Snazzie Designz

Design, And Everything Design Related

Category : Pyrography

This is a handmade Coptic bound notebook with a map of the Faroe Islands burned into the cover. I wanted to give this a more vibrant look as if the map had been made in the 1600s, but looked brand new.

Handmade Faroe Islands Coptic Bound Notebook by Snazzie Designz

The cover image is actually a compilation of three separate maps; Faroe map by Lucas Debes (1673), Carta marina et descriptio septentrionalium terrarium by Olaus Magnus (1539), and a more modern map of the islands found on wiki commons for a more accurate outline of the islands themselves.

In other words this is a modern map done in an ancient style, with sea creatures from the Faroe Isands area of the Mercantor map included, and long s place names.

The burning process on the curved sea creature outlines was a slow process because the wood burning tip is going with the grain and then across the grain and then with the grain again and it takes a subtle pressure control on the tip to not bunr deeper as it goes with the grain than across it making uneven lines.

Handmade Faroe Islands Coptic Bound Notebook by Snazzie Designz

Handmade Faroe Islands Coptic Bound Notebook by Snazzie Designz

 


 

More Coptic Bound Books…

Pine Grosbeak Holiday card Project 2018 by snazzie designz

Every year DeviantArt run a holiday card project where they get people from all around the world to make handmade cards which they then distribute over the holiday period to people hospital to brighten their spirits when they can’t be at home for the holidays.

Since it first started in 2004, the project has received nearly 28,000 cards sent in by thousands of deviants from over 60 different countries/political regions. This is my contribution for this year. #HolidayCardProject2018 #HolidayCardProject.

The card is made from card-backed sapele and maple wood with the pine grosbeak and tree branches pyrographed (burned into the wood). I added tints of colour to the bird, berries and snow.

The inside of the card is paper lined and I did up a printout design with a seasonal best wishes message on it.

Click here For more information about the project on DeviantArt

The pine grosbeak cover image which inspired this card was taken by gigi50 on dA.

Coptic Bound A5 Journal Inspired by “The Wind and the Willows”

Coptic Bound Wind in the Willows A5 Journal

Coptic Bound Wind in the Willows A5 Journal

Handmade, and hand sewn and bound A5 Journal with pyrographed (wood burned) covers inspired by the book “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Graham.

Coptic Bound Wind in the Willows A5 Journal Coptic Bound Wind in the Willows A5 Journal

The back cover wood burning is based on a map drawn by Kenneth Graham and the front cover is based on the sublime artwork of Inga Moore who exquisitely illustrated “the Wind in the Willows”.

Coptic Bound Wind in the Willows A5 Journal

Coptic Bound Wind in the Willows A5 Journal

This is a pair of hand made hand bound (sewn) Isle of Skye inspired A5 journals with wooden covers and pyrographed(wood burned) artwork on the covers.

Coptic Bound Isle of Skye Loch Fada A5 Journal

Coptic Bound Isle of Skye Loch Fada A5 Journal

This is what the cover looked like with the pyrography (wood burning) complete before the colour was added.

Coptic Bound Isle of Skye Loch Fada A5 Journal

The first journal is inspired by a photo of Loch Fada on the Isle of Skye taken by the wonderful photographer Lawrence Cornell

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing his photos before I urge you to visit his gallerywhich is a treasure trove of breath-taking scenery and other gems.

The second journal is decorated with an olde map of the “Isle of Skie” as described in the “The Western Islands Of Scotland” 2nd Edition from 1716 an excerpt of which has been photographed by Lawrence Cornell.

Coptic Bound Isle of Skye Map A5 Journal

Coptic Bound Isle of Skye Map A5 Journal

The title and placenames using the Old English archaic long “s” “ſ” which looks like a letter “f” with no cross bar. I had to study carefully a very complex list of rules as to where and when the “long s” ſ should and should not be used. I should say “rules” loosely because even amongst printing houses of the 1700s and 1800s they all seem to have had their own rules to follow, which were only just shy of including things such as “except on a Tuesday if it’s been raining”.

Coptic Bound Isle of Skye Map A5 Journal

This fascinating article on the long s is a wonderful and informative read: http://babelstone.blogspot.com/2006/06/rules-for-long-s.html

Aslan Pyrograph

Aslan Box Pyrograph

I was very lucky to get my hands on this beautiful handmade box by Harry Wells. The edges of the lid are hand scalloped with a chisel to reveal a beautiful striped pattern from the ply layers. It reminded me of bite marks, which inspired me to use a lion for the lid decoration.

I’ve always loved the poster for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” film and I thought it would be perfect for the lid. Also the scalloped edges look like rays of light coming out of Aslan so they seem doubly fitting.

This was also my first time experimenting with blending bottled inks on wood. If the blending is done properly the ink allows for seamless blending as you can see with the background which goes from dark navy, to blue to aquamarine to amber. Unlike paint which masks the wood, hides the grain and hides the burn lines, ink soaks into the wood, enhances the grain and allows the burned shading to come through.

The lid with the wood burning done, before the colour was added.

 

Aslan Pyrography Monochrome

WellSnazzie Collaborations Logo by snazzie-designz

For a full list of all of the WellSnazzie Collaborations please click here.

To see more of Harry’s remarkable craft work check out his gallery on deviantart here.

Save

Handmade Violin Shaped Coffee Table by Snazzie Designz

This table is of my own design. I purposefully designed the neck of the violin to bend downwards over the edge of the table in a melted fashion reminiscent of a Dali painting so that it wouldn’t stick out and catch in people walking by. The strings and f-curls are burned into the wood. The table is made from sapele wood and it shines like copper in the sunlight.

Violin Coffee Table

Violin Coffee Table

Violin Coffee Table

Handmade Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

This is a handmade wooden coffee table with hand carved and pyrographed (wood burned) koi fish in multiple layers “swimming” in the table. (The legs are shop bought additions.)

Koi Coffee Table

It started off as a raw tree slice.

Koi Coffee Table

I had to make a router jig to cut a hole in the wood for the fish bowl.

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Once the hole was routed, I poured the base layer of epoxy resin with blue glow in the dark pigment which goes right through the cracks in the wood down to the bottom. It was my first time working with resin so it was a learning process. I initially sealed the cracks with duct tape but it went terribly wrong. The resin leaked all over the place and made an awful mess, not to mention wasting a lot of resin. :( I had to redo the resin pour, this the second time using brown packaging tape which worked much better.

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

I hand carved and burned several koi fish. Some are made of veneer as they were flat for the bottom layer. Again part of the learning curve of working with resin, I didn’t glue down the fish and they started floating to the top!!! Not good for real or wooden fish! So wood floats in resin. In subsequent layers I remembered to glue down the fish. :)

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

After the first layer of resin was sanded down I added in stones, glass beads, coins and several of the hand carved and pyrographed (wood burned) koi. The koi were added in layers with multiple pours of resin in between so that they are suspended, and layered over each other. Each layer of resin takes 24hours to cure fully, so it was a long process.

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Koi Coffee Table

Save

Bear Carving Final - Pyrography Colour and Varnish Complete

A bear carved (about an inch deep in parts) into Canadian wood, and then shaded and outlined with pyrography (wood burning). Colour was then added to give the water and background a bit of variation. The bear shading is all done through pyrography (wood burning), but I added a very thin wood stain to tint it a slightly more reddish in colour to make it more realistic.

I’ve included work in progress photos of how the piece was done from start to finish below.

Blank Canadian Wood Before Carving

Blank Canadian Wood Before Carving

Bear carving - Beginning of the pyrographed outlines

Bear carving – Beginning of the pyrographed outlines.

Bear Carving - Pyrography outlines complete and waterfall carved

Bear Carving – Pyrography outlines complete and waterfall carved.

Bear Carving - Pyrograhphed (wood burned) outlines and shading

Bear Carving – Pyrographed (wood burned) outlines and shading of the bear.

Carving and pyrography completed

Carving and pyrography completed, except for the background mountains which I added in at the end.

Bear Carving - Carving pyrography and colour complete

Carving pyrography (wood burning) and colour complete, but not yet varnished.

Bear Carving Final - Pyrography Colour and Varnish Complete

Bear Carving Final – Pyrography Colour and Varnish Complete

 

 

Save

Handmade Frame by Aldwarke

This is a stunning hand made frame made by Harry from sapele wood (which glistens like copper in the light) with accents of a second unknown wood. The pyrograph is of a beautiful cottage covered in decorative shells with a wise old tree in the garden. I used mainly autumnal colours to match the frame.

Handmade Picture Frame With Farmhouse Pyrograph by Snazzie Designz

WellSnazzie Collaborations Logo by snazzie-designz

For a full list of all of the WellSnazzie Collaborations please click here.

To see more of Harry’s remarkable craft work check out his gallery on deviantart here.

This is a one off hand made Coptic bound book inspired by the wonderful haiku collection of Harry Wells (Aldwarke).

The front cover is bamboo with 5 different veneers, and pyrographed outlines. The back cover has the Kanji for “Haiku” 俳句 pyrographed onto a marquetry cover. I’m not sure what the central veneer is but it is pearlescent and glimmers in the light. On the inside pages there is a collection of Aldwarke’s haiku and short poems that I illustrated. I’ve done up an animation simulating the book opening so that you can see the pages illustrated.

Handmade Coptic Bound Haiku Book by Snazzie Designz

INTERACTIVE – CLICK TO TURN THE PAGES

Handmade Coptic Bound Haiku Book by Snazzie Designz

Handmade Coptic Bound Haiku Book by snazzie Designz

Handmade Coptic Bound Haiku Book by Snazzie Designz

You can flip through the book here if you like, or to read this beautiful collection of haiku story in full and more of Harry’s wonderful writings please check out his blog “Aldwarke’s Anthology” here.

Handmade Coptic Bound Haiku Book by Snazzie Designz

For a full list of all of the WellSnazzie Collaborations please click here.

To see more of Harry’s remarkable craft work check out his gallery on deviantart here.