CELTIC BIRDS POSTAGE STAMP

PYROGRAPHY PROJECT

LORA S. IRISH
LSIRISH.COM
ARTDESIGNSSTUDIO.COM
Create perfect graduated shading
using the art style of
Copyright, L S Irish, LSIrish.com, 1997-2015 pointillism.
All Rights Reserved, 1997 - 2015

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 SUPPLIES NEEDED
Stamp collecting is one of the favorite past times 9 X 12 x 1/4 birch, basswood, or poplar plywood
in the U.S. Many of us began as small children 220- to 320-grit sandpaper
who waited impatiently for the days mail to arrive Brown paper bag
to discover if one of the envelopes sported a new #4 soft pencil for tracing
stamp for our album. Masking tape to secure the paper pattern
Ruler
As adults our interests expanded into the history, Variable temperature pyrography unit
geography, and political movements of foreign Ball tip or loop tip burning pen
countries or into the elusive chase of a particular Artist white eraser
stamp that would complete a year set or series Polyurethane or acrylic spray sealer
release.
A philatelist, stamp collector, might focus their
collection of a specific time period - as stamps is-
sued during World War II - or on a specific group
of countries - as stamps issued from the Caribbean
Island nations - or on a particular topic - as steam
engines, butterflies, or dog breeds.
You can bring your favorite stamp topic into your
love of wood burning with this beginners level
pointillism-styled project. Pointillism is the art
style of creating designs, with graduated shading,
through the use of a simple dot pattern.
So lets begin our free ArtDesignsStudio.com
project by getting our supplies together.

Ball-tip Pen

Loop-tip Pen

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Western Horses Pattern Pack
Assorted Horses Pattern Pack
PEN TIP SAMPLE BURNING
Each wood burning unit manufacturer has a wide variety
of pen tip profiles that you can use in your pyrography
work. The shape of the tip determines the shape of the
small dot pattern that pen will burn.
Where a ball-tip pen creates a perfectly round dot, the
loop-tip pen makes a small oval burn pattern. Any pen tip
can be used for pointillism, so have some fun practicing
with each burning pen you have in your kit to determine
which pen tip will work best for you.
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 PRACTICE BOARD

Creating a practice board before you begin your

project allows you test you tip points, experiment
with your temperature settings, and explore the
textures that you can use on any pyrography project.

If you are starting a new project work, practice on the

same media on which you will burn your design. For this
project you would burn your practice board on birch,
Simple Realistic Flowers Pattern Pack basswood, or poplar plywood.

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African Big Cats Package
North American Big Cats Patterns
White Tail Deer Patterns
POINTILLISM
The simple shape of the dot is used to create the pointillism style
of pyrography. Fine, small dots widely spaced give a light tonal
value to the area of work while tightly packed, medium-sized dots
take the area into a darker tonal value.
The size and tonal value of each individual dot is controlled by the
temperature setting of your wood burning unit. A medium
temperature settings, between 4 and 5, makes mid-tone,
medium-sized dots. Hotter temperature settings between 6 and 7
will give you a dark toned dot slightly wider in size than the
mid-tone settings.
Of all of the art styles available to the pyrographer, pointillism is
the easiest way to create seamless, graduated shading.
Giraffe Practice board: Working left to right
First square: medium temperature setting, lightly packed
Second square: medium temperature setting, graduated packing
Third square: medium-hot temperature setting, graduated to white
Fourth square: medium-hot temperature setting, solid fill corner
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Lighthouses & Sailing Ship Patterns
Sailing Ship Pattern Pack
Relief Landscape Patterns
Farm Scene Pattern Package
1 PREPARING THE WOOD
Begin this project by lightly sanding the board surface with
220- or 320-grit sandpaper to remove any wood fibers or ridge
lines left from the manufacturing process.
Work the sandpaper with the wood grain to avoid adding fine
scratches that may show in your burning later. Remove the
sanding dust with a lightly damp cloth.
2 BROWN PAPER SANDING
Brown craft paper or brown bag paper can be used as a fine-grit
sanding media and leaves your wood surface with an extremely
smooth finish. For this project we are using it as our final
sanding media. You can also use heavy brown paper to clean
your burning tips without damaging the polish of the tip wire.
Crumple a piece of brown paper bag paper. Use the crumbled
paper exactly as you did the sandpaper to give your surface an
extra fine sanding. Remove any dust with a clean area of your
damp cloth.
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3 TRACING THE PATTERN

Print two copies of the Postage Stamp pattern with your

computer printer - one for reference during the burning
steps and one to use for your tracing pattern.
Fold one copy of the pattern into quarters, folding once
along the vertical center and then a second time along the
horizontal center line.
Using a #4 to #8 artists soft pencil, rub the pencil graph-
ite onto the back side of the pattern paper. Completely
fill the area with a solid rubbing.
With a ruler, lightly pencil mark the center vertical and
horizontal lines of your wood surface. Place the pattern
onto the wood surface, printed side up. Match the fold
lines of the pattern with the pencil guidelines on your
wood.
Tape the top edge of the pattern paper to the board using
masking tape or painters low-tack tape.
With an ink pen trace the pattern lines. Remove the pa-
per pattern.

