TIPS & TECHNIQUES 

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Tips for Using Encaustics

Jolie Dennison, who contributes regularly to my chat forum, recently began experimenting with encaustics and asked the following questions:

"I purchased a painting iron that doubles as a small hotplate. I called the store that stocks Enkaustikos to make sure that brand could be either melted in a pot or used directly on the iron. I feel reasonably safe now, but need to make sure I have the proper fire extinguisher. Now I just need to know about actual usage and cleanup of the product.

I understand that encaustics can be applied with brushes...how do you remove the wax from the brushes once you're done with it or want to change colors? Also, I know you paint on birch panels, but can I use encaustics on any surface? I've read a lot of conflicting info. Some say only use a hard surface, many sites sell painting card, and I've seen artists doing it on canvas, but have read it's not stable enough. I'd prefer canvas, but want to make sure I do this right.

I've got lots of encaustic paint to last for a while (about 16 pounds of it in various colors), but am wondering how long it lasts...obviously, that depends on the size of piece you are doing and how thickly it's applied, etc, but I'm wondering if you tend to go through it faster than acrylics.

I've read that it can be mixed with oils, but I'm wondering if the same can be done with acrylics. The brand I have has no damar varnish or any solvents. I'd like to experiment with mixing it, or applying acrylics between layers, etc...I'm just not sure if it's wise.

Do you use an iron, and if so, how do you avoid melting the previous layers? I'm worried about muddying the color by overmelting.

How do you add collage? Do you set it on top of the wax while its still liquid and iron over it? Perhaps laying it in the wax and smoothing it with a brayer or finger? I tried doing it with the iron and had trouble with it shifting. Maybe I should start by gluing some pieces on a blank surface before adding any wax?

How do you use stencils with encaustics? I imagine if I iron right over the stencil it will melt. I might try using some ink with the stencil and then continuing with wax over it.

How do you achieve translucence? So far my wax seems fairly opaque."

Well, Jolie, I'm glad you asked because I think I can save you from making a lot of costly mistakes.

• Does encaustic paint mix with other media?
  Yes, you can mix it with oils, but bear in mind that wax dries faster than oil paint. If you apply a layer of wax over a layer of oil paint that hasn't yet 'cured' (this can take up to a year, depending how much oil is in the paint) the wax will eventually crack. It's best to mix just a smidgen of oil paint with the encaustic to change the color. I also etch into the cold wax surface, then smear oil stick into the lines, wiping off any excess with vegetable oil and a soft cloth. RF Paints sells suitable oil sticks and will also send you a chart of drying times for the various colors. Black, for example, takes much longer to dry than Umber Greenish, which looks like black. After you have applied the oil stick, you should paint over it with some clear wax medium then fuse the layers with a heat gun or iron.
  
  Very important - wax and acrylic paint are totally incompatible! This is because acrylic is a plastic polymer which remains flexible and non-absorbent. Therefore it will not fuse with the wax...ever.  I made the mistake of putting a layer of clear beeswax over an acrylic collage once. After it had been hanging on the wall for a while, I noticed chips of wax on the floor beneath it. Sure enough, the wax was simply dropping off. The secret to successful encaustic painting is in the fusing. Every single new layer of wax must be gently melted with a heat gun or an iron to 'join' it to the layer underneath.
  
• What is the best type of support for encaustic paintings?
  I've noticed that in Europe a lot of amateur painters use special card. However, by far the most archival support is wood, because it is inflexible and highly absorbent. Again, you are taking measures to ensure that the paint remains firmly in place. Paper is flexible. When it bends, the wax can pop off. Canvas, due to its extreme flexibility, is definitely out, unless you mix a lot of oil paint with your hot wax. Some oil painters use a medium which contains cold wax and a solvent. This is perfectly all right, but creates quite a different effect. I sometimes begin an encaustic painting on wood by covering the support with high quality, absorbent printmaking (Rives BFK) or watercolor paper. If you use an acrylic medium as your glue, be sure that none of it penetrates the paper, or you will end up with a non-absorbent polymer film.
  
