ENCAUSTIC PAINTING

HISTORY OF ENCAUSTIC ●... from The Artist's Handbook by Ralph Mayer ● Encaustic is a beeswax based paint that is kept molten on a heated palette. It is applied to a surface and reheated to fuse the paint into a uniform enamel-like finish. The word encaustic comes from Greek and means to burn in, which refers to the process of fusing the paint. ● Encaustic paint has no toxic fumes, nor does it require the use of solvents. As a result, a number of health hazards are reduced or eliminated. ● Encaustic painting was practiced by Greek artists as far back as the 5th century B. C. Most of our knowledge of this early use comes from the Roman historian ● Wax is an excellent preservative of materials ● Fayum Funeral Portrait, Mummy Portrait of a Woman, Antinoopolis, End of the Reign of Trajan, A.D., Wax portrait on wood. ● In the great period of economic instability that followed the decline of the Roman empire, encaustic fell into disuse. ● In the 18th century the idea of encaustic painting was revived, initially by amateurs as a novelty to rediscover the techniques of the ancient painters. ● In the 20th century, the availability of portable electric heating implements and the variety of tools has made encaustic a far less formidable technique. "Its effects, its visual and physical properties, and its range of textural and color possibilities make it eminently suitable for use in several different contemporary styles of painting that are not adequately served by our traditional oil-painting process."

Fayum Funeral Portrait, Mummy Portrait of a Woman, Antinoopolis, End of the Reign of Trajan, A.D., Wax portrait on wood.

JEFF LEAGUE

EVA RYN

JOYCE GEHL

JOYCE GEHL (CON’T)

KEVIN FRANK

KEVIN FRANK (CON’T)

WAX TIPS ● Beeswax melts at degrees ● Paraffin melts at between degrees ● Keep your wax around 145 degrees and never higher than 185. It can become flammable. ● If you are mixing dry pigments with the wax, wear a dust mask to prevent inhalation of harmful particles.

SUPPORT TIPS ● You can use card board, wood, fabric, or even paper with encaustic. ● Paper based products are best for thin coats of wax ● Wood, Masonite, or MDF are good for heavier application ● No need to gesso- just prime with a layer of wax

APPLICATION TOOLS ● You can apply wax with natural bristle brushes, metal instruments like palette knives, scrapers, tjanting tools, soldering irons, clothing irons, etc. ● After the wax is applied, it can be pushed around with a heat gun, hair dryer, or iron ● You can also soften the wax with a hair dryer and stamp into the surface.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROJECT: COLLAGE TECHNIQUE ● You will have 3 squares to plan a design for each technique. ● The first box will be for COLLAGE with painting wax. ● Choose some collage material and glue down items with rubber cement. ● Cover the collage material with clear or tinted wax.

LINE DRAWING TECHNIQUE ● Create a line drawing in your next square using a sharpie, india ink, or melted crayon. ● Coat tinted wax around/ over the line drawing to add dimension and form.

DIRECT WAX APPLICATION ● Before you start, plan a basic color scheme and geometric shape design in your next square. ● You have three choices of how to apply the wax for this technique. ● #1- place the paper directly on the hotplate and rub color blocks into the paper.

DIRECT WAX APPLICATION (CON’T) ● #2- apply the wax directly to an iron and press it into the paper.

DIRECT WAX APPLICATION (CON’T) ● You can paint colored wax directly on the paper using a brush. ● Then, you can use a heat gun, hair dryer, or iron to push the wax around the surface to achieve the desired affect.

SAMPLE LAYOUT COLLAGE LINE NON OBJECTIVE CHOICE

FAUX ENCAUSTIC TECHNIQUES

MATERIALS Painting support Acrylic paints Regular Gel (Matte) Soft Gel (Gloss) Soft Gel (Matte) Interference Blue fluid (Fine) acrylic paint old (Fine) acrylic paint Quinacridone/Nickel Azo Gold fluid acrylic paint Brush Wide palette knife or spreading tool Mixing container with lid

FAUX ENCAUSTIC FORMULASAND TECHNIQUES Demo according to Acrylic Artist by Nancy Reyner Formula 1: Unrefined Beeswax Combine 6 oz. (177ml) Regular Gel (Matte) with 2 tablespoons (30ml) water. Add 6 drops Interference Blue, 1 drop Quinacridone/Nickel Azo Yellow, and 5 drops Iridescent Gold (Fine).This will replicate the yellowish appearance of unrefined wax. This formula is thick and should be applied with a knife. Formula 2 Refined or Bleached Beeswax Combine 2 oz. (59ml) Soft Gel (Gloss) with 0.5 oz. (15ml) Soft Gel (Matte). Add about 1.5 oz (44ml) water. Add 4 drops Interference Blue (Fine) and 1 drop Iridescent Gold (Fine). Apply by pouring a puddle onto the painting surface. Spread gently with a palette knife or spreading tool. This will replicate the white appearance of refined beeswax. This is a thin formula and can be poured.

PROCESS STEP 1 APPLY THE GEL Use any painting background or underpainting and select a faux encaustic formula. I am using Formula 1. Using a long, wide palette knife or other spreading tool, apply the gel in a layer about 1⁄8-inch (3mm) to ¼-inch (6mm) thick. Smooth the layer as much as possible, leaving some remnants of spreading texture. Let dry. APPLY THE GEL Use any painting background or underpainting and select a faux encaustic formula. I am using Formula 1. Using a long, wide palette knife or other spreading tool, apply the gel in a layer about 1⁄8-inch (3mm) to ¼-inch (6mm) thick. Smooth the layer as much as possible, leaving some remnants of spreading texture. Let dry.

STEP 2 PAINT OVER THE GEL Here I painted some circular shapes on top of the dried formula layer, and another coat of black over the black border. I used fluid acrylic paints, diluting some with water to create more transparency. Others I used undiluted for more opacity and intense chroma. Once the paint has dried, repeat the process with another layer of the encaustic formula and paint. The more layers you add, the more you increase the depth and encaustic effect.

STEP 3 APPLY ANOTHER GEL LAYER Another coat of encaustic Formula 1 was applied to the painting. Repeat paint and formula layers as many times as desired to create the effect and depth you prefer.

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