My most ambitious plate to date

[Jeff Myroup]

Yesterday I started my most ambitious plate to date. So far I am extremely happy with the results. The plate is 14" diameter, maple. This is my first attempt at a human face. I still have a very long way to go. The entire 10" center area will be burned. The rim will have silver leaf with a patina. My hope is that the leaf will mimic the actual colors of the painting. Since the painting has reds, blues and blue/greens, I will use a potash patina on the leaf. I am hoping to have it complete in time for Turn-On Chicago.

[John Keeton]

Fantastic start on Mona!!! Jeff, you are delving deep into the classics - I look forward to watching this one develop.

[Chris Studley]

Nice work,

how long does it take you to do something like that?

the shading and all is quite nice.

It is ambitious to take on such a familiar piece as any, even minor, mistakes, could potentially be noticed because everybody knows the Mona Lisa.

Do you plan on incorporating a code only readable under blacklight?:rolleyes: Or have I saidd too much already? :eek:

Good luck, Looking forward to seeing the finishe piece...

[Jeff Myroup]

Fantastic start on Mona!!! Jeff, you are delving deep into the classics - I look forward to watching this one develop.

Thanks John. I really like the old stuff. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time.

[Jeff Myroup]

Nice work,

how long does it take you to do something like that?

the shading and all is quite nice.

It is ambitious to take on such a familiar piece as any, even minor, mistakes, could potentially be noticed because everybody knows the Mona Lisa.

Do you plan on incorporating a code only readable under blacklight?:rolleyes: Or have I saidd too much already? :eek:

Good luck, Looking forward to seeing the finishe piece...

Thanks Chris. I figure it will take about 30 hours to burn. I have about 4 hours into it already. I still have about 3-4 left on the face. The figure does not lend itself to a smooth burn. Once the face is done, the background should go pretty quick.

As for the code, we will have to wait and see. ;)

[Chris Studley]

Hey Jeff,

What is your woodburning setup consist of. (Because the Woodturning vortex isn't quite costly enough)

I'd imagine a burner of some sort? various tips?

I also imagine an egonomic way to hold the work is important as to not be hunched over a flat table for Hours at a time.

Is there a lot of smoke/smell associated with this type of work? There has to be some I assume.

[steven carter]

Jeff,

You are off to a great start. My wife and I just returned from a European vacation, and we viewed the real McCoy just last week. I look forward to seeing further developments on this one.

[Jeff Myroup]

Hey Jeff,

What is your woodburning setup consist of. (Because the Woodturning vortex isn't quite costly enough)

I'd imagine a burner of some sort? various tips?

I also imagine an egonomic way to hold the work is important as to not be hunched over a flat table for Hours at a time.

Is there a lot of smoke/smell associated with this type of work? There has to be some I assume.

I have a burnmaster with around 15 pens, although I only use a couple of shaders and a writing tip for portraits. For large dark backgrounds; I use a mirco-torch or a 40 watt weller soldering iron. The burning set up does not matter, any type will work. Many people only use soldering irons. You can make a rheostat to control the temp. Irons also hold heat much better than the most expensive units.

I burn at very low temp, so there is no smell or smoke.

I don't use anything to hold the piece. I have a desk that has a bag of steel shot on it. I use the shot to elevate the plate, so that it is more comfortable. I constantly reposition the work to make it comfortable. I also bend my shading tips to a position that is more natural for me.

[Jeff Myroup]

Jeff,

You are off to a great start. My wife and I just returned from a European vacation, and we viewed the real McCoy just last week. I look forward to seeing further developments on this one.

Thanks Steve. Most people don't realize that it is painted on a Poplar panel and that it has a crack in it at the top. I was going to use Poplar for this plate, but decided against it.

[Rick Markham]

Jeff, this is looking nice! I'm looking forward to seeing this one progress. I enjoy portrait drawing, but don't do enough of it. I can't imagine trying to woodburn it, you have the patience of a saint!

[Tim Chase]

Jeff
Very nice looking work hopefully I'll get to see it at Turn On Chicago in August.

[Russell Eaton]

Very impressive Jeff. It would be nice to see a few pictures of it as you make progress. Thanks for showing.

[Roland Martin]

That is some excellent work Jeff. It will be interesting to see this develop, thanks for sharing.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jeff - your work is always amazing! Looking forward to watching as things progress!

[Jeff Myroup]

Jeff, this is looking nice! I'm looking forward to seeing this one progress. I enjoy portrait drawing, but don't do enough of it. I can't imagine trying to woodburn it, you have the patience of a saint!

Thanks Rick. I am sure many people would disagree about the "patience of a saint" part though. HAHAHA

[Jeff Myroup]

Jeff
Very nice looking work hopefully I'll get to see it at Turn On Chicago in August.

Thanks Tim, sent you a PM. You are right down the road from me.

[Jeff Myroup]

Very impressive Jeff. It would be nice to see a few pictures of it as you make progress. Thanks for showing.

Thanks Russel. I will post some in progress pictures. I normally take pictures to see how it is turning out. It really helps to see things you missed.

[Jeff Myroup]

Thanks Roland

[Jeff Myroup]

Thanks Steve. Once I get the face done, the rest should fall into place. I also have an idea for a special feature, but need to flesh out the details ;)

[Scott Hackler]

Very cool start, Jeff. Do you have any formal art training? Just curious.

[Jeff Myroup]

Very cool start, Jeff. Do you have any formal art training? Just curious.

Thanks Scott. I have absolutely no art training. I kind of make it up as I go. My goal is to bring high end pyrography to woodturning. I still have a long way to go. Most of the "Professional" turners do not recognize it as legitimate art, but will burn, paint, texture and carve a piece. It can be really frustrating at times. It will be interesting to see how this plate is received at Turn-On Chicago.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is going to be just to cool Jeff. I really like it so far. Haven't gotten to that point yet but hope to soon.