There are three items that will allow you to burn anything at any time. Mastering them gives you a high level of understanding, so I call them the Ph.D. in Pyrography. These three controls can be used to troubleshoot any issues and address any challenges you may have when recording.

These three elements are important because they control the quality of your line based on the pyrography process itself, which is different from other art media.

And in this article I am going to explain what they are, how they work and when you can use them. They form the Ph.D acronym for Pressure, Heat, and Duration. Therefore, knowing and understanding how to use them allows you to have an advanced ability to solve problems intelligently and tackle challenges efficiently.

P is for pressure

The first element is pressure. Applying more pressure will give you a darker burn. This also allows you to etch into the surface of the wood, creating texture. Reducing the pressure will result in a lighter burn mark.

The pressure allows you to adjust your burns immediately without wasting time turning the heat up or down.

Design-wise, pressure can create interesting textures and subtleties in your artwork that are impossible with other two-dimensional media.

its for the heat

It may seem obvious that more heat will result in a darker burn and less heat in a lighter burn, but it bears repeating. Adjusting your heat based on what you’re working on can help you maintain a comfortable pace as we discussed in the previous lesson.

Remembering that your comfort is directly related to the amount of control you have while burning gives you the ability to understand when to use this item over others to troubleshoot and correct.

If you have a critical area in your design, one that requires precision, turning down the heat gives you time to position your pen correctly and make adjustments if there are any issues. I use it a lot when working on the eyes as I know any deviation will drastically change the artwork.

D is for duration

Its duration or speed is perhaps the simplest adjustment you can make to your recording. Since it’s the heat that does the work, the longer the pen sits on the wood, the darker the burn.

This is the main principle of shading. Slowing down on darker areas and speeding up on lighter areas helps you maintain a smooth, steady pace without having to wait for the tool to heat up or cool down.

This is also a great item to adjust when working with grain or soft/tough areas of the surface. Hitting a soft spot can cause extremely dark burns, so if you notice this, just speed up your movement when you hit that section. The same goes for hard/stubborn areas, just slow down to allow your tool to do its job properly. This will create a consistent look to your burn.

Also, burning wood with a bias, especially when making animal skins or feathers, can become challenging when burning parallel to the grain. The blade of your bias will tend to sink into the grain and produce a darker burn. Using a faster speed will keep your burns consistent, even if you sink.

Congratulations! You already have your Doctorate in Pyrography! And like any Ph.D., it’s time to put this knowledge into practice.

Find a simple pattern and play around with each item so you can experience the differences. Sometimes you may need to use one or all of these items together to successfully engrave what you want.

Understanding these three elements allows you to approach your work from a place of trust because you understand the physics of what is happening and how to control it. These items may not necessarily make your job easier or faster, but they will allow you to make the decisions necessary to engrave successfully on any surface.