered in the video.

To watch just Click on the image to the left, or click on this link:  https://youtu.be/OgrBi1HEoes

Here’s the pattern for the design. 

Here’s a link to the original design I found on the internet: https://30seconds.com/mom/tip/18930/Mandala-Coloring-Pages-Free-Printable-Coloring-Pages-of-Mandalas-for-Adults-Kids

There are several other designs to choose from, so you might have to scroll down a little way to find the dragonfly.

While I found the pattern on 30 Seconds’ website, I know nothing about the 30 Seconds.  I copy / pasted the design onto my computer versus using their print button.  Yes, I’m that untrusting with unknown sites.  I really want my computer to stay virus free.  🙂

There are 4 pen tips I used for this project: shader, writer, ball, and skew.  If you don’t have a ball or skew, a writer can be used instead.

SUPPLY LIST:

8 x 8 inch (20.3 x 20.3 cm) piece of wood

I used a cheap wooden craft box that I most likely got at Michaels.

Here’s a link to one that is very similar:  https://www.michaels.com/product/85-wood-flat-box-by-make-market-10357774

The most important thing is that the top of the box is not made out of pine!  Pine is not fun to burn on.  It doesn’t burn evenly and tends to ooze sap.  At least that has been my experiences with pine.

This particular craft box has a top made out of some sort of pale plywood.  That will provide a much better burning experience than pine.  

I will explain why and how I use the below list of supplies in the blog. 

The below links are Amazon affiliate links.  This means that I get a minuscule amount of the selling fee Amazon charges the merchant.  The price to you doesn’t change.   Keep in mind that I’m providing you a list of items I used.  If you have something similar, then use that.  

Culiau customizer engraver – https://amzn.to/45GUEOY

Any sort of rotary tool, like a Dremel, will work.  I personally prefer the engraver because of it’s small portable size.  I do provide an option if you don’t own a rotary tool.  The alternative will be discussed in the blog.

I did a product review for the engraver.  Here’s a link:  Culiau customizer engrave product review

Embossing Tools – https://amzn.to/3uAC7o3 

X-acto knife – https://amzn.to/3bC1WgD 

Speedwell dip pen – https://amzn.to/3W0W5pF  

Technical ink pen – https://amzn.to/3DQ8EO0 

You do not need both a dip pen and a technical pen.  Only one is needed.   

If you are good with a paint brush you could probably use that instead.  I hate paint brushes, so that’s not an option for me.   

Later in the blog I will show how each on looks and cover the pros and cons of each.

Winsor & Newton Watercolor paint – https://amzn.to/3Ah9iRa

Gray Fountain Pen Ink – https://amzn.to/4h1nnUZ

I have not tried this ink.  It is something I found on Amazon and it had good reviews.   I used diluted watercolor paint on my project, but fountain pen ink is a good alternative.   If you’re using a technical pen, make sure you are using a color that is safe for technical pens so that the pigment doesn’t clog the nib.

Prismacolor Colored Pencils:

I’m not providing links to the colored pencils.   First off, the smaller sets don’t contain most of the colors I used.   I doubt anyone wants to 100+ dollars to buy Prismacolors complete set of colored pencils just for this projects.

You can purchase individual pencils online and in a umber of craft stores and/or fine art stores.  I didn’t feel like tracking down sources and comparing prices.   

In the blog I will provide some ideas to use instead of the exact colors I used.

Black #935

Dark Gray #747 ½ *

       * This is the Verithin brand and Prismacolor also refers to it as Cool Gray 70%

French Gray 10%  #1068

French Gray 20%  #1069

Warm Gray 20%  #1051

Warm Gray 30%  #1052

Warm Gray 50%  #1054

White #938 

If you do not have all of the colors listed above, then experiment with what you do have.  This images shows two columns of colors.  The one on the left was created using a black coloring pencil, and the one on the right using dark grey.  The intensity of colored pencils can be changed by pressure and / or layering.   

Using a light hand pressure and the color isn’t as dark.   Apply more hand pressure and the color gets darker. 

If you find you don’t like altering your hand pressure, then change the color by applying more layers of colored pencil.   Apply one layer for a light color.   Apply a second to darken the color.  At some point you can only apply so many layers before the color is a dark as it will be.   

Another option is to add white to the mixture.   

The top color patch was created by first color with dark grey, and then applying white over it. 

The second color patch was created by doing the opposite.  White was first applied, and dark grey was applied over the white.   

The third color patch begin with black that was then coated with a layer of white. 

The bottom color begin with white and black was applied over it.   

By using 3 colors, I was able to create 4 different looking shades of grey.

 

Here’s the dragonfly after I traced the pattern onto the board.   I know it’s a little messy looking.  Graphite smears easily, and I tend to rest my hand on the pattern as I trace.

What I want to point out is that I did not trace in the background design.  Instead, I just traced the dragonfly and the corner mandala designs. 

