Woodburning: hot hobby, surprisingly chill
I offer wood-burning classes and team-building events at Waveform as a part of the beginner community craft classes. Wood-burning, or “pyrography” (writing with fire) is a creative practice that has been around since fire became a thing. You can burn designs into leather, ceramic, wood, cardboard and fabric. Wood-burning is one of my favorite crafts to help people relax, bond and build confidence in a creative atmosphere.
Here are five aspects of wood-burning that make it a great friend date, solo excursion or team-building activity:
Wood-burning is beginner-friendly. We trace designs, so there’s very little drawing experience required. While we practice some foundational techniques with the woodburning pen, the fine motor skills you’ll draw on are very similar to writing with a pen or pencil. This makes the craft welcoming and accessible regardless of your relationship to drawing or art in general.
You can choose the design. You show up at a craft class and there are a bunch of templates to choose from. Maybe you think they are adorable, maybe you think they are cheesy. Maybe you resonate with what the instructor chose for the group, or maybe you find it completely unrelatable. I want to make sure you feel excited about your design, so after we practice with the tool, I talk about what kind of image we are looking for that will be beginner-friendly. If you’re not inspired by the designs I’ve printed out in advance, we go on the internet and pick out something that feels inspiring and exciting to you!
Silence is golden. Too often at work, in social circles and even in the privacy of our own home, we are expected to be *on*. If not entertaining and witty, attentive and supportive. Fold in the overstimulating norms in our culture (smartphones, televisions, traffic), and it’s clear we don’t get enough quiet time. In woodburning classes, I consistently watch people drop into a deeply focused, calm place. It’s not just drawing, it’s drawing in slow motion with fire – which means you are fully immersed, attentive, and in the zone.
Appreciate each of our gifts. While this craft allows us to access nutritive quiet time, it also connects us. I’ve watched team members, friends, family and complete strangers come up for air, look around the room and get amped up and amazed by their neighbor’s creations. While there are pockets of spacious silence in class, there is also an ebb and flow of relaxed chatting, moments of celebration and awe. Wood-burning is a great team-building activity.
It’s accessible: take these skills home! You don’t need a lot of fancy tools to wood-burn, you don’t need a lot of space, and the mess is minimal. Any clear surface near a plug works, and you don’t need to break the bank to get started. Beginner wood-burning tools start as low as $12, and as long as it’s untreated wood, you can upcycle scraps from your local lumberyard. Once you spend an hour and half burning, you may find that you crave more.
How did I learn?
Art teachers have a lot of practice learning a new medium, craft or activity, learning the tips and tricks and then figuring out how to teach it to beginners. In addition to pottery, I’ve been into all kinds of art since I was a little kid. I’ve taught art on and off since I graduated college, and so picking up a new craft and learning how to teach it is a fun way to keep my skills sharp as an educator.
In recent years I have taken up some side work in addition to Waveform: teaching virtually. I’ve taught a range of virtual craft classes for Coastal Design Workshops, Lila Volkas, The Crafty Kit and Kits by Food Craft. My favorite class to teach so far? You guessed it, the woodburning workshops I started out doing for Cara at Coastal Design Workshops! I loved seeing everyone’s designs, and helping teams slow down and appreciate themselves, and one another. It was a craft that over the past year I consistently felt was beginner friendly, immersive and creative.
Come burn at Waveform, or try it virtually with Coastal Design Workshops
I started offering wood-burning at Waveform in March (as well as painting and candle-making), and the class has steadily gained popularity as more people learn that Waveform is a place for beginner art in general – not just clay-based art.
If you’re near Waveform in Oakland, I’d love to see you for an in-person wood-burning class. You currently can choose from a charcuterie board or an ornament, and I’m thinking of starting to incorporate spoons and bookmarks, too.
Not in the Bay Area? Or interested in connecting teams based in different cities? Virtual classes are a great way to create inclusive, cross-team experiences; they are also also an accessible way to participate from home. If you can’t make it to Waveform, sign up for Cara’s class here!
I already took a beginner wood-burning class. How can I develop this hobby?
Bring a friend back to Waveform and get someone else hooked! Now you have a crafting buddy :)
Get yourself two tools, one beginner ($15) and one a bit nicer ($25-40) – then you can try out different tips without waiting for the tool to cool, and see which pen you like better!
Collect a handful of (untreated) wood objects and surfaces to test out designs
Head to Pinterest and get inspired by patterns, designs and motifs
Download some designs that you enjoy. Beginner-friendly means: black and white clip art, bold lines or silhouettes, not too much detail or shading
Check out this cool tutorial by a woodworker I like on YouTube
