HOW DO YOU USE STENCILS
WITH HOT WAX?
Don't make the mistake of using plastic stencils, They give
off toxic fumes and become horribly distorted. Some sten-
cils are made of coated card, which are much better, You
can also buy the card and cut your own. Brass stencils are
also available, though these tend to be rather small. Once
the stencil is in place, use a long-haired bristle brush that
has been kept warm, to paint into the holes, as shown in
the example to the right. Fuse the wax paint gently with a
heat gun and cover the entire pattern with a layer of clear
encaustic medium, which must also then be fused. This
second fusing can more safely be done with an iron on a
medium setting. Just keep experimenting and eventually
you'll find you have more control.
108 I C REATIVE PA I N T W ORKS HOP
BELOW: Laced, Ann Baldwin,
6" x 8" (15.2 x 20.3 em).
encaustic, collage, oil stick
on cigar box lid.