Speaking of graphite.  I’ll explain my basic pattern transfer process.   I print out the design onto plain copier paper.  I coat the back of the print out with graphite.  Then I secure the print out graphite side down onto the board and trace over the pattern lines.

Yes, I know there is a thing called carbon paper.  I don’t use it because I’ve yet to find one I like.  They are either to light and difficult to see, or too dark and difficult to erase.  I don’t have that problem with graphite, and it doesn’t take me that long to coat the back of a pattern.

Once the trace lines have been traced, then use a writer pen tip and burned over the trace lines.  Afterwards, rub over the area to remove excess graphite.   

Now it is easy to see that I did not trace in the background.  I will work on the background after the dragonfly and corners are done.

I burned a thick dark line around the outer edges of the dragonfly.  I did this to help the dragonfly stand out.

It might be hard to see, but I also burned a thin dark border along the edges of the board.  Eventually this will get burned in creating a small border frame around the artwork.  This will help tie the top to the sides of the box which I will paint to a very dark color.

Speaking of corners, I started burning on the lower left corner.  I am aware that it can be hard to see what’s going on, so let’s zoom in.

Here’s a close up photo of the corner.   If you look closely, you can see the dark border frame that I’ve started to burn in.

I want to point out the white dots on the design.  An arrow is pointing to one of the dots I’m referring to. 

I created the dot using an engraver after I had burned in the area. 

A Dremel or other rotary tool can be used instead. 

If you don’t have a rotary tool I would recommend using an embossing tool instead. 

To do this, simply press the ball tip of an embossing tool deeply into the wood.   

If you are using a softer wood, like basswood, this will be pretty easy to do.  If you’re using a hard wood like maple, you will have to exert a lot more pressure to create a deep divot.

After the divots are in place, then burn over the area using a shader.   

This image and the previous image are from my moonlit tree tutorial.  That tutorial goes into more detail on using an embossing tool.   Here’s a link to the tutorial if you’re interested.  Moonlit Tree tutorial

Here’s a progress photo of a corner.  My main goal when burning this was to create contrast. 

If you look at mandala artwork, there are two things that stand out.  1) Their intricacy.  2) Contrast.   The combination of the two usually makes for a very visually striking image.  

At this point all one of the corners except the upper left one have been completed. 

Also, The dark thin border around the edge of the board has been burned in.

I have also just started to burn the wings on the dragonfly.  I’ll talk more on that shortly.

Here’s a close up of a finished corner.   The design has a lot of tonal variety, and a number of high contrast areas.   

I think it turned out pretty good, especially considering that I didn’t do a test burn.   

Normally I do a test burn for mandala work, so that I can figure out the best tonal combination.   I’ve had some where it took me 3-4 times before I found a color scheme I liked.   Now keep in mind, that I don’t burn the entire mandala design.  I just work on small areas.

If you look at the mandala coloring book page, you will hopefully notice that the pattern on the wings matches the corners.  To keep things super easy I burned the wings the same as the corners.

One reason this made it super easy was because I wasn’t changing pen tips as often.  That is because I could burn in all of the designs that used a particular pen tip before switching to another tip.

Here’s a close of up the wing. 

If you compare it with a corner design, you’ll see that they are burned in the same way. 

The only difference between the corners and the wings is that more of the very center of the design is visible on the wings.

Here’s another progress photo. 

I do like how this is looking.

The corners and wings are done, but the body still needs to be burned in.

Now all of the pyrography is done.   

Here’s a close up of the body.   

In many way I like how the artwork looks without the background.  For one thing, the dragonfly really stands out.    

In fact, I liked this so much that I debated if I wanted to add the background design.   Eventually I decided that the unburned background was a bit distracting and boring.   Plus, one of the things that I really liked about the coloring book page was light mandala design in the background.  I won’t bore you with all of the ideas I tried before I 

BACKGROUND

I decided to have a black and white background versus a wood burned background.  The reason was that grey colors would allow me to create the detailed mandala background while allowing the pyrography to really stand out. 

I probably colored the background a touch too dark, but overall I like how it looks.    

First off, place the pattern back on the piece of wood and trace the background design.

Next, draw over the trace lines using a very light grey ink.

I’m inking in the lines for two reasons. 

1) It will allow me to erase the graphite. Graphite can smear very easily.  If you working with plywood, like I am, burning over the graphite can push it down into the plywood texture.  Sometimes it’s tough to remove the excess graphite and it can make the board look dirty.

2) It will allow me the freedom to erase the colored pencil mistakes without disturbing the trace lines.

I’m using highly diluted Payne’s grey watercolor paint.   For simplicity sake, I will refer to this as ink.  

It is important that the ink be very pale in color.  The reason is that if the ink bleeds it won’t be very noticeable.    

I tested out different dilution ratios by painting a small line on scrap wood. 

Once I had a color I liked, I tried it with using the dip pen I planned to use.    I highly recommend that you do the same thing; even if you are using pre-bottled ink.   If the pre-bottled ink is too dark, you can always dilute it with water.

It is so much easy to test colors on scrap wood versus trying to fix a problem on your artwork.