Pencil tracing lines are easily removed after you have

completed the wood burning using an artists white
eraser.
Avoid colored erasers that can leave dye streaks on your
finished wood burning.

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PENCIL TRACED PATTERN

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Angels & Cherubs Pattern Package
Christmas Calicos Patterns
Christmas Classics Pattern Package
4 OUTER FRAME BURNING
Using a medium-high temperature setting, and your ball-tip or
loop-tip pen, begin your project by filling in the the outer frame
area of the design with a tightly packed dot pattern.
The medium-high temperature will give you dark tonal value
dots without haloing or scorching the background area of the
work.
The top banner, U. S. Parcel Postage, uses this dark, solid
pointillism pattern to make the lettering appear as if it were
white colored. This technique is called a negative burn, and is
where the background of the element is worked in a dark burn
and the primary element is left in the unburned lightest tonal
value.
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OUTER FRAME BURNING

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 5 SHADING THE OUTER FRAME

Work the graduated shading in the outer frame using the same
temperature setting as in step 4 with a loosely packed dot
pattern.
The loosely packed dot pattern allows some unburned areas of
the wood to show through the burning. This mix of light
background and dark dots blends to create a mid-tone value
range.
The darkest areas of the shading are worked at the outer side of
the area or where the area comes into contact with another area
Grapes Pattern Pack
of the stamp pattern. In the sample, below, you can see the
Mixed Fruit Pattern Pack darkest area of the corner triangle is worked along the left -
outer - side of the pattern area.
Oak & Grape Pattern Pack

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SHADING THE OUTER FRAME

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 6 SHADING THE CELTIC KNOTS
Using a medium temperature setting, burn a loosely packed
pattern of dots for the Celtic knots that originate from the birds
head feathers.
Visually break your Celtic lines into small units that begin and
end where the line tucks under another portion of the knot.

Work each section of Celtic line as one complete unit by darkly

shading the two outer edges, where the line tucks under another
line, in a dark, tightly packed dot pattern.
Gradually loosen the packing pattern as you near the center point
of the line unit. Allow a thin center slice of the line unit to
remain unburned.
This will give you a graduation of dark, medium, light,
unburned, light, medium, dark in each area of the knot pattern.
Use this temperature setting and a medium-packed dot pattern to
outline the Celtic knot lines.

Western Ranch Pattern Pack

Western Town Scene Mantel Patterns
Westward Ho! Pattern Pack

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SHADING THE CELTIC KNOTS

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 7 SHADING THE BIRDS BODY

The birds face and the triangular accent in the wings show the
darkest area of the burning on the side of each area that is closest
to the center point of the pattern. Note in the close-up below that
the lower bird mirrors the shading of the upper bird.
To create a few extremely dark tonal value areas in this project,
tightly pack two layers of dot patterns to the eyes, nostril, and
beak opening. Work the dots of second layer of these area to fill
any unburned, white areas left from the first layer burning.
The solid-packed dot pattern is also used in the wing lines - see
photo below.
A solid-packed dot pattern is used to outline the front area of the
birds face, the eye rings, and around the outer edge of the wing.

Flying Ducks Pattern Pack

Waterfowl Pattern Pack
Puddle Ducks Pattern Pack

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SHADING THE BIRDS BODY

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American Eagle Patterns
Proud to be American Patterns
North American Wildlife Patterns
8 SHADING THE TAIL & FEET
A medium temperature setting and loosely packed dot pattern is
used to create the pale tonal values of the birds leg, foot, and
the three tail feathers.
The base of the tail, where the tail tucks under the back wing,
uses a medium-hot temperature and a graduated tightly-packed
dot pattern.
The inner crescent-shapes of the tail are left unburned, and the
outer crescents are worked as a solid-packed, dark tonal value.
Work the pattern outlines in a medium to medium-hot
temperature setting with a tightly-packed dot pattern.
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SHADING THE TAIL & FEET

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9 PERSONALIZING YOUR STAMP

Part of the fun of creating your own postage stamp design is

that you can add a personal touch to the work. In our sample I
have added, in a vertical line, along the left edge of the design
area my name and Made in the USA. Just above the 1 cent
banner I have added the name and state for my home town.
This same pattern could easily become a wedding plaque by
exchanging the newly married couples last name where the
pattern has U S Parcel Post.
The brides first name could go into the left-side number oval
with the grooms name in the right-side oval.
Replace the word cents with the marriage date, and the home
town personalization with the name, address, or location of the
church, temple, or synagogue.

