Pyrography; The Begining

Hi All
I thought that in this post I'd just explain how I managed to get into pyrography. Actually, it came down to something as simple as space. My main hobby has always been fishing, but I also enjoyed various forms of art.
I like painting in watercolours, daubing in acrylics and have also enjoyed doing some pen and ink work. On the right you can see one of my early watercolours.
The trouble with these hobbies is that take up a lot of space, and that is one commodity I have been short of. I have a computer work station set up to write my books, but only a small desk on which to do any other work. Every time I want to do a painting I have to get out my paints, water pots, brushes and pallets etc. Well, we all know what happens when faced with that sort of scenario and I'm no different, more often than not I couldn't be bothered and turned to something else for entertainment. Below you can see a pen and ink study of eyes. Please click here to see more artwork Anyway, one day my wife and I were having a glorious day out in Derbyshire, we called at a cafe in Longnor for one of their delicious cream teas. I know I probably shouldn't eat such food after my heart attack, but hell, enough of my pleasures have already gone down the pan with the onset of old age. I'm sure an occasional bit of clotted cream, jam and butter on a fruit scone won't clog my stents up too quickly.

Besides being a nice cafe, the tea room in Longnor also sells crafts and the walls are adorned with pieces of pyrography artwork. I guess I was halfway through my scone when my wife suggested I had a go at doing some pyrography myself. Her thoughts were propelled by the fact that my 60th birthday was imminent and she was at a loss regarding a suitable present. I couldn't think of anything else I wanted, so it was agreed that she would get me a pyrography iron and see what I could do.
I don't know if it was because I'd already done some drawing and painting, but I took to pyrography like a mouse to a trap and was soon knocking out pieces that I was pleased with. I did the rooster on the right about three months after getting my first pyrography iron. I think that is important when taking up any sort of creative activity, judge your results by how much your efforts please you, and not what other people think.

The really good thing about pyrograhy, which I mentioned in my last post, is the fact that the equipment takes up hardly any space at all. I have the piece of wood that I am working on on my desk and, if I feel like having a go, I can switch the iron on and be burning wood in less than a minute. Even better than that, when I've had enough I just switch the pyrography iron off and that's it. I don''t have to bother with emptying water jars and cleaning pallets.

In my next post I will give you advice about pyrography irons because anybody who takes up this hobby needs to get the right one. I'll leave you with my latest creation, which I will be probably selling on Folksy.com shortly.
If you would like to see my pyrography website, please click here.
If you would like to see some pyrography items for sale at discounted prices on Folksy please click here.
Beyond that, if you are interested in finding out more about me or my books, please click here.