| Encaustic artwork is about melting wax colour and applying this paint
medium to a surface, but what surfaces can you use? This page lists
some that work and tells a little of the uses for each.
Card
...with a sealed surface makes an ideal support for encaustic art waxes
and any other encaustic wax medium that you require to be easily re-workable..
The trick is in the wax adhering to the surface without saturating or
dirtying the body of the card. This type of card surface is ideal for
experimental and "process" based working but, because of it's flexibility,
is not well suited to thick applications of wax unless it is fixed securely
to a rigid underboard with a permanent glue or similar. Thick wax becomes
far less flexible than a thin coating and can easily crack if bent too
sharply.
White card gives a good reflectivity for the light that penetrates the
translucent wax colours. Coloured card can also provide an interesting
and effective support for encaustic work. A gloss surface is ideal for
artwork where the process of working colours with heated tools offers
a constantly present opportunity to change the forms of the colour and
re-work the waxes into new patterns, images, etc. Most coloured card is
single faced and so after being work it is best to fix it with a suitable
glue to a more rigid under-board (display board or masonite / MDF are
all good.
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MDF & Plywood
Medium Density Fibre-board is a man-made composite
constructed from wood particles glued together under compression to form
a flat and stable sheet. It is normally available up to 8' x 4' but many
DIY stores have 4' x 2' pieces in a variety of thicknesses. The value
of this as a support for encaustic is that it offers a rigid and stable
surface for working onto and allows much thicker applications and build-up
of waxes than a flexible support can hold.
You can paint the wax straight onto the MDF surface if you wish, but
the wax is easily absorbed and saturating the surface can consume a lot
of wax and time. Better perhaps to seal the surface of the MDF with a
solution of white wood glue and water. The glue is available in most DIY
store and can also be used as an additive for strengthening and water-proofing
cement. Mix about 30% glue with 70% water and give one coat of this to
the MDF (or plywood). In fact this sealer will work on almost any absorbent
surface. Allow it to dry then work with your waxes. Alternatively you
could apply an acrylic - clear, white or coloured - or perhaps a gesso.
There are numerous working methods for applying the wax, ranging from
the use of molten wax and cold natural hair brushes through to the use
of electric paint stripper hot air guns, heat lamps and hand held heating
wands. We'll add more when time allows and someone nudges us for more
information on this!
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Line Board
Line board is a smooth high quality paper facing bonded during manufacture
to a rigid cardboard backing which is usually about 3 to 4mm thick. It
is used primarily in presentation of high quality technical drawings such
as an architect might produce. It is normally available in A1 and A2 sizes.
This type of support material is very good for encaustic work where there
may be some thicker wax build-up that would be unsuitable for the thinner
sealed card. Of course, you can stick the regular sealed card onto a backing
board and produce a surface very much like line board yourself.
This material is rigid but lighter than MDF or plywood. Wax colour can
be applied directly to the line board surface in numerous working manners
and will perform very well for the majority of uses.
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Fabrics
But which fabric should you use? Well, Just about any will work but the
factors to consider are:
Texture of the weave - finer weaves give a more perfectly even surface
Thickness and absorbency of the fabric - natural absorbs more than man-made
Weight of the Fabric - heavier fabrics can hang better than light ones
Presentation of the work piece - some fabrics can be stretched better
than others
There are many ways to work waxes on fabric.
Sealed card wax artwork can be "printed off" onto a fabric. This
is great for decorative effects and will yield a reverse print. Silk
and fine weave fabrics are well suited to this technique so long as
the wax on the art being printed is not too thick.
Wax can be applied to the fabric directly with brushes or low-heat
tools Normally the fabric would be stretched on a frame of some
sorts for this approach or it can be stretched or laid over a heated
tray or table (plate warmer). Many devices can be made to generate sufficient
controlled low-heat.
In the 1800's a man named Count Caylus
experimented with comparisons of oil and encaustic artworks. He
placed similar paintings done in each medium in a number of situations;
in an attic (dry), in the cellar (damp), outside in the open air (weather,
sun, rain & frost). According to his reports the encaustic pieces outlasted
the oils in quality in every situation.
His technique involved stretching fabric - maybe canvas,
onto a frame of wood. He then rubbed beeswax over one side of this
stretched fabric until it was well imbedded in the fibres. The actual
painting was executed using water borne pigments and brushes onto the
non-waxed side of the fabric. When the painting was complete he would
bring the framed work close to the fire until the beeswax totally melted
into the fabric, invading the complete fibres and also capturing the
pigments. His book is in the British Library.
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Canvas
Working onto canvas can be achieved in several ways but it is
important to ensure that the fabric is stretched over a rigid background
support (MDF / plywood / masonite) to avoid the thicker areas of applied
wax paint from cracking.
- Brushes can be used to apply molten wax paint to the canvas directly.
- The canvas can be stretched over a heated surface - hot plate or
hot table - and the wax colours then applied by drawing like crayon
/ pastel or with brushes / knives, etc.
- See the Count Caylus method in the section
above
Canvas can be primed so that the absorbtion of the wax colours is less.
Remember that thicker areas of wax are also susceptible to scratching
is exposed to rough handling, so consider whether to glaze the artwork
if it is in a hanging situation where its surface could otherwise be touched.
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More...
There are so many more supporting materials that could be mentioned
here! Metals, Glass, Stone, all manner of Paper's, Plastics, etc. In
time we will add more of this information and expand these pages...
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