The Art of Pyrography

In this workshop, participants will learn about the tools, techniques and strategies needed to create beautiful woodburning art. We will prepare our wood for burning with sandpaper and sketch out our designs. Next, we will practice burning techniques on scrap wood. Participants will then burn their designs into their wood and decide whether or not they want to add color with acrylic paint. Wood stain will also be available for finishing touches and refinement.

Melissa Romeo is an artist and arts educator living in Portland, OR. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Illinois, with focused study on the intersection of contemporary art, museum practices, and art therapy.

Melissa worked as an educator at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. She also teaches workshops at various locations in Portland, OR and was featured on Chicago’s AirBnb Experiences.

In-Person Participants Bring:

• A piece of unfinished wood to woodburn. (Woods that are softer, such as basswood, birch, cedar or balsa wood, are best to use)

• Any reference photos or designs to draw from (the more complicated the image the longer it will take to woodburn)

• Optional but highly recommended: to-size black and white print of any designs. Carbon paper will be used to trace our images directly onto the wood. Please size printed image so that it looks exactly the way you want the woodburning to turn out! This step is optional- if you'd rather do a free-hand burn, that's fine too! 

Online Participants Bring:

• All the same materials as In-Person Participants 

(Online Participants will have the following kit shipped to them before class begins)

• Scrap wood

• Wood finish

• Pencil

• Carbon paper

• Practice paper Stencils

• Walnut Hollow Creative Value tool burner with changeable tips 

• Jewelry pliers