HOW CAN YOU REDUCE THE
OPACITY OF ENCAUSTIC PAINTS?
That's an easy one- transparency can be increased by
adding more clear medium. Encaustic medium is a mixture
of pure beeswax and dammar resin 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. As you become more experienced, you can alter
the ratio of dam mar to beeswax to suit different purposes.
For example, if you plan to scratch and gouge your surface,
use more resin. If you want smooth, transparent layers or
if you're going to scrape off part of a layer to reveal what's
underneath, use less. On the whole you should use about
six times as much medium as paint. This means that the
paint goes a long, long way.
106 I C REATIVE PA I N T W ORKS HOP
Rites of Passage,
Ann Baldwin, 8" x 10",
(20.3 x 25.4 em). encaustic,
collage on Masonite glued to
canvas on stretcher bars.