Frequently Asked
Questions
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. You can also
etch into the cold wax surface, and then smear oil stick
into the lin es, wiping off any excess with vegetable oil and
a soft cloth. R&F 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.
WAX AND PLASTIC DON'T MIX!
Wax and acrylic paint are totally incompatible! This
is because acrylic is a plastic polymer that remains
flexible and nonabsorbent. Therefore, it will no t
fuse with the wax .. ever. A layer of clear beeswax
over an acrylic collage will eventually drop off. The
secret to successful encaustic paint ing is in the fus-
ing. Every single new layer of wax must be gently
melted with a heat gun or an iron to join it to the
layer underneath.Cigar boxes, Masonite, c/ayboord panels, birch plywood, and
paper all make good supports for encaustic paintings.WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE
OF SUPPORT FOR ENCAUSTIC
PAINTINGS?
In Europe a lot of hobby painters use special card. This is
less popular in the United States. By f ar the most archival
support is wood, because it is inflexible and highly absor-
bent. 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. M at
board or 300 lb. (136 kg) paper is rigid enough
Canvas, d ue to its extreme flexibility, is unsuitable un-
less you mix a lot of oil paint with your hot wax. (Some
oil painters use a medium that contains cold wax and a
solvent. This is perfectly all right, but it creates quite a
different effect and is not true encaustic.) You could lay the
foundation for 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 nonabsorbent polymer film. You
might also use true gesso (not acrylic) or rabbit skin glue.