This blog is dedicated to writer pen tips.  I will show you different styles of writer nibs, and cover some common problems you may encounter.  Then I will share with you some progress photos of the Easter chick artwork.  The Easter chick was created using one writer pen tip.  I consider the artwork to be extremely beginner friendly.  Which type of writer you use doesn’t matter.  Even brass tips can be used to create the Easter Chick.  My goal is to show you the ways in which a writer nib can be used, and to help you get comfortable using a writer nib so that you can use it like a pro.

One more thing.  As I said, I will share progress photos of the artwork.  With each progress photo I share, I will discuss what is going on in the photo.  That said, I don’t consider this to be a tutorial blog, so I won’t be going into great detail on how I created the artwork.  Instead, the corresponding tutorial video will cover that.  This blog is intended to serve two purposes.  1) It’s an easy way to share the pattern I used.  2) Allows you to examine some high-resolution photos to see line directions.

For the record, nib and pen tip refer to the same thing.  There is no rhyme or reason why I use one term versus the other.  

Click on the image to the left to watch a video version of this information on YouTube.   Or you can click on this link or copy/paste it into your browser:   https://youtu.be/_4e6rIsO2-I

Here’s is the pattern I used. 

This is a coloring book page I found on the internet.  A link to the specific website, ColoringAll.com, is below.

https://www.coloringall.com/coloring-pages/easter-chick/little-chick-in-the-easter-basket

I do want to mention that the techniques shown in the video will work on any coloring book page.  If you don’t like the coloring book page I used, then search for one you do like. 

Below are Amazon affiliate links to the products I used to create the artwork.  Please do not take this as a plea to buy.  I just consider the links as a convenient way to find what I used. 

5B graphite pencils:  https://amzn.to/4hMfTVH

CarbOthello chalk pastels:  https://amzn.to/41Poml3

Kneadable Eraser:  https://amzn.to/39Z64qM

Vanish Eraser:  https://amzn.to/3Adt3J4

Winsor & Newton watercolors: https://amzn.to/3Ah9iRa

WRITER STYLES

The first style of writers are standard writers. Every brand of burner has one; including generic unmounted wire tips.   

From left to right the photo shows Colwood, BurnMaster, and a generic wire tip. 

Generic unmounted wire tips are what I call nibs like the ones show in the photo.  They are nothing more than a shaped piece of wire. 

You can purchase as set like the one shown for around $10 USD.   Here’s a link to a set on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3E1fY7K

This photo shows several different styles of Colwood nibs.  Each nib is mounted on a base.  The nibs can only be used with handsets that can accommodate the specialized mounting design.  As far as I’m aware, only Colwood handset work.   

If you’re curious, I do have a blog that goes into detail about the different styles of handsets available.  The blog covers the good and bad points of each handset style.  Included are Razertip, Optima, Colwood, and Burnmaster.   Here’s a link to that blog: https://wp.me/p8j0lZ-7E4

Let’s get back to the subject of writer pen tips.   Standard writers are the most versatile of the writing nibs.  You can use the wide edge to get thicker lines, and the narrow edges to get thin lines.

The same thing can be done when creating dots. 

The group of small dots was made with the writer’s narrow edge.  The group of larger dots were made using the wide edge. 

The downside of standard writers is that sometimes it can be difficult to keep the line width and/or dot size the same.  For most projects, this is probably not a concern. 

Please note that with enough practice you can learn to control the nib and get the exact results you want.  I just remember when I first started using one I would get frustrated because my line widths varied…sometimes withing the same line.   Stick with it, because it does get better. 

Micro writers are the next style of writer I’ll discuss.  Micro writers are not as common as standard writers.  Most sets of generic wire tips found on the internet do not include a micro writer.    

This photo shows a Colwood micro writer on the left, and a micro writer I made on the right. 

The micro writer I made is nothing more than a standard writer modified into a micro writer wire tip. 

