What is Pyrography? A Brief History

Pyrography, also more commonly recognized as “wood burning”, generally refers to the art of decorating wood with heated tools.

As its name suggests, wood burning burns images, designs, and words into cuts of dried wood.

This creates a textured, permanent effect that can be used in your business, for gift-giving, and so much more.

Pieces created using pyrography offer much more depth than can be found in those using typical paint or marker.

Believe it or not, the practice of burning images into wood, or other surfaces, has been practiced since ancient civilization.

Evidence of pyrography from early artisans in Egypt, China, and even Rome have surfaced, causing some confusion about where and when the practice actually started.

One can’t easily find a time when it didn’t exist though.

Pyrography practices continued into the Middle Ages, through the 20th century, and still exist today.

In fact, the art form is booming and becoming more accessible than ever before!

Pyrography is the Perfect Family-Friendly Activity

Instead of requiring you to purchase a bunch of different tools and conduct loads of research, modern pyrography has evolved itself to an impressive state.

With the Scorch Marker, for instance, pieces of wood burned art can be created in a matter of minutes using only a heat gun and a marker. 

Our ancestors would truly be impressed at how easy it is to burn drawings and designs into wood, paper, and other surfaces today.

3 Simple Wood Burning Designs

While causing the chemical reaction on the wood is the easy part, deciding on the design to create can be more challenging.

There’s no reason to fear; Scorch Marker has you covered there, too!

Three enjoyable projects suitable for any beginner include:

A Cute Winter Ornament

A simple wood round can be completely transformed with some sandpaper, string, and a Scorch Marker.

This holiday season, gather the family over Zoom for some ornament-making fun together.

The ideal experience for kids, older family members, and adults alike, creating something together with pyrography is sure to leave memories that last a lifetime.

For inspiration, see a video of us creating a cute snowflake ornament in the Scorch Marker studio.

Fun Stenciled Sign

For something that can be given as a gift, or enjoyed all year round, a simple wood-burnt sign is the way to go.

This approach offers you complete creative freedom, and a walk through a craft store shows you all the shape and size potentials for a wooden sign.

To take things a step further, and to add a touch of professionalism to your piece, integrate vinyl stencil designs throughout your sign.

Doing so will make sure everything stays lined up and where you want it!

See a video of us using a Cricut stencil with a live-edge sign on Pinterest, and grab some of your own Scorch Marker stencils for FREE by entering the code ‘ilovestencils’ a checkout.

A Santa Platter

Instead of wood burning all the typical patterns on your cutting boards and platters, help your kids get excited for Christmas by creating a Santa platter.

Complete with space for a carrot and a snack for Santa, this creation can be reused year after year.

Check our Santa platter out on Instagram, and tag us in yours so we can have a look!

Scorch Marker is the Pyrography Tool for You

Versatile in its approach, and powerful in its ability to create, the Scorch Marker is the best tool for getting started with pyrography.

Not only does it have the same effect as traditional wood burning, creating a permanent effect on wood by burning layers of it, but the Scorch Marker can also be used with stencils and more vulnerable members of the family.

It’s the perfect introduction to wood burning, and is definitely worth experimenting with today!