How to Make Encaustic Art Page 1
How to Make Encaustic Art Page 1 Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................3 The History of Encaustic........................................................................................................4 Encaustic 101................................................................................................................................7 Where to find materials......................................................................................................8 What you need to get set up.............................................................................................9 Making your Medium........................................................................................................10 Cautions!.................................................................................................................................11 Encaustic Critique....................................................................................................................12 Encaustic Monotypes.............................................................................................................14 What do you love about Encaustic? ..................................................................................16 Teaching Encaustic..................................................................................................................18 Making Encaustic Gelatin Monotypes.............................................................................20 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................24 Paper Sources.......................................................................................................................28 Bibliography..............................................................................................................................30 How to Make Encaustic Art Page 2 Introduction What is Encaustic Painting? An ancient type of painting done with beeswax. We'll go over how to make encaustic medium, where to find the tools and materials to make it, how to fuse the wax together, how to embed objects in the wax, and SO MUCH MORE! This is truly an endlessly fascinating medium of painting. Encaustic can be like sculpture. It can be figurative. abstract, and everything in between! Wherever you are on your painting journey, using encaustic will show you that even your mistakes can turn into happy accidents! About the Author Mazarine Treyz has taught encaustic art since 2007. She is passionate about encaustic and her students call her "joyful" "playful" and "practical" when it comes to instruction! Mazarine Treyz has been the student of some of the top encaustic artists in the USA, including Jef Gunn, teacher at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and Linda Womack, author of Embracing Encaustic. She has had encaustic shows in Portland, Oregon, and Texas. See examples and classes at http://encausticarts.net How to Make Encaustic Art Page 3 The History of Encaustic According to Encaustic.com, Encaustic means : "to burn in" This is a process of applying molten wax colours to a surface for the creation of images, decoration and so forth. It started over 2 millennia ago. No one can say for sure exactly what the components of the wax paints were since there are several formulae and a number of application techniques discovered for the creation of the original Roman Egyptian wax portraits. The wax colors appear to have been applied with some swiftness which would certainly make sense if the wax was molten and liable to cool on the brush if not handled with some speed.1 Encaustic Painting During The Ancient Times Encaustic painting is one of the world's oldest art forms! The earliest applications of encaustic wax paint was done by the artists of Ancient Greece -- hence, where the Greek term "enkaustikos" comes into play meaning "to burn in". Greek artists were using wax paint to adorn sculptures, murals, boats, and even architecture. They also used wax paint to highlight the features of the marble statues placed around the Acropolis. Greek art spread to Egypt during the 1 http://www.encaustic.com/features/history/history.html How to Make Encaustic Art Page 4 Hellenistic period and with a large Greek population, it didn’t take the Egyptians long to adapt to the use of wax paint. Greek-trained Egyptians started to incorporate encaustic paint into their paintings as well as mummification practices. The most well-known encaustic paintings from those Ancient Times are beyond a doubt, the very life-like Faiyum Mummy Portraits of Egypt (shown here). These portraits were created to be placed over a mummy as a memorial and had impressive details of realistic looking facial features. These portraits not only showcased the advanced skills of the ancient portraiture artists but also demonstrated the unique qualities of encaustic paint. It is incredible to see how well these Faiyum mummy portraits have been preserved over time. Despite being over 2000 years old, they are still on display in museums today withstanding the test of time with minimal cracking and without having faded or darkened in color. As encaustic painting