I have a YouTube video that quickly shows you how to do this.  Here’s a link to the video: https://youtube.com/shorts/6SvPPAj0cVA

Micro writers are great when it’s important that your lines and/or dots be the same size.  For me, micro writers the perfect nib when I’m working on really small highly detailed objects where precision is essential. 

The downside of micro writers is that the small nib is more likely to sink down into the board surface.  It’s important to use a light hand pressure when using.  In fact, it’s important to always use a light hand pressure when burning.  I’ll touch more on this subject in the troubleshooting section of the blog.  

A number of artist use ball tips as writers.   

I’m pretty sure that every brand of burner has a set of ball tips.   If you are using 

Most brands come in three sizes:  small, medium, and large.

The reason some artist like ball tips is because their rounded surface allows them to glide over the wood surface better than other styles of nibs. 

As I mentioned before, ball tips usually come in three sizes.  I don’t use ball tips often, but my basic understanding is that the width of the burn lines are primarily controlled by the size of the nib.  Same with the dot size.

Lastly, there are several different styles of brass tips that can be used as writer nibs.  This photo shows 3 that I think would work.  Keep in mind I don’t use brass tips very often, so I’m not an expert or anywhere close to being an expert! 

From left to right:  standard writer, micro writer, and a large writer.

Like the ball tips, the size of the lines are pretty much controlled by the size of the nib.  

Again, I have very little experience  with brass tips, so I can’t answer many, if any, questions about them.   What I can tell you is that I’ve used the nib I called a standard writer a few times, and it worked just fine.

TROUBLESHOOTING

I have angled the board in this photo to show how rough the board surface is.

Here’s a picture of that same board after I sanded part of it.  I used 220 grit sandpaper for this.   

There is a faint pencil line on the board.  To the right of the pencil line the board has been sanded.

The smoother your board is, the better your burn results will be.  The main reason is that a smooth board allows the nib to glide over the surface easier.   

In the photo I’m currently burning on the rough side of the board.  The burn marks to the right of the pencil line were done on the sanded portion of the board.  The group of burns on the right side are much smoother and cleaner looking.

Something to keep in mind is that any roughness or irregularities in the board surface can snag the pen tip.  This will cause slight pauses as you burn.  Even slight pauses can negatively impact burn results.

Always use a light hand pressure when burning! A heavy hand pressure forces the pen tip down into the wood surface creating uneven blotchy looking burn results.  

In the photo I’m using a light hand pressure on the left, and a heavy hand pressure on the right.

Problems from using a heavy hand pressure get more noticeable the smaller the nib is.  

Again, I’m using a light hand pressure on the left side, and a heavy hand pressure on the right.

In this photo, the red arrow is pointing to the column of burns made with a heavy hand pressure.  You can really see how much further the nib sinks down into the board surface when using a heavy hand pressure. 

I cannot emphasize enough the need to use a light hand pressure when burning!  Most of the problems I see are due to using a heavy hand pressure.

I have a video that covers heavy hand pressure.  Near the end of the video is an exercise you can do to check and test your hand pressure.   Here’s a link to the video:  https://youtu.be/q8OGqS5kyHg

The last problem I will discuss is burning at too high of a temperature. 

In this photo, the burn lines are very wide and a lot of smoke is being generated.  If you look closely, the burns have a dark ring along the edges.   These are all signs of burning at too high of a temperature.  

As I turn down the heat, the burn results continue to improve.  The lines are crisp and blotch free.   

If you want to create realistic artwork, I highly recommend burning at lower heats and reburning to build up the color.  This will allow you to have better control of the final tonal value.

Give your nib time to heat up.  It can take up to 30 seconds before a wire nib is at temperature.  Brass tips can take even longer.  Something I think everyone has done is crank up the heat to get instant results.  At first the burn results might be okay, but once the nib comes up to temperature the burn results won’t be what you’re after. 

PRACTICE

I highly recommend you print out the coloring book page on regular paper and practice the different techniques with a pencil.  This will give you a chance to test out different ideas, burn strokes, and textures before you anything to the board.

For example, I tested out drawing alternating line directions on the basket trim.  I didn’t care for how the looked.  It was easy to erase the pencil lines and try something else. 

Here’s my practice piece.

TRANSFER

Print out the pattern on regular copier paper.  Flip it over and coat the back with graphite.   I recommend a pencil in the B range. 

Yes, I am aware of carbon paper. 

I have yet to find one that is easy to see and erases easily.  All of the different brands I’ve tried does one or the other, but not both.  I stick with the graphite method as I’ve never had a problem with it.  

After the pattern is coated with graphite, secure it to the board and trace over it.

Choose the writer of your choice.  I am using a standard writer, and it will be the only pen tip I use for this project.

Test out the color of the burns on scrap wood.  Aim for a medium to dark tan color.

Once the desired color is achieved, then burn over the trace lines using a light hand pressure.  Afterwards, rub over the lines with a pencil eraser to remove any residual graphite.

Here’s how the board looks after I burned over the trace lines. 

PROGRESS PHOTOS

Here’s a close up of the chick’s face.  The feathers were created by burning very short lines in the direction the feathers grow.  Additional layers of lines are added to darken up areas.  

The beak was created by using crosshatch.

Crosshatch is nothing more than a series of parallel lines burned in an area.  Then another layer of lines is burned over the area, but these lines are burned in a different direction than the first layer.   Each layer of lines is burned in a different direction.  The overall color gets darker with each layer of lines.

Here’s the chick’s body.  I used the same short line technique that I did on the face, so the feathers are nothing more than lots of tiny lines.

The feet were created by burning curving lines.

The bow was created by layering parallel lines and circular motion.

In the photo, most of the bow is filled with just lines.  The black and blue arrows are pointing to areas that also have a layer of circular motion.

The black arrow points to a loop where I didn’t burn many layers of circular motion.  The blue arrow points to part of a loop where I burned several layers of circular motion.  The more layers you burn, the darker the color becomes.

This image shows the bow after the tails were completed.  The tails have at least one layer of circular motion burned over them.  In areas where I wanting things darker, I burned more layers of circular motion. 

Now I do want to mention that the end of the right tail is a touch too dark.  Apparently, I got a little carried away with the layers of circular motion.   I think I was trying to make sure that the color on the right tail matched the left.  The left tail needs to be dark to contrast with the chick’s head.  The right tail does not, so should be closer in color to the bow loops.

If you are not familiar with circular motion, I have a video that goes into detail on the subject.  The video explains what circular motion is, and then provides a lot of examples of the different ways I’ve used it in my artwork. 

You can click on the image to the left to watch the video. 

Be aware that this video does not go into detail on how to create the portrait featured on the thumbnail.  Portrait work is a time when I use a lot of circular motion.  Creating great video thumbnails is not my strong suit!

Or click on the link at the end of this line to watch the video.  Or you can copy paste the link into your browser.    https://youtu.be/xgvSR4vyGkk

Here’s how the completed bow looks

Next, I burned in the basket handle and trim. 

For this I just burned gently curving lines on each section.  Also, each section was burned individually. 

I reburned along the left side of each section to help give it a more 3d appearance.

Here’s how the artwork looks at this point. 

Looking at this photo, I’m not 100% pleased with the bow.  I think that the bow tails are a good color, but the loops should be a touch darker.  

With the trim done, I started working on the basket side.  Each square was burned individually using crosshatch.

A lot of the squares are fairly dark, and that’s because those squares had 6 layers of lines burned on them.  Whereas the paler squares only had 3 layers of lines.  

My goal was to have the sides of the basket be considerably darker than the trim.  Mostly because I wanted this artwork to have a lot of tonal variety.  Artwork that doesn’t have a lot of tonal variety is pretty boring to look at.

Here’s how the basket looked after I darked all of the squares. 

Here’s how the entire artwork looks at this point.

The daisy flowers are very basic.  The center of the flower was created using circular motion.  It took me a couple of layers to get the center as dark as I wanted it.

The flower petals are nothing more than two curving lines and a lot of dots.  

