Techniques

Inscribing line

After applying and fusing a few layers wax and your painting has had a few moments to cool, you can begin experimenting with etching. Using the pointed etching tool provided in your kit, begin incising lines in the wax. There are a few things you can do with the etching technique. You can wax over the incised line and fuse it or you can mix thin oil paint and sink it into the line you make. However, once you apply wet oil paint over the surface of the wax, be aware that it will need time to absorb and dry before applying additional layers of wax.

Inlaying line and Scraping

With some practice, you can produce precise inlayed lines. Here are four easy steps.

Buffing

As a finishing touch, you can buff the a chamois. Wait until the painting has had about 15 minutes to cool off and harden. Buffing the painting will give it a glasslike sheen.Additional materials you can use and experiment with for buffing:

1. Old nylons
2. Very fine steel wool (preferably four ought: 0000 on packaging)
3. Any nylon or non-fibrous fabric

Clean Up

One of the most wonderful things about working with encaustic is that the clean up is virtually non-existent. Once you have an adequate set up that you can return to, you can leave your brushes in your cans of wax for use the next time. You simply turn your hotplate off and the wax will harden with the brushes in it and you are done. However if you do need to clean up after working, here are five easy steps:

1. Put a small amount of mineral spirits in a separate can.
2. Remove the brush from the wax.
3. Wipe the brush over the top of the can a few times to remove excess wax.
4. Wipe any more excess wax with a rag.
5. Immediately transfer the warm brush to the mineral spirits moving vigorously and wipe clean.