flourished in Greece and Egypt, it was also inevitable to spread to Rome. Pliny, the Roman historian, wrote in 1st century C.E. that encaustic wax paint was being used in the Roman portraits and mythology paintings done on panels. Pliny also noted that it was a popular trend of Roman aristocrats to possess encaustic paintings in their villas leading us to believe that encaustic paint did hold popularity and prestige. In fact, Julius Caesar himself commissioned an encaustic painting from the artist Timomakos. Archeologists have been able to discover some Roman encaustic paintings. For instance, a painting on slate depicting Cleopatra being bitten by the asp was found near the ruins of Hadrian’s villa. After the Roman Empire fell, artists began turning to cheaper, quicker paint instead of the encaustic paint because the ancient heating process was so laborious. They obviously did not have our modern tools which make the encaustic process so much more accessible for us now. 2 2 http://encausticpaints.com/Resources/HistoryofEncaustic/tabid/407/Default.aspx How to Make Encaustic Art Page 5 Example of ancient encaustic Fayum burial portrait. How to Make Encaustic Art Page 6 Encaustic 101 What is encaustic? Where did it come from? Where is it going? What's going on here? Can we just get on with painting already? Absolutely. In this chapter you'll learn how encaustic medium is made, how to create your own unique pallette, how to use blow torches and heat guns, how to clean brushes, and how to embed objects in encaustic paintings. Watch out, you'll get hooked by the smell of beeswax and the luminous wax surface! Here’s a link to an instructional video going over the details of Encaustic 101, what I will tell you about below. Encaustic tools- 3 3 • The brush • Hot brushes • The tjanting tool • The clay tools • The pallette • Muffin Tins • hotpot • Dentist tools • Bottles and Cans • Newspaper • Magazine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4G_G6564cA How to Make Encaustic Art Page 7 • Photocopies • Photographs • Fabric Where to find materials Cheap Beeswax: (You want 1 lb cake white refined beeswax, trust me, I TRIED unrefined beeswax, and ALL of my colors came out looking yellow!) Dedant, https://www.dadant.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=77 Cheap Pigments: Sinopia, http://www.sinopia.com/ their starter box (with plastic jars) is now $35, so, it's a bit more than I thought, but still MUCH cheaper than buying pre-made encaustic pigments, and the jars last FOREVER. Oil Sticks: You can find cheap ones at an art store, these last a long time too, and just remember to peel the skin off the outside of them. Damar Crystals: Can get from a number of art stores, they aren't cheap but last a long time. Brush-cleaning: Soy wax (expensive, at Jerry's) or Paraffin, for canning, (much cheaper!) (melt it in a bean can on the griddle, just stick brushes in), usually can find paraffin in cooking stores or in cooking aisles of grocery stores. Fun collage materials: http://skybluepink.com (They are CHEAP too!) How to Make Encaustic Art Page 8 What you need to get set up 0. Crock Pot (it's 1 handful of damar (crushed in a mortar and pestle), 1-2 pounds of wax, find your right formula) 1. A Presto Griddle (don't turn it above 300, 250 should do the trick) 2. Muffin Tins (it should go without saying, but don't use these for food after you use them for painting) 3. A heat gun OR A Fat Boy Propane Torch from the hardware store, or regular, as long as you have an adjustable flame and "gun" action to light it. (Don't get a torch without that adjustable flame, it's really frustrating to light it every time) 4. Some cheap brushes from the hardware store 5. Some radiata pine plywood from the hardware store, cut into 9 x 9 or 10 x 10 or, you can use "Hobby wood" 6. An Extension Cord 7. Paper towels (to clean the muffin tins, make new colors, etc) 8. Gardening gloves (to move the muffin tin when it's hot) 9. Butter knife to lift the pigment out of the jar How to Make Encaustic Art Page 9 Making your Medium Put the wax and damar in the crock pot, let all wax get completely melted, the damar will sit on the bottom of the crockpot, melt that first, (it has a higher melting point than wax) and then put the wax in. Then take a tuna fish can and dip it into the wax, put it into your muffin tins on your griddle. Now you're ready to add color! You can dip your butter knife into your pigment, and put it into the wax, and stir it, until you have the color you like, OR You can take your oil stick (that you peeled) and rub it in a circle on the bottom of the muffin tin (until you have the color you want). Painting your piece: When you're heating the wax to fuse it, just make it look wet. You don't have to do more than that for most layers (Except the first layer, REALLY get in there and make sure the wax is absorbed all over the board. You can also put wax on ceramic, on heavy glass tiles, on metal, etc. Do NOT put on canvas. It will fall off. How to Make Encaustic Art Page 10 Cautions! A: If you are afraid of inhaling anything pigment-wise, first, dip your butter knife into wax, THEN put it into your pigment jar, THEN put it back into the muffin-tin. That way, the pigment will be SURE to stay on the knife, and not fly away in the wind. B: Do NOT use your stove for making encaustic, I know it is tempting, but these pigments should not be near your food. And beeswax is natural, but you don't want to have it near your food either. C: When putting wax on your board: Remember, when you put wax on one side, you need to put wax on the other side too, otherwise the wood will buckle. D: Remember, it's important to have good AIRFLOW when doing encaustic. If you have a patio or a covered garage, that is ideal. Inside, 1 window open? Only if you have a strong fan, and the door open too. I think that's everything... I'd also recommend buying "The Art of Encaustic Painting" by Joanne Mattera, because that has TONS of encaustic ideas, tells you more about supplies you'll need, as well as a sort of who's who in the encaustic painting world right now, which is neat. How to Make Encaustic Art Page 11 Encaustic Critique Here's what I learned about art critique at the Encaustic Conference. I admit that I kind of cringed at the title of a talk about critique, because I think all of us have been afraid that our work is no good, that we just shouldn't go on. Right? But this is a way to do critique that helps you see themes in your work, and it uses gentle questions that allow you to get deeper into your art. Toby Sisson's questions for dialoguic critique These questions can increase understanding, generate new ideas, break boundaries, explore meaning, and help you get unstuck. Judgement is not useful. Do I like it? Is not important. You can critique your work with a series of internal and external questions. You can do this 1x a month, sit with your work. Internal dialogic inquiry: Ask yourself; 1. Where do my ideas come from? Do they come from artistic ancestors? Personal experience? Nature? Culture? 2. What is important to me? 3. What do I wonder about? Think large, big questions 4. Who is my audience? Do I want to be direct? Mysterious? 5. What will I leave behind? How to Make Encaustic Art Page 12 External questions (for your art buddies & you) 1. What do you notice first and why? 2. What is unexpected? (Can help discover the most creative element) 3. What do you want to see more of? (can emphasize attributes) 4. What confuses you? (opening to gentle criticism, phrasing things always as questions) 5. What does the work evoke? (must directly address meaning) Give up knowing and pursuit of the answer to pursuit of learning and questions. Did you like these? Are you going to use them? How to Make Encaustic Art Page 13 Encaustic Monotypes How would you like to learn more about encaustic monotypes? David Clark's Finessing the Monotype was a FANTASTIC demo! Here's what he said: The encaustic monotype is all about: • Heat • Paint • Paper • Pressure • Process This is all about Giving physical form to your ideas and intention. • Heat: Your sweet spot is 170 degrees to 175 degrees. Can be between 140200 degrees. Get a thermometer for your hotbox surface. • Paint: He likes ivory blank, pewter, cooper yellow and cadmium red. • Paper: He likes Rives BFK. • Pressure: use a baren or two. He doesn't use rollers but you could. • Process: He has a hake brush, viva paper towels, rubber stamps, rollers. How to prepare a paper stencil: 1. Put paint down 2. Put stencil down 3. Crush down with newsprint and a roller 4. Do another pass and add more paint 5. Crush down with newsprint 6. Add medium to residue on plate 7. Put stencil down, then newsprint 8. Put same side down every time, so you have a wet side and a dry side. Can take 5-7 passes to saturate the stencil (juice it up). 9. Clean the plate with medium, not soywax or parrafin. 10.Put the stencil wet side down, skip it up off the plate to create little lines. 11. Can make clean margins with blue painter's masking tape. 12.Can print with the image side up, and stencil paint side down. Asides: How to Make Encaustic Art Page 14 If you want a smaller print, put a fondant mat or silicone mat on your hotbox, so the top plate will not scratch the bottom plate. Keep the barens moving with a stencil, you don't want to get an image of the baren. To make Stencils: Use 003 Duralar, cut with an exacto knife, heat resistant mylar to make stencils, also newsprint with shapes cut out. You can also use Kozuke paper for stencils Don't use metal stencils, they can scratch the plate. You can reserve the paint on stencils forever! When you put medium on the plate to wet the stencil, remember, metallic paints don't have as much moisture, need more medium. Want to see an example of finessed monotypes? Check out David's installation at the conference! Isn't that wild? Yes, he really put red arrows all over his entire room. Walls, lamp, table, ceiling, bed, curtains, door, everything. Then he took a nap! How to Make Encaustic Art Page 15 What do you love about Encaustic? "I love the accidentalness of the medium. It's seductively beautiful, the sheen, the transparency, the drying time"-Howard Hersh "I love the tension between the fragility of the medium and the potential permanence. You see things that are visually accessible that you can't get to. That seems euphoric"-Pamela Blum "I wanted transparency and I wanted things to