My dear husband gave me a plethora of new encaustic supplies and tools for my birthday, and I am having a ball playing with all my goodies in “Kristi’s Playground” to create melted wax paintings!
Kristi's Encaustic Playground
My new tools include an encaustic iron, encaustic paint cups, hollow-handled brass brushes, hogs hair brushes in a variety of sizes, and an 18″ x 24″ rimless encaustic hot plate. New supplies include a variety of encaustic waxes, encaustic medium, slick wax brush cleaner, wax sealer, a double-ended metal stylus, and a large quantity of encaustic Chromalux paper in several sizes and finishes, including an assortment of metallic finishes. I also received an instructional DVD and booklet, which has been quite inspiring.
I already had an electric hot wax stylus (with a variety of tips), an electric hot knife, various heat/hot air guns, a 9″ x 14″ encaustic hot plate that I now use as a palette, and various colored waxes, so I now have a very substantial encaustic studio setup.
Although I have been working with encaustics since 1998, my previous hot plate limited the size pieces I could create. My new setup will allow me to create much larger works that will be frameable. I am also enjoying working on the Chromalux paper, which is like a light card stock in weight with shiny surfaces on both sides. It is cast coated to withstand the heat involved when working with encaustics waxes using the encaustic iron and hot plate for extended working periods.
Beach Waves Encaustic Experiment
This week, I was experimenting with trying to create waves breaking on a sandy beach, which was quite challenging. I had to keep heating parts of the paper, dripping melted wax onto it, and then tipping the paper to make the wave “break.” My fingers got a bit singed with melted wax in the process, but it was truly a fun learning experience. My next task is to make my encaustic works look less like finger painting! Watch for more news from my playground as I experiment further with this medium.
I would like to see you use semiprecious stones in earrings and bracelets. Lapis, malachite, turquoise, jasper, and carnelian are a few of my favorites.
I’ll see what I can do along those lines. I have some malachite on hand. Thanks for the suggestion!
I am so jealous, How do I get a husband like yours? Enjoy all the goodies.