• How can you reduce the opacity of encaustic paints?
  That's an easy one - by adding more clear medium. Encaustic medium is a mixture of pure beeswax and damar resin (NOT damar varnish, by the way) in various proportions. The resin hardens the wax. If you add too much, your layers will be brittle and easily chip off, especially at the edges. Click here for the recipe for home-made encaustic medium. As you become more experienced, you can alter the ratio of damar to beeswax to suit different purposes. For example, if I am going to 'abuse' my surface with multiple scratchings and gougings, I use more resin. If I want smooth, transparent layers or if I'm going to scrape off part of a layer to reveal what's underneath,  I use less. On the whole I use about 6 times as much medium as paint. This means that the paint goes a long, long way. When I started out, I bought about 20 different colors and 3 each of my favorites. It cost me a small fortune! It didn't take me long to discover that I could easily mix my own colors. Most of the time I use no more than my favorite six. I like my layers to be very transparent at times, so I'll paint with mostly medium and add a tiny drop of color. At first I thought that painting with encaustic was a lot more expensive than using acrylics, but now I'm not so sure. It is certainly worthwhile making your own medium, rather than buying it in ready-made chunks. I now buy my beeswax in bulk, too. If you do this, make sure that you buy filtered beeswax, not bleached (which will lighten your colors) or unfiltered, which is yellow and will change your colors.
  
• How do you avoid melting previous layers when fusing?
  This IS a tricky technique. To be honest, I find it much easier to avoid a big, melted mess when using a heat gun with low, medium, and high settings. Mine also has a fan which runs at different speeds. You can control the degree of melting by varying the distance at which you hold the heat gun from the surface. As soon as I see the wax gleam, I move the heat source to the next area. That gleam is all you need to fuse two layers. If your heat source is too close or set too high, you'll melt several previous layers and the colors will mix to mud. I do occasionally use a small travel iron on a medium setting, just touching it to the surface and moving it along quickly. If the setting is too high, I get a marbled effect, which actually can be quite beautiful!

• How do you add collage to wax paintings?
  You can, of course, begin by gluing images to your support. Again, be careful not to let the acrylic medium penetrate the paper. However, there's a better way. I keep a 12" electric deep-fryer (with its own thermostat) 1/3 full of melted medium. Using long, industrial tweezers, I dip the collage paper into the medium, then QUICKLY transfer it to the support. If you're not quick enough, the medium will dry and the collage won't stick. Afterwards I run an iron over the piece to fuse it to the layer below. In this case, an iron works better than a heat gun, which can end up causing the collage to float off in a pool of melted wax! If you've stuck the collage in the wrong place, you can easily re-melt it and slide it around until you get it right.
  
• How do you use stencils with hot wax?
  I made the mistake of using plastic stencils at first. Of course, they gave off toxic fumes and became horribly distorted. Some stencils are made of coated card, and these are much better. You can also buy the card and cut your own. I buy plastic stencils and use them as a template for my stencil cards, cutting them with a craft knife. There are also brass stencils on the market, though these tend to be rather small. Once the stencil is in place, I use a long-haired bristle brush which has been kept warm, to paint into the holes. Afterwards I fuse it gently with my heat gun and cover the entire pattern with a layer of clear encaustic medium, which must then also be fused. This second fusing can more safely be done with an iron on a medium setting. Just keep experimenting and eventually you'll find you have more control.
  
• How do you clean up your brushes afterwards?
  My short answer is: I don't!  I have a separate brush for each color, so it's perfectly all right to allow the paint to dry on the brush while it's not in use. In fact, the wax preserves the brush. However, if you do want to clean a brush, all you need is some melted paraffin wax. Dip the brush into this and keep cleaning off the paint with strong paper towels. You can also use paraffin wax to clean your other utensils. Don't use it in your medium, though!

I wish you luck, Jolie. Wax is a wonderful medium and full of surprises. Unfortunately, it's also one of the reasons I had to undergo hand surgery. The constant scraping and gouging took its toll on my already arthritic thumb joints. It will be some time before my new joints are strong enough to start using encaustics again. And am I prepared to punish them like that?

Check out previous tips and techniques:
Overcoming the Fear of Starting a Collage
Layering Techniques for Mixed Media Paintings
Archival glue: No to 'Yes' paste
Mixing Paint & Paper
Integration of found imagery with mixed media
How long will a collage last?
Which adhesives should you use?   
Painting with Paper

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