I burned more dots along the base and the curving lines on the petals.  I burned fewer dots along the outer edges of the petal. 

If you look at the partially completed flower on the right, you can see how the petals look without the curving lines.  A yellow arrow is pointing to the flower I’m referring to.  It’s up to you if you add the curving lines.

Here’s how the flowers look at this point. 

I haven’t added the curving lines to the daisy found to the right of the large daisy.  This is the same daisy I had a yellow arrow pointing to in the previous picture.

I did this on purpose so you could compare the two styles of flowers and decide what you liked best. 

Since the majority of my flowers have the two curving lines, I did eventually add the lines to the no-line daisy.

The dogwood flower was created using lines.   

Long lines are burned following the contours of the petal. 

Really short lines fill the center of the flower.   

Medium lines were burned along the base and outer edge of each petal to make it look bowed.

Here’s how the artwork looks at this point.

The back right egg was filled with alternating rows of long wavy lines and dots.  

This is the only progress photo I took while working on the eggs.

Here’s how the artwork looks at this point.

I didn’t like how the basket appeared to be floating in space, so I added the suggestion of a table.  The table is nothing more than horizontal lines. 

Why are there little dark dots here and there?  Because I got bored burning single lines, so I started burning in a zigzag fashion.  Each time I pause to change directions, a little dark dot formed.

Something I didn’t care for was how pale the unburned wood was.  To me it was distracting from the artwork, so I played around with added a grey colored background to the artwork. 

Obviously, the grey color was photoshopped…and not well.  That’s okay, it was enough to help me visualization how it would look. Not good. 

I had put a grey colored pencil background on my Mandala Dragonfly and I really liked that.  That’s why I was pondering putting a grey background on this artwork.  

Here’s a picture of the mandala dragonfly artwork I was just talking about. 

In this artwork the grey background enhances the artwork.  It fills the background, but still keeps emphasis on the pyrography portion of the artwork.   I wrote a tutorial for the artwork.  Here’s a link to that blog:  https://wp.me/p8j0lZ-8yU

Since the grey background wasn’t going to work, I decided to burn a dark circular motion over the background instead. 

Obviously, I didn’t extend the color very far from the basket, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.  

If you prefer, extend the color all the way to the edges of the board.  Afterall, it’s your artwork, so customize it to your personal preferences.

ADDING COLOR

Before I talk about the color, I want to mention that all of your pyrography work should be done before you add color. 

Never burn over any coloring medium! 

A lot of the pigments used to create a color can be extremely toxic when heated.  Another concern is what binders are used to create the medium.  For example, acrylic paints are a type of liquid plastic.  Inhaling burning plastic is dangerous.   Your health is not worth risking; especially when the risk can be easily avoided.  

In this photo I’m testing out a very diluted burnt sienna watercolor on a scrap board.   I’m using Winsor & Newton watercolors. 

I don’t use the watercolor straight from the tube or cake.  It’s generally too dark for my purposes.  Instead I use a mixing well.  The well is filled with water and then I add small amounts of pigment until I get the desired color. 

Once I’m happy with the color level, I applied it to the board background.

Here’s how the artwork looked once the watercolor dried.   I like how this toned down the color of the board.  Now the artwork standout.  I didn’t do a good job of applying the watercolor evenly to the background, but I never claimed to be a painter.

Because I often still have the problem of not knowing when to quit, I decided to try adding color to the artwork. 

For this I used CarbOthello chalk pastels.  Truth be told, I hated how it turned out. 

I wanted to keep things simple, which they are, but the color is too bright for my tastes.

To fix it I erased the color from everything except the chick. 

Unfortunately, the chalk pastels didn’t erase completely, so there are still hints of color here and there. 

Regardless, I thought this looked better.  In fact, I didn’t mind how this looked, so I left it alone.

CONCLUSION

That’s it for the blog.  I hope that you will try the artwork.  More importantly, I hope that you will agree with my assessment that this was a very beginner friendly project.  Todd says that I’m terrible at determining how easy or difficult something is.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think on the matter.

Brenda

March 28, 2025

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