Keep in mind that even though I used a dip pen, you can also use a small paint brush or even a technical pen.   There are two things that I think are important in regards to inking in the design.   

1) Use a little ink as possible.   The more ink that is applied to the board, the greater the chances are for the ink to bleed.      

2) Keep the lines thin.     The inked lines are serving the same purpose as burning over trace lines; it allows us to erase the graphite.  The goal is to be able to see the lines, but not have the lines stand out once the artwork is done.

Let’s go over the pros and cons of ink application methods.  These are listed in alphabetic order.

DIP PEN

PROS –

1. Not very expensive
2. Has a fine point, so it’s easier to keep the line width consistent

CONS –

1. Can dip the pen too deep and get too much ink on the tip.  
2. Press too hard, you can scratch the board 
3. The pen doesn’t hold much ink, so you have to frequently re-dip it 
4. Excess ink can drip off the pen, land on your board, and create a mess.  Not that I have experienced this.  Really.  Instead I, uh, heard about it from a friend.  😉

PAINT BRUSH

PROS –

1. Easy to find.  Every craft and arts supply store carries them.  
2. Some brands are very inexpensive

CONS –

1. Cheap brushes may not retain their point, so creating fine lines can be challenging
2. Can quickly absorb a lot of ink. 
3. Have to reload the paint brush often  

TECHNICAL PENS

PROS –

1. Extremely precise.  You will always get the same line width 
2. Hold a lot of ink, so you don’t have to refill it often; if at all.
3. The same amount of ink is released.

CONS –

1. Costs a lot more than a dip pen.  Depending on the brand of paintbrush, it may or may not cost more than it.
2. Cleaning it is a lot more involved than either a dip pen or paintbrush.  In fact, cleaning it is one of the reasons I don’t use my technical pen that often.   
3. Cheap inks and/or watercolors can be grainy.  The grainy bits can clog a technical pen.  Make sure to use quality watercolors or inks that are safe for technical pens.

If I had remembered that I owned a technical pen, I would have used that.  🙂 

Be aware that some really cheap brands of watercolor create a grainy mixture. 

After your trace lines are inked in, rub over the area to remove excess graphite. This is how my board looked at this point.  The inked in lines are visible, but barely.

Now we’re ready to do the colored pencil work. 

Something else I want to mention is that I almost always apply a light layer of color pencil.  It’s easy to apply another layer to darken it. 

More than once I apply more color just along the edges of a design to give it a touch of gradient color.

I used white on the eyes of the dragonfly to help them stand out a bit more. 

This is the only place I used a colored pencil on the dragonfly.  I did not apply use a colored pencil on the corners.

The brown color on this pattern print out shows the places I used dark grey.   

Note – I did not color in every single place on the pattern where I used this color.   Instead I colored enough of the lines to so you can see all of the places it was applied.    

Dark grey was my most used color.  A good portion of the pattern lines where darkened up with this color. 

The red color on the pattern show where I used of warm grey 50%. 

I do want to mention that you don’t have to color your background the same way I did.   

I printed out the design onto plain copier paper and tried out different color combination.  I ended up using grey tones because I felt they didn’t compete with the pyrography.  

The orange on this pattern is where I used the warm grey 30% colored pencil. 

Warm grey 20% is represented by the green color.   

I zoomed in on the pattern to show a close up of one of the pointed designs.   This is the only design I layered several colors onto. 

With the pointed design starts out with a layer of warm grey 20% over it’s entirety.   I recolored along the inner edge to darken it.    Then I applied a layer of warm grey 20% over everything.   Lastly, I applied a layer of white along the outer edge.  The white is represented by the orange color.   This is the only place on the background design that I used white. 

The blue color represents warm grey 10%.   As I just mentioned, this color was applied the warm gray 20% on the pointed design.

Lastly, French grey 20% is presented by the pink color. 

I only the French grey 20% in two places:  1)  Along the arches on the outer portion of the design.  2) On the background behind the design

Black was used to draw a thick line around the outer edge of the mandala.  To clarify, the line was drawn on the background behind the mandala, versus on the outer edge of it.

The outer ring on the background mandala design has been colored in.  I also colored the background adjacent to the outer edges of the mandala.   

At this point, I could have applied a light layer of grey to tone down the center and be done with the artwork. 

Currently the center is a little too bright, but it does emphasize the dragonfly.

Here’s the final artwork.

This composite image shows the box hanging on a wall.

A piece of ribbon was insert between the lid and the base of the box.   This was the only way I could think of to hang the box on the wall without interfering with the functionality of the box.   

This shows a better view of the side of the box. 

I painted the side with acrylic paint.  I do this will all of my artwork.  It is easier and quicker than burning the sides.  Also, it gives the artwork a more polished appearance.

CONCLUSION

That’s it for this blog.  I hope that the way I presented the colored pencil work is helpful.  It was an idea I had that I hoped would make it easy to see where I applied a particular color.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of it.

Brenda

Jan 14, 2025

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