Tips and Techniques: Encaustic Painting

Encaustic painting involves a beautiful combination of beeswax, pigment, and heat.  Unique because of its technical process, yet unifying because of its painterly and sculptural qualities, encaustic painting is being explored by artists today as a re-visitation to a traditional medium.

Getting started with this technique is easier than you think!  This post generally breaks down the steps to creating an encaustic piece of your own.

1. The wax paint must be melted into a liquid state.
2. Apply the melted paint to a porous surface.
3. As the paint begins to cool, it fuses with the surface, creating a bond.
4. Once cooled, the painting can be polished to a lustrous shine.

  

 

 

Gather your materials:

1. Electric palette
2. Palette cups (to hold paint while keeping it hot on the electric palette)
3. Heat gun (great for fusing encaustic work without touching the surface)
4. Thermometer (to monitor the temperature of your wax)
5. Small torches and spatulas are also helpful but not necessary
6. Paintbrushes (natural bristles won’t melt)
7. Any non-melting mark-making tools will work with encaustic paint
8. Porous surface material (wood, paper, clay, etc.)
9. Encaustic paint—any that you prefer!

Extra Hints:

• The warmer the paint, the smoother the application will be.  A cooler paint will result in more texture.
• To achieve straight lines, use masking tape to reveal hard edges.
• Stencils will make shapes easier to create than free hand.
• Use stamps to achieve added texture and visual interest as the paint is drying.

  

Watch these other encaustic techniques!

 

 

Comments

[Photoshop Clipping Path]

Inspirational to say the least! Some gorgeous imaginations at work!

[Ishita]

If a beginner starts to his art work, some time he faces different problems. Thanks for these tips and Techniques for Encaustic Painting.

[Ishita]

Some time we want to express our inner feelings. Thanks for the tips.

[Marc]

Encaustic paintings form a separate tradition in the field of art. The basic requirements for these work are slightly different from the other forms of paintings. Thanks for those information on encaustic paintings.

[Air Jordans]

*Forget about stupidity, discover your ability.

[Mn Twins Tickets]

It may feel like no one reads this, but some of us do. I gave up doing my blog for that reason and now I just post on other peoples.

[Kari J Young]

Hello There...

I noticed that a photo of my artwork has been used for this article without my permission or mention of my name as the artist...

In the future if you would like to use my artwork please have a link back to my site, thank you VERY much!

Kari J Young
www.kariyoung.com