r/Pyrography • u/BluntedProphet • 3d ago

Questions/Advice Absolute beginner! Can I have some feedback please

Post image

The triforce was freehand and obviously the worst part, I traced the rest with carbon paper.

The thing I struggle with the most is going too deep when starting a line

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u/SL1NDER 3d ago

Oh, I made this exact coaster (minus the triforce) when I started. You may need to sand the coaster if you haven't already. All those tiny grooves will catch your pen and make those spots darker, then you'll have to pull/push a little harder and it'll jump resulting in the next area not being burned at all.

Lower temperature, slower movements. I find it easier to pull towards me rather than push away. If you have a solid tip, you'll have to really take your time.

Try not to set your tip down on the wood when you start a line, you want to kind of glide into it. Setting your pen down, then moving it will make a burn circle since the pen was there longer. gliding into it will make that starting point thinner.

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u/BluntedProphet 2d ago

Oh man this is incredible advice thank you so much

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u/SL1NDER 2d ago

Happy to help. You'll find plenty of wisdom in the sub, it's where I learned

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u/JohannesMolenaar 3d ago

I’m a starter myself and I found slowing down down and having your strokes go the same way makes it pop out more, I’m truly am a starter so I maybe wrong 😑 but I’ll follow this page for anyone else who has tips also welcome to the hobby happy to see it!

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u/BluntedProphet 3d ago

Thanks! That’s good advice

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u/HelloDoHa 1d ago

This is great! I agree with the above comment, sand your wood before hand, it’ll make it much easier to ease into a smoother surface and help with the pen catching. Especially since sometimes I feel like too much pressure makes my pen want to follow the grain of the wood instead of the direction I’m going in, and sanding helps maintain even ground.

Light hands, lower heat and slow movements until you get use to the feel of the pen and the surface of your wood.

In the beginning I would rest the side of my hand against the wood itself, so a soft tilt which helped me feel how much pressure I was putting and also steady me before I was confident to find my own flow. For shadows, depending on the tip you’re using I do really low heat and build up layer by layer, either in small circular motions or a stippling/dotting effect can be great and same thing, build up your layers instead of all at once. There’s so many helpful tips in this subreddit!!