Bunch of Brooches

It was gray and rainy yesterday, so I stayed inside, cranked up Jimi Hendrix on my iPod and burned away, from around 3pm all the way into midnight... Well, I did cook dinner and finished my laundry in between.; it was nice! Made bunch of little buttons; they have lots of details packed inside the tiny area (15/16" in diameter) and the process did take a toll on my eyes after a while. Also, for each 10 pieces you see here, another 10 failed pieces were attempted. But I really enjoy working on these tiny things, I don't know why, maybe because they look more precious since they are small. I've just added them into my shop; would you like to adopt one?

Little Burnt Buttons

Made a batch of little burnt buttons last night (the center part is only 1" in diameter). They remind me of the snacks that we eat since our childhood (something like this.) They are yummy! I am thinking about turning them into brooches. How about pendant for necklace? Or rings, maybe? (If rings, it will just be the center part and not including the wooded base.)

Two Kokeshi Dolls

There are from last night; they are 2 3/8" tall. There is an animated GIF on my flick so you can see all 4 sides. Click here to view.

Also, my prayer goes to people in Japan. I grew up in Taiwan (all of my family are still there); we are used to earthquakes, but this is something that none of us have ever seen before. Please be very safe as much as you can if you are in the nearby area. Love you and praying for you. If you like to donate for the earthquake fund, American Red Cross has set up a link via Amazon and it's here.

More burnt doodles

Some wood burnt doodles from last night. Comparing to the 4"x6" block below, these wood discs are harder so you can tell the lines are cleaner and crispier. The 4"x6" wood panel has a softer texture so the lines are mushier. All bigger discs are about 1.5" in diameter while the smaller ones are 1.25" in diameter.

Wood-Burnt Doodles

I did some wood-burnt doodles in 2008 (here and here); I loved it because it's just like drawing on wood (with a slower pace). But the tool I used back then was the basic kind which you can purchase from most craft stores. It's inexpensive but the down side is that you can't adjust temperature on it. Last week (yeah, only took me 3 years), I finally made up my mind and treated myself with a good set of Razertip burner and pens. I tested it last night and I can really tell the difference (still need to experiment on adjusting the temperature setting, though). The pen I used is a really fine 0.08mm ballpoint pen. The wood discs I used are the same kind in the first link, but you can tell the difference in the linework quality.

PS: If you are looking for a set of good burner and pens, I ordered mine from Nedra; she is a professional wood-burning artist and is so helpful.

IF: Leap

For this week's topic, I chose to do a tiny woodburning piece since that's what I've been doing during the past couple of days. And yup, the Mysterious Creature is back...

Coloring Experiment

I tried coloring a woodburning circle I did last night. I used Tombo ABT pens. I like them cause they have dual tips and the brush tips make it very easy to color little areas. I guess I will need to spray the wood with matt varnish if I want to seal the colors.

3 Little Woodburnings

I got a more detailed and less hot woodburning pen last night. I do gain more control by using this pen and I can do much finer lines. Here are 3 little 2" by 3" pieces from experimenting the new pen.

Little Wood Circles

Little 1.5" wood circles. This wood is harder so I can work a little slower. I am off to the store now to see if they have a finer tip for woodburning.

PS: Today we have the perfect weather... super windy, but really nice and warm. Unfortunately, it will be gone by tomorrow, but at least today it's nice. I want spring!!!

Birdies Woodburning

Just a really quick woodburning this morning, with some birdies on a 2.5" by 3.5" wood. I had more control this time but I still had to work super fast with no hesitation. I think I might need to invest in a better equipment, but boy, they are not cheap...

Woodburning + Retro Kid Flickr Pool + Javier

I tried woodburning for the very first time during the weekend. I think my burner is too hot (950 degree F) and it burns really really fast... I need to shop for a temperature controller so I can adjust it and maybe have better control over the lines. But so far I like it; it feels like drawing on wood. If you have any suggestions please let me know! :)


Also, remember to take a look at the Retro Kid Flickr pool that has thousands of images contributed by people around the world. What a great source of inspiration!


And then, this is not really related to doodling or anything... but please allow me to just say this: isn't Javier Bardem the most adorable man ever? For some reason I totally missed the Oscar, but my co-worker showed me this clip and I just think it's so sweet that he brought his mom as his date. Now I really want to watch No Country for Old Men. He is HOT!