Interview with Mallory from My Art of Gold
Favorite piece of advice for new pyrographers?
Slow and steady will make for a beautiful burn, it requires patience and lots of practice. And SAFETY first, wearing a mask will save you many headaches and of course your lungs too!
How much time do you spend wood burning versus the rest of your business?
I probably spend 50/50 on both. To be honest, you’ll probably find me burning more often then taking care of the business side of things. My husband is a wonderful helper when it comes to the financial and logistics part of the business.
What inspires you?
My faith and nature are huge inspirations for me. When I’m out hiking or at a park, I may find a certain type of flower and think to myself ‘that would make a beautiful piece to burn.’
I also love burning bible verses or encouraging quotes especially now because I think everyone could use a little hope.
Your faith is a big part of who you are and you bring it into your art. Was that always part of the plan?
I knew that I wanted this business to be Christ- centered when I started and my faith is a huge part of my daily life. I believe every artist should include who they are into their work and since my faith is so important to me, I love to share it with others as well. I understand it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I totally get it, I’m just thankful that it can be a part of my creative journey as well.
Deserted Island, with power question. You can choose ONE:
Burner: Razertip SK burner
Nib: Ball point because I love how versatile it is!
Type of wood: Walnut hollow Basswood
Non-essential tool (but basically essential to you): a ruler or straight edge!
What are your favorite nibs to use?
Ball point tip is my absolute favorite because I can do so much with it and it’s the easiest tip for me to letter with. I also love a good universal shading tip to achieve those shading details on more complicated pieces.
What is your transfer method of choice?
If I do transfer, I use graphite paper and an embossing tool to trace my design onto the wood piece.
What are some of your other favorite tools?
A ruler or some sort of straight edge is always sitting at my side and my Razertip burner is definitely my go-to burner. Also, Walnut Hollow basswood is the best wood for my projects!
Any storage solutions that you have found handy?
We live in a pretty small place so storage options are pretty limited but we always keep the Walnut Hollow wood in their boxes and try to consolidate them until I’m ready to pull them out to use them. As soon as a piece is finished, I will wrap it in tissue paper for a layer of protection and safely store them into a basket or box.
Do you have a dream collaboration you would like to do with either a company or another artist?
I would love to collaborate with Razertip because I believe in their product, I’ve been using their burner for almost 4 years now and I would consider it an honor to work with them! I also have a couple of acrylics/ gouache artists such as Julie Marriot @juliemarriotart because I adore her style, it’s so bright and vibrant!
Can you give us any lettering advice? How do we get to the point where we can just put burner to wood?
I have had tons of practice with lettering and I first started with a brush pen on paper. Sounds crazy but I really suck and brush lettering. However I found that the more I practiced with a brush, the easier it was to simply burn it onto wood. There are also many lettering artists and Skillshare classes that helped me find my own style and work on different fonts.
Lettering artists that I have learned from:
Shelly Kim: @lettersbyshells
Amanda Arneill: @amandaarneill
Riley Stark: @oak.lettering.co
What goals do you have for My Art of Gold?
As of now, I honestly don’t have too many goals for my business. My family just grew to a family of 4 when we welcomed our second baby boy and they are definitely priority. So my business may have to take a back seat for a bit and I’m completely okay with that.
What tips do you have for people who are trying to increase their Instagram following?
Process videos! People love to see real time and time lapse videos of your process. Videos also seem to catch more attention than a photo for some reason.
Watch the recorded live video: