What is encaustic painting?

Encaustic painting, which is also known as wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium that is placed onto a substrate like a wood panel, to which colored pigments are fused or burned in through the use of a heat source such as a heat gun or propane torch.

 

During my cold wax painting for beginners course, I learned that whereas no heat is involved in the painting relating to cold wax, encaustic painting requires the wax to be molten to work with it. It is then reheated or fused once it is applied to the substrate.

 

Benefits of encaustic painting

At the encaustic class where I enrolled to learn encaustic painting, I learned that this type of painting has the following benefits:

 

Variety of textural and color advantages

Encaustic painting is adaptable. It has a variety of textural and color benefits that make it a good substitute for oil painting in a variety of scenarios. Encaustic paintings can be moulded, molded, and used in mixed media pieces with collage and other trash art. They can also be polished to an extremely high sheen.

 

It is cool to work on

From the encaustic workshops that I have attended, I have learned that encaustic paintings are cool to work on because they cool so rapidly and dry quickly. The paintings also don’t need to be protected beneath glass because beeswax is impermeable and cannot decay, darken, or turn yellow.

 

Environmental friendliness

Encaustic painting is also very environmentally friendly because encaustics don’t generate poisonous fumes and also don’t require the use of solvents.

 

Brilliant and attractive effects

From my lessons in cold wax oil painting techniques, I learned that encaustic painting delivers brilliant and attractive effects and offers scope for elegant and expressive brushwork that is similar to oil painting. That is because encaustic wax has many of the properties of oil paint.

 

 

Safety

Because encaustic painting does not require solvents, it is a relatively safe medium to work on. This is an important consideration because, as an artist, you need to work in a safe manner, which includes having a source of fresh air along with a safe studio practice.

 

Durability and versatility

Encaustic painting creates artwork that is equally enduring and adaptable because it is a wax-based paint that can be melted down and applied to a surface.

 

Cost saving

As an encaustic painter, you can cut the costs associated with encaustic painting by making your own encaustic medium. If you don’t have the skills to get you there yet, you can buy a pre-made medium and add your own pigment as a cost-cutting measure compared to purchasing commercial encaustic paint.

 

Making your own encaustic medium and paint not only saves you money but also widens your creative capacity to personalize your palette, which is immensely fulfilling.

 

You can buy encaustic painting equipment second hand

The majority of the supplies you'll need for your encaustic painting can be discovered at yard sales, buy and sell sites, or thrift shops.