In-Person Woodburning Workshops
Renowned woodburning artist, Court O’Reilly, is offering a one-of-a-kind immersive experience to learn the art of pyrography. In small group settings in uniquely creative spaces you can join Court to learn all about woodburning in her intro and intermediate level woodburning classes.
Intro to Woodburning Workshop (Beginner)
In this beginner workshop you will customize your own set of 2 live-edge coasters, a bookmark and a spoon with local woodburning artist Court O’Reilly. You will learn about wood, how to transfer your image onto the wood, how to use a woodburning tool (provided), and how to use various woodburning techniques, including line work, dots, and shading on a practice board to achieve your designs. You will also learn how to seal your wood with different wood finishes for a variety of projects. No prior art or drawing experience required to learn the relaxing craft of woodburning.
Each student will go home with 2 coasters, a beech wood spoon, and a cherry wood bookmark completed with your preferred woodburning designs and sealed with natural wood finishes. When you leave the workshop you will have the knowledge and confidence to begin woodburning at home. You will receive a handout with photos and point-form notes of the entire workshop for you to keep and refer back to for your future woodburning projects.
Intro to Realism Woodburning (Intermediate)
Expand your woodburning skills in this workshop with Court’s simplified and easy-to-follow methods to learn the art of photorealism: reproducing a photo image realistically using the medium of pyrography. No previous experience in drawing realism is required to be successful at woodburning realism.
Bring your own woodburning tool or a Creative Versa solid-nib tool will be provided to you for the class. Court will teach the workshop using the Creative Versa tool but any tool you have and are familiar with will work equally well. Make sure your tool includes your preferred nib(s) or pen(s) for burning shading and line work. There will be a Razertip tool available to practice techniques if you’re curious how a wire-nib tool can transform your woodburning experience.
What you’ll learn
Best woods for woodburning realism
How to turn a photo into a stencil
Strategies to transfer a photo image onto wood for successful burning
Burning shading and outline techniques
Woodburning a variety of fur
Woodburning realistic eyes
Woodburning a realistic wolf portrait
How to burn easy free-handed pine trees
Choosing a wood finish to seal your artwork
Each student will go home with a practice board of woodburning techniques and textures, a wolf portrait, and a large live-edge coaster with your free-handed pine tree art. When you leave the workshop you will have the knowledge and confidence to woodburn any photo realistically at home. You will receive a handout with pictures and point-form notes of the entire workshop for you to keep and refer back to for your future woodburning projects.
