Artist Brianna Thaxton
Is it wood burning?
Yes! I am burning wood with a hot iron. Until March of 2024 I had been using the basic soldering tool with a temperature gauge offered by Walnut Hollow and easily found in craft stores and online. I now use the SS-D10 10 amp detail burning system by Razertip which is found in specialty stores and online.
​
Wood burning is a technique often used for burning lettering and/or basic imagery onto wood. It is generally perceived as a craft and commonly associated with youth groups/activities.
When the burning process is improved upon and greater details are achieved the technique is then referred to as Pyrography: a more specific style and higher attention to detail yielding a plethora of compositions and designs.
Pyro turned Mixed Media
I noticed the old boredom setting in as I was nearing the 9 month mark on my new pyrography journey. "Time to change mediums," my brain said. But I just got started! Anyway, I wanted to keep exploring this way of drawing with heat. At that point I often heard the comment, "this would look nice if only there was color," or the question, "why don't you use color?" So I considered the possibility and potential outcomes of my work. I enjoyed the sepia tone my first works had attained. Did I really want to upset that calm vibe by introducing color? I reasoned with myself, "it doesn't have to be loud colors...But what if I completely ruin all those hours of burning by covering up those marks with paint?"
​
I got out my airbrush (Master Airbrush - Model G23).
I remembered using masking frisket at university during my watercolor course. This glue-like substance served to protect the areas of paper that you didn't want color to encroach on. Perfect! Using masking frisket alongside plastic wrap and tape, I successfully masked off the burns of the first unicorns to have color: Rest and Sing for the Day. It was terrifying to say the least. Particularly while working on Rest. This piece didn't have vacant, raw wood areas where the paint was to be applied. Nope, I told myself it was a splendid idea to paint directly on top of the pitch black sky with all the tedious stars that took several movies time to burn. But it worked! I would've never known if I didn't risk trying.​
​
Not all of my colored pieces were done with airbrushing. Some have been painted with normal paint brushes using either acrylic or watercolor. I don't seal the wood or treat the wood before paint application. Being water based and plastic based paints they work double time as the paint and the primer/sealer.
​
Once the burning and color are finished I do officially seal the wood with aerosol lacquer as a final top coat. I apply two coats; sanding between coats and after for a smooth finish. Hanging hardware is attached to the back of each piece and the title plus the year the work was made are burned on the back along with my initials.
I sign the front and back of every piece with the initials 'BR' from my business name: Brannarey Illustration. Brannarey is a combination of a nickname I received my first year of college, 'Branna' (sometimes spelled Brenna or Br'anna) and 'Rey' is the prefix of my husband's last name, Reynolds. A name I haven't officially/legally taken but I still accept it as mine.
