See easy way to marble fabric

Information on pyrography and using Paintstiks to make quilt blocks will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Artist and author Jo Schwartz will discuss her newly released book as she talks about pyrography, which means writing with fire. Her wood burning art will be demonstrated by replicating real people, and she says you do not have to be an “artist” to burn. She’s from Abilene, Kansas.

Laura Murray is a quilter, teacher and author, and she’s going to demonstrate using Paintstiks in a one, two and three layer design, along with curved borders, to create one-of-a-kind quilt blocks. She’s in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Information on water-retaining plants, marbleizing fabric, and using glitter products on home décor items will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Curt Jaynes will show some new products on the market for water-retaining plants, including a polymer that’s also good for gardens, lawns, trees and shrubs. He’s in Portales.

Evelyn Terhune is in Gilbert, Arkansas, and she’s going to show how to use ordinary shaving cream and acrylic paints to create a marbleized effect on fabric which can then be used for a variety of projects.

Barbara Trombley is going to show how to use various glitter products to decorate plates, ornaments, books, candles, candle holders and even tissue boxes. She is from Cottonwood, Arizona.

Woodburning is an art form

Woodburning is a great form of art for many reasons. It doesn’t take much equipment to get started. You need a woodburning unit and a few basic drafting tools that you probably have lying around the house, plus some wood.

The Woodburning Unit: The burner model isn’t critical, as long as it has adjustable heat and you are reasonably comfortable controlling it, it will probably work. The model I use is a Razertip SS-D10. I use three Razertip pens daily: the Heavy Duty Medium Spear Shader, the Small Spear Shader, and the 1.5 mm Ball tip. (NOTE: The “nib” is the metal point that heats and touches the wood. The pen is the shaft that you hold.) Because you are burning wood, carbon will build up on the nibs. Using a dirty or grimy tip will not only affect the smoothness of the stroke, but it can scratch the surface of the wood. To clean a nib, put a dab of aluminum oxide on a leather strop (the rough side of scrap leather.) Let the nib cool, and then stroke it through the aluminum oxide and across the strop until it is bright and shiny. Wipe the tip on a clean cloth and you’re ready to burn again.

Sample boards, which are also known as layer guides and value, or heat guides, give you a chance to practice and get comfortable with your woodburning machine while you make useful tools. The boards will show the effect of each of your machine’s heat settings on the different types of wood you will use for projects, as well as the effect of adding more layers of burning at a particular heat setting. Taking the time to make sample boards now will speed up your decisions later. You’ll be able to refer back to the setting for the value of darkness that you want to achieve in certain areas of your portraits. When in doubt always use a lower/cooler temperature and rely on layering to achieve the depth of darkness required.

Many surfaces, or mediums, can be used for burning portraits. I love working on basswood because it is so soft and white, and the grain is so subtle, all of which combines to allow for great contrast in shading. I also use linden, birch, maple, and Italian poplar plywood. I dislike pine, however, because it is too knotty. I always pre-sand my wood until it is completely smooth. Rule of thumb: the surface should be “baby bottom smooth” before you begin burning. There are a few general techniques that you will use repeatedly in burning portraits. Refer to my book for more details.

“Creative Living” is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.