While I was pacing in my cave trying to figure out what design I wanted to wood burn for our Darling editors to fit this month's theme of Celtic Traditions; I passed the entrance and stopped. Looking out, the sight of my neighbor, Tim McCleary, on his phone with a bag at his feet, piqued my curiosity enough that I decided to go see what he was up to.
"Hey Tim, how are you today?"
"Hey Kayda, I'm doing ok, I'm having trouble getting an Uber to the airport, the app isn't responding. I'm supposed to be heading home to Ireland for St. Patrick's day."
"You know I could just fly you there myself. Being friends with a dragon does have its benefits."
"Really?" he exclaimed, "That would be great if it's not too much trouble?"
"No trouble at all, let me just put away my wood-burning stuff and we can be on our way."
Ambling back to my cave to put away the wood-burning supplies, I mused, "What a good distraction, maybe something will inspire me on the trip." Walking over to my work table, I realized that I hadn't pulled out my tools, after all, so swishing my tail, I turned back around and returned to my friend's side. Crouching down and placing my tanzanite wing low, I smiled and waited for him to climb the ramp I had created to the safe spot on my back.
With a twinkle in my eye, I puffed out my chest. Adopting my best airline stewardess voice: "Welcome aboard the Dragon Express. Please stay seated throughout our flight. We are headed straight to Ireland. If you could just give me the name of where we are going, we can head out." As I finished I barely suppressed a chuckle.
"I'm headed to Vindius, it's a small Celtic farming settlement between Cavan and Kells. It's nestled in the valley of the rolling hills" Taking off we climbed smoothly, while I was being mindful I had a passenger, and my friend would feel the winds of flight for the first time.
The location Tim had given me sounded pretty, and as I flew fast, I tried to imagine what the place would look like. After flying over rivers and lush green fields for quite some time, I looked back at Tim and called out, " I think we are almost the-"
"Hey, I see our life tree, it's that giant oak tree right in the center of the square in that little settlement there" he pointed excitedly.
Tilting my head curiously at him, I had to ask, "What's a life tree, Tim?"
"It's the Celtic tree of life or Crann Bethadh. It represents harmony and balance in my culture. That's where the chief is crowned, we hold religious ceremonies. It offers food, shelter, and medicine. The tree of life is the cornerstone of the community. It's also a very traditional Irish Celtic symbol seen in many places throughout Ireland."
A light bulb moment happened as I realized that could be just the inspiration I had been looking for! I knew what I wanted to wood-burn now. I would burn a life tree design for Tim as a St. Patrick's Day gift for when he returned home. Gliding to a smooth landing next to the life tree, I laid down gently for Tim to disembark from my back, eager to get home now. Saying goodbye to my friend and taking flight amidst a crowd of spectators, I raced home to start my project.
So today, my dear readers, I want to introduce you to wood burning. Out of all the crafts I do this is by far my favorite. Usually, I just use my breath however, today I will show you the way the Muggles do it, so you can do it too.
Wood burning is also called pyrography which means to write with fire in Greek. Woodburning can be a lot of fun and you have a pretty art piece to display once you're done.
You will need a few supplies to get started then will be well on your way.
Supplies:
Wood burner
Wand
Graphite paper
A printed design
A Quill or Muggle pen
A piece of wood the design will fit on
Sticky charm
Steps
1. Choose a design you like. I tend to look online and print one out off of Pinterest (a Muggle site).
2. Choose your wood. I tend to use wood I find while out flying, but you can use wood from the Muggle craft store since it's unfinished.
3. Choose a flat work surface in a well-ventilated area. Always turn off and unplug the wood burner when not in use.
4. Wear a mask so you're not inhaling the wood-burning fumes.
5. Use a Sticking Charm to stick the graphite paper down with the darker side against the wood. Spellotape works too if you are not very confident with using that spell.
6. Position and stick your design down on top of the graphite paper.
7. Carefully trace your design using a medium to firm pressure from your quill or pen.
8. Take a look under the design and graphite paper to ensure the complete design is transferred before removing the design and graphite paper.
9. Choose your woodburning tip also called a nib. Screw it on and turn on the wood burner. Once it's warm, you're ready to go.
10. Test your wood burner on a scrap piece or the backside of your wood before you start to check it is set correctly.
11. Pull, don't push. You want the wood burner to do the work for you. Apply light, even pressure. If your lines aren't dark enough you can turn the temperature up. You want to glide, just take it slowly.
12. Once complete you can either leave it natural or stain and varnish it to your liking.
13. Display your artwork.
I have to say that this particular project ended up looking a lot better than I anticipated. The design came out well and I had to admit that the Muggle tools I bought were almost as good as dragon fire....but not quite! I hope you all have fun with wood burning, I know I do! I can't wait for Tim to see his gift Until next time! Signing off - Your friendly little dragon.