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10 FINISHING

When your project burning is complete, unplug

your wood burning tool and allow it to cool
before storing it away. As a habit I clean my
pen tips at the end of every burning session with
either a leather strop and rouging compound or
with heavy brown bag paper.
Using a white artists eraser clean the surface of
your burning to remove any remaining pattern
lines and dirt that has built-up. Wipe the wood
with a clean, dry cloth to remove the eraser
particles.
Using the brown bag paper, lightly rub the
surface of your burning to remove any remaining
rough fibers left from the hot temperature burns.
Wipe the surface with a clean cloth.
At this point in the project you can add coloring
to your postage stamp using watercolors, artist
quality colored pencils, watercolor pencils, or
water-based fabric dyes.
Seal your burning using several light coats of
polyurethane or acrylic spray sealer, following
the directions on the can.

BONUS PRACTICE PATTERNS

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Postage Stamp Pyrography Pattern

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Practice Board Pyrography Pattern

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 ABOUT THE ARTIST

Join Lora S. Irish, internationally known wood

carving, pyrography, and pattern book author, as she
teaches the basic steps, techniques, and practices to
Pyrography.

Explore the different styles of wood burning units,

the burned strokes made with each pen tip profile,
ArtDesignsStudio.com and how tonal values are used in your wood burning.
Learn how the tool profiles, line density, and stroke
Digital Patterns textures of pyrography can be used to create specific
Ready for Download burning styles.

Lora will show you how to work a basic texture stroke

Pattern Package Discount Codes practice board with over 50 different fill patterns.
Because of Lora Irishs teaching style, this book is
Any 3 Packages @ $25 perfect for the brand new beginner that wants a
3packs strong foundation in this craft and has many specific,
advanced techniques for the long-time pyrographer
Any 6 Packages @ $45 to bring their wood burning to a new level.
6packs
You can contact Lora S. Irish directly through her free
Any 10 Packages @ $60 projects blog at LSIrish.com and visit her line art
10packs pattern website at ArtDesignsStudio.com.
Lora Irishs
Complete Pattern Collection
by Download
138 Pattern Packs/Over 2500 Designs
On Sale thru 8/31/2015
$99.95

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 Art Designs Studio
Digital Craft Patterns by Download
CP138
Postage Stamps Pattern Package
90 Patterns, Ready for Download
By Lora S. Irish

Do you want to create your own Postage Stamp carving, pyrography, or quilt panel? This pattern package gives
you 21 stamp layouts in which you can add your own country, postage value, and inner stamp design. Mix and
match the inner patterns with the stamp frames or use the stamp frames with any Art Designs Studio pattern
package to make a topical stamp collection of your own.
21 stamp layouts with complimentary sample stamps and inner patterns,
17 accent banners
14 cancellations patterns
4 number banners
3 stamp frame borders
5 finished idea samples

Only $10.95

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 Art Designs Studio
Digital Craft Patterns by Download
CP007
Just Grizzles! Pattern Package
17 Patterns & Drawings, Ready for Download
By Lora S. Irish

Bears Pattern Package features full facial portraits, full bodies, and complete landscape scenes with Grizzly
Bears, Brown Bears, and Black Bears. You will discover bear cubs in trees, a salmon fishing Grizzly, a paper
wasp bee hive Grizzly, and waterfalls Grizzly sow and cubs.
With the high interest in wildlife themes today, this Lora S. Irish package is great for those looking to carve
jewelry boxes, gun chests, or just a present for your nature lover. Carving patterns for wood carving, wood
burning, and painting. Great for Wood Burning!

Only $10.95

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 Art Designs Studio
Digital Craft Patterns by Download
CP137
Sampler Pattern Package
198 Patterns & Drawings, Ready for Download
By Lora S. Irish

Sampler Pattern Package By Lora S. Irish

126 line art patterns, plus 72 complimentary shaded drawings, for easy tracing and easy wood carving, pyrogra-
phy wood burning, and craft work. Patterns include Wood Spirits, Wizards, Dragons, Greenmen, Celtic, Wild-
life, Landscapes, and much, much more.
Our biggest pattern pack yet! This pattern package contains a sampling from our most popular packages a lit-
tle bit of everything. Another Art Designs Studio, Lora Irish exclusive!

Only $10.95

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Copyright, 1997 - 2015 by Lora S. Irish, 2015
Celtic Birds Postage Stamp Pyrography Project
is an original work, first published in 2015 by Lora S. Irish,
LSIrish.com, and Art Designs Studio and fully copyrighted, All
International Rights Reserved and may not be distributed in any
manner. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the
author.
Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use.
The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for
resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying
is a violation of copyright law.

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