Out of the Darkness is part of my Wild Life Series and I am sharing the Tiger Pyrography Tutorial with you. I am showing you the steps and how I created this wood burning piece.
![](https://i0.wp.com/smokywoodstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tiger-Pyrography-Tutorial-10.jpg?resize=640%2C853&ssl=1)
Materials Used :
- A 11 x 14 inch wood panel
- The pattern (get it at the Pyrography Pattern Collective)
- Graphite Paper and stylus
- Wood burning tool – I use a Colwood and Razertip
Preparing the Wood
It’s always a good idea to sand the wood until it’s smooth. Depending on the wood, you may need to use different sandpaper grit to achieve the desired smoothness. Sanding your wood makes it easier to burn and create better lines and shading.
Tape the Tiger Pattern and Transfer the Image
Print and cut your pattern to the size you need and tape it to your piece of wood so that it won’t move around as you trace it. Slide the graphite paper underneath the pattern and use a pen or a stylus to transfer the design. This may be tricky but ff you don’t press down hard enough, then your lines might be too light and if hey are too hard, then they graphite lines will be hard to remove.
Whiskers
![](https://i0.wp.com/smokywoodstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tiger-Whiskers.png?resize=640%2C547&ssl=1)
White hair and whiskers can be challenging and while I could have outlined the whiskers and burn the dark areas around them, I thought it be better to make impressions.
I used a filing tool to create the whiskers but you can use any metal object that will give you that effect. I did several strokes to increase the depth slightly each time instead of going heavy handed all in at once.
You could also use an engraving tool like a Dremel if you want to go even finer with the impression.
Outline
Outlining can help to define the parts inside of the pattern. I used a skew tip and a writer tip to start and begin with the fur line before switching to a shader tip for the really dark parts of the fur.
Always start with a lighter layer and then darken every time. It’s easier to darken the wood then to remove any areas you didn’t want as dark.
![](https://i0.wp.com/smokywoodstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tiger-Outline.png?resize=640%2C529&ssl=1)
The background and the Tiger Face
![Tiger Pyrography Tutorial](https://i0.wp.com/smokywoodstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tiger-Pyrography-Tutorial-7.jpg?resize=640%2C626&ssl=1)
As you can see I did quite a bit on the face and then decided to darken the background before finishing the tiger.
It can be easier to burn in the lighter areas when the dark background is already present but you could do it the other way too.
In order to get the white parts of the tiger to show, the other fur needed to be darker which is achieved by layering.
The Tiger’s Leg
Now that the background was filled in, the head was done, it was time to fill in the leg. The trick her was merely getting the shadows right and not have the tiger get lost in the dark if you will. Some of the edges on the leg needed to be close to the same shade as the background.
![Tiger Pyrography Tutorial](https://i0.wp.com/smokywoodstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tiger-Leg.png?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1)
Finishing it up
![Tiger Pyrography Tutorial](https://i0.wp.com/smokywoodstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tiger-Pyrography-Tutorial-10.jpg?resize=640%2C853&ssl=1)
I often will take a few days to step away from a project so that I can come at it with fresh eyes and finish it up.
This helps me not overthink the project and note any details I may have missed.
Thanks for joining me in this Tiger Pyrography Tutorial.
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