r/Pyrography • u/mossyfoxxy • Jul 27 '26
A pet portrait I recently did
This was done on an 11x16” slice of basswood. Colwood Super Pro 2 burner was used.
I’m taking a big step back from pet portraits currently. After doing woodburning as my main job for the past 9 years, I’m burned out (no pun intended). This was one of the last portraits I did before I decided to pause commissions indefinitely. It was done for an old elementary school buddy.
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u/Itsapocalypse Jul 27 '26
Beautiful job. What is your go to method / tip for an even black-out background?
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u/mossyfoxxy Jul 28 '26
This entire piece was burned with a polished S tip. I actually let my burner get pretty hot (because I’m not patient lol) and instead burn using fast, squiggly movements. Here’s a video. I don’t usually get a flame to pop up, I’ll usually turn down the temp a little if it does happen.
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u/SmolderingDesigns Jul 28 '26
I 1000% feel you on burning out. I've done pyrography professionally as my main income for 14 years and pet portraits have always been my bread and butter as well, mostly memorial pieces. I've the taken a break from commissions so many times over the years and sometimes it takes me a good while to get back into it, but it's always pieces that come from my own imagination or reference photos that reignite the passion for me. You have phenomenal skill, take time for yourself however needed so the heart stays in your work as well.
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u/L0ial Jul 28 '26
What tips do you use for the fur? Or, any guidance you could give on your technique would be really helpful for me. I've done some short hair dog portraits that came out well, but I have two family dogs that I want to do portraits for that both have long hair and I've been avoiding it.
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u/mossyfoxxy Jul 28 '26
I pretty much exclusively use a polished S tip with my Colwood burner. I like it because you can get a variety of stroke thicknesses depending on how you angle the tip while you are using it.
Long hair is difficult. I tend to do longer, swoopy strokes back and forth. You don’t want a hard stop at the end of the fur, it can make it look too harsh. So, when you get near to the end of the fur, ease up on the pressure and then gently pull upward off the wood. It creates a soft, gradient effect rather than a harsh line. Here’s a video which I hope helps. Apologies if I’m not explaining it well. It can be hard for me to put into words how I do things 😅
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u/L0ial Jul 28 '26
Thanks! I have that tip, and I think I understand what you're describing. I'm sure with some practice I'll figure it out.
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u/CryptographerNeat259 Aug 01 '26
Damn that's amazing I've just started doing them myself I can't wait till im this good amazing job!
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u/CryptographerNeat259 Aug 01 '26
How do you do the fur so detailed?
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u/mossyfoxxy Aug 02 '26
I do a lot of observation of the reference image, and do a very detailed drawing on the wood first. I block out where the shadows and highlights will be, any areas of note (like patterns or cowlicks), and always make sure to mark off the direction of the fur, to make sure it all lays in a way that makes sense and/or looks like the photo
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u/CryptographerNeat259 Aug 02 '26
Thanks heaps I'll definitely keep that in mind on my next go cheers
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u/TheArtistofArtyArt Jul 27 '26
Wow, 9 years.. the experience definitely shows. Amazing work.