Encaustic Wax Painting Blog

Welcome, this is a collaborative blog, a place for artists to come together and share their passion for encaustic painting.

What is Encaustic?

Encaustic is the name for both a painting medium of wax and a painting process involving heat to apply and fuse the medium. The name Encaustic comes from the greek enkaustikos which means to burn in. Heat is used throughout the encaustic painting process.

Here you’ll learn about encaustic painting techniques & tools. Whether you’re a beginner learning to paint with encaustic or an experienced artist, I invite you to add your comments to share your knowledge and inspiration about art and All Things Encaustic.

Encaustic Wax Painting Tips, Product Reviews, & Tutorials for Beginners and experienced artists alike

Encaustic Care Instructions | Free Download

Do you provide collectors with encaustic care instructions? I'm sure that we have all had questions about how wax will stand up to heat and humidity. There will always be people who presume that encaustic is more fragile than other fine art mediums. It is good to reassure them with the knowledge that some ancient encaustic paintings are thousands of years old. Art collectors appreciate it when the artist provides some information on caring for their new encaustic artwork. Do you include a care instruction sheet on the back of the panel or provide the gallery with one ...
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Yes, you can use Chalk Paint in place of Encaustic Gesso

Chalk & Milk Paint as a stable underpainting for encaustic art So many of us are familiar with acrylic-based mixed media art.  YouTube videos have walked us through thousands of projects and techniques which tend to use acrylic based glues and mediums to achieve fantastic results.  That was the case with me and my familiar ground. I painted in and taught acrylic-based mixed media art for years.  It’s all I knew and loved. In walks encaustic… be still my beating heart, a new love! I learned early on that acrylics and encaustic wax are akin to oil and water.  ...
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Alcohol Inks and Encaustic

A Love Affair with Encaustic and Alcohol Ink Disclosure: Jacquard Products sent me a complimentary set of their Pinata alcohol inks to review as part of this article. I have to tell you a secret. I’ve been having a serious encaustic love affair lately – with alcohol inks. The two of us were introduced years ago, but we didn’t start dating until early this year. Getting to know Alcohol Inks I didn’t want anything to mar my devotion to encaustic, so I got to know alcohol inks first on Yupo paper. What was the personality of this ...
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Encaustic Paints by Kama Pigments

Disclosure: Kama Pigments sent me free encaustic paints to review for this post. Commercially available encaustic paints I usually make my own encaustic medium, I haven't very often used ready-made encaustic paints. But, I must say, the highly-pigmented encaustic paints I received from Kama Pigments are luscious! I also love that Kama Pigments is a Canadian company.  🇨🇦 🙂 Made from natural beeswax, damar resin and dry pigments When purchasing commercially available encaustic paints check what ingredients are being used, not all manufacturers use beeswax and damar resin. Kama's encaustic paints are made from natural beeswax, damar resin and their own dry pigments. Dry Pigments and Encaustic ...
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Encaustic Carving & Incising Tools

Disclosure: Diamond Core Tools sent me two free tools to review. Artists painting with encaustic use clay tools for scraping, incising and carving into the wax. Thanks to this Instagram video from Cathy Nichols I discovered Zebratools by Diamond Core Tools! Diamond Core Tools is a manufacturer of high-quality tools for ceramic artists.  I am so happy to introduce these beautiful Zebratools to the readers of the All Things Encaustic blog. I am in love. Yes, I am in with this new and adorably hued carving tool I just got in the mail from @diamondcoretools - It’s called the P1v-tip zebrawood ...
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Venting your Encaustic Studio

Is encaustic toxic? With adequate ventilation and a working temperature that is under 200°F, encaustic is a safe medium to work with. It is important to use a thermometer to keep a check on your temperature. Encaustic fumes, when released at a safe temperature, are not considered dangerous. Yet, all wax mediums, when heated, do release fumes. All waxes, when they are melted– whether as candles, batik, or encaustic—release a mixture of invisible fume (in the form of tiny particles) and gases, such as acrolien and aldehydes. [source] Solvents should not be used in encaustic painting. All solvents ...
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Cold Wax is not encaustic

Cold wax painting does not use the encaustic painting process Encaustic is the name for both a wax painting medium and a painting process that uses heat to apply and fuse the medium. Encaustic painting uses heat at every stage of the painting process. The name encaustic literally means "to burn". Cold wax medium is used at room temperature, whereas traditional encaustic painting is applied in a molten state. Painting with cold wax does not use the encaustic painting process. Unlike encaustic that you heat up and fuse, cold wax should not be heated as it contains solvents ...
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