Burn, Baby, Burn!

Lately we've been sharing a lot of how-to articles from our favorite Art & Soul teachers... well, how about one from Michelle Bernard — our resident Art & Soul Graphic Artist! Michelle dabbles in several different mixed-media categories including jewelry, collage, assemblage, art dolls, and lots more. But there's one thing she told me she loves working with... and that's wood. She bought a wood burning kit ages ago and had it sitting around collecting dust... until she came across an adorable wooden purse at her local craft store. And the rest is history.

Do you smell a campfire? Nope... it's just Michelle in her studio. And here's a quick and easy tutorial to spark your own burning creativity! Take it away Michelle....

I'm not sure why, but I absolutely love making art on wood! And this wood burnt star girl purse I made is no exception! Perhaps it's the smell of the burning wood... reminds me of being around the campfire. Maybe it's the way acrylic paints let the wood show through... I just love me some texture... courtesy of mother nature!

Transferring the image is easy-peasy with the age-old pencil transfer method! Some things never go out of style. Simply rub pencil on the back of your photocopied image, then trace over top.

Burn, baby burn! This part is fun and scary all at once. But oh, the smell of burning wood. Mmmmm. If you have a wood burning kit, logic would dictate using the pointed tip for tracing your image. However, the pointed tip tends to skip. I like to use the chisel tip because it holds heat better and does not skip. You can just "write" with the tip of the chisel, as you would a pencil. But keep those fingers away from the tip!!! Ouch!

Painting in the details. I'm just loving how these bright colors just pop on the wood surface! I used acrylics that were watered down slightly, to fill in the different sections. You want it watery enough to see through, but not too watery that it spreads outside your lines. If you're unsure of the consistency, practice on the inside or back of your surface.

Fun with finishing. Here's where I treat my wood burning like a collage. I added some glitter glue to her hair for some visual depth.

Then I jazzed it up with some words from an old book, a pretty pink flower, and a star necklace with vintage ribbon. You can do as much or as little as you like with your pieces.

The back had a big giant crack in it ($2.99 sale item, what can I say!), so i just painted a dividing line over it and had more wood burning fun!

I even went so far as to finish the inside with pink felt. You might notice there's a little part at the top that I didn't cover with lining. When I used the star shape branding attachment from my wood burning kit, I tested it first on the inside, knowing I would cover it up later. But I thought it was cute, so I let it peek through.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it sparks a desire to burn something in your craft room! Within reason... of course.

Creatively,
Michelle