A versatile & useful stylus tip

Not to be without!

• start by dipping the tip of the micro iron into the wax paint

• place the lower edge of the micro tip onto the artwork where you want to deposit the wax . Then you can start spreading it in whatever manner you need to. Here it is basic a vertical stroke to create the main trunk of the small tree form

• continue to push the wax around with the edge of the micro iron tip, creating a skeletal structure for the tree. Reload with extra colour if necessary.

• when you are happy about the initial shape and structure it is time to add foliage

• before changing colours it is advisable to clean the tip in the standard fashion - get a tissue pad and wipe the heated tip to remove the wax colour. For pristine tools simply dip the tip into some clear wax and wipe off with clean tissue.

• There are several ways of adding foliage to the tree so here you can see the approaches but not a completed result.
• for dots and spots use the tip inverted
• dip the end into some green wax ready for application

• gently tap the tip end onto the card. Dots, spots and even blobs will fall off onto the artwork.
• the more wax you have on the tip the less hard you need to tap
• a variety of similar colours is needed so developing a collection of card colour palettes is a good idea ....

• to use the tip in the normal fashion, with the foot or part of it touching the artwork, just load by gently allowing it to melt into the wax block colour - No 23 is good for starting the darker shades of foliage

• deposit the wax onto the card in the area where you want to create foliage, then gently spread and work the colour around using the tip end

• this fairly heavy and blocky colouring can be good for solid foliage types - Scots pine would be an example

• if you coat the complete foot of the micro iron tip with wax it can be applied in a dab and lift manner

• deposit the colour then work it around by lifting on and off with the complete foot. Don't press to hard and work quickly to avoid too many outline marks from the edge of the tip

These three styles are a quick introduction to some basic approaches possible with the micro iron tip.

Don't judge this resulting tree, just notice the possibilities offered by these different manners of technique.