I'm just dabbling in beeswax myself, and have only used natural wax (I had a bunch here from a beekeeper I know that I cleaned to make candles). One thing to remember about beeswax (at least regular beeswax) is that over time it will develop what is called a 'flora'. That is when the wax goes a bit white or powdery looking. All you need to do is polish it with a soft cloth or tissue and it will return to it's original luster. However, you may want to keep this in mind if you plan on selling your work- as a customer may not appreciate his/her painting going a cloudy white.
Mar 30, 2010 Rating
Query about dentist's wax by: Jo
My query doesn't exactly fit into this topic but it is about using wax. I know absolutely nothing about the use of encaustic/wax (I have no formal art training and just pick up things as I go along), although I’ve just ordered a book online (Encaustic Workshop: Artistic Techniques for Working with Wax by Patricia B. Seggebruch) which should arrive next week. My problem is this: I am doing an assemblage-type work and bought a small bin of used and unused dentist's wax at our local recycled garbage outlet hoping that I can paint it onto the work as a background as I love the beautiful pink colour of it. Is it OK to use this type of wax in an artwork and if so, does anyone have any tips for using it? Thanks.
Mar 17, 2010 Rating
encaustic paint supplies by: Ruth Dailey
Hi Milliande and others who are showing an interest in using encaustics in their creations.
The questions about layering with acrylic, etc. might be answered by the folks at this business. I found them years ago and they seem to be the leading edge here in USA for teaching encaustics - I have bought supplies from them as well.
http://www.rfpaints.com/
by Ruth Dailey
Mar 16, 2010 Rating
Encaustic & acrylic by: Jan S
I've just bought Ann Baldwin's book "Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-media Artists" (ISBN-13 978-1-59253-456-2) and she has some great how-to in Chapter 7 for new encaustic painters.
She says on page 103 that acrylic paint and wax is a big no-no because the acrylic is plasticky and the wax will eventually fall off. However, oils can cause problems too if they are not cured properly before the wax goes over the top.
She recommends colouring with an oil stick between wax layers but to check on the drying times as different oil colours take longer than others.
Hope my discovery is helping yours!
Mar 14, 2010 Rating
Damar Resin and Acrylic Paint compatibility by: milliande
Thanks for your input, much appreciated..
Do you have an experience in using acrylic paint underneath the beeswax application?
When using your mixture of encaustic medium ... does it increase the compatibility of acrylic paints with beeswax / encaustic medium on top ?
Any help you can offer is welcome :-)
Thanks for taking the time to comment
...milliande
Mar 13, 2010 Rating
Encaustic vs. Beeswax by: Nancy Natale
Hello,
Your post showed up on the Google encaustic link. As an encaustic painter, I can tell you that the addition of damar resin (crystals) to beeswax makes the mixture harder (and less sticky) than beeswax alone. It also makes it less susceptible to "bloom" (clouding) and able to take and hold a shine when totally cooled. When working with the medium in a liquid state, damar will raise the melting point.
The mixture that I use is 1 part damar crystals to 5 parts of beeswax.
