Pyrography is so unique. I love how it seems to take qualities from ink and charcoal (imagine ink with varying values) in a rich brown color. And wood is only one of the surfaces you can use - there are also paper, leather and gourds. The first step in any wood project is to prepare the surface of the wood. Most of these planks, rounds and plaques that I use are presanded, so I have very little to do. A light sanding is usually all that is needed. Wood naturally has grain and other marks on it, so if there are any spots that stand out, I plan my work around them to make sure they are covered.

Once the surface is prepared, I draw a sketch of the image directly on the wood, very lightly. Any marks that are not covered by the burning process can be taken off easily with a gummy eraser without distorting the color of the burned areas. I started the male lion first, using mostly the ball point pen in a stippling manner. For the longer fur on the chin and mane, I used the small round skew.

In this step, I completed the mane with the small round skew. The round skew is easier to make curves than a regular skew. Add heat to make it darker.

Here is a closeup of the female's face. As with the male, I used stippling with the ball on the bridge of the nose and graduated to the small round skew for the longer fur of the cheeks and chin.

I worked on the ear with the ball with various temperatures to get the various values. I also used the ball in a scribble to add fur to the rear of the cheeks.

More adding fur with the ball on a very light setting.

Still more adding fur with the ball on light heat. I put in the grass with the small round skew, leaving room for the forearms.

To increase contrast, I made the background very dark. I used the spoon shader on very hot and used slow, circular motions. I finished off by adding shadows in appropriate areas.