Creative Woodworks & crafts 2005-09, страница 66

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The first step in learning to burn beautiful feclhers is lo actually look at a real feather. Notice hew the quill tapers from thick, where it joins the bird, and gets thinner and thinner untif it disappears at the lip of I tie feather. Look at the angle at which the borbs grow out of the quill, usually about 45°. Then see how the leather terms a paper-thin arch as it conforms to the curvature of the bird's body. Again, there are no straighl lines on fhe feathers I burn, and that is what makes them look so soft. (One small nole: Every par^f cf the bird's bedy has a different type of feather, so you are not going to get away with studying just one feather!)

By this time, we have made enough lest burns on the scrap wood to see just what temperature sellings we need. Still using the trusty "J" handpiece, outline the quill, and slar^f Ihe barbs. My hand is in a normal writing position throughout the motion in each barb.

The quill and bcrbs are burned heavier at 1he bcsc. then laper off, and they heve a bit of a curve to them. See—no slraight lines! The easiesl way lo make the line curve is fo roll the hcndpiece iri your fingers as you pull towards yourself. Notice the position of the red mark on the

G6 • Creative Woodworks ii Crafts September 2C05

I roll the pen. pressing down with my thumb as I pull and lift off to curve to the right. (If you have studied calligraphy, you will understand just what I am doing.)

We do the same thing for fhe opposite side. Roll in the opposite ttit eel ion by pressing down with the index finger and pulling towards you.

As you can see from the position of the pen. making the curvet! quill lines requires little effort, and once you gef fhe hang cf it, you can move along at a good puce.

Just to prove a point. I burned some straight barbs on the top left cf the feather using I fie same tip, angle, heat setting, and spacing. Doesn't look nearly as soft, does it? That is why it's important to use curved lines. (The uncvcnness of the burned borbs is because Wes and I fried to get the best detail on film lor I fie examples shown here, but it also points out just what happens if you slow down or hold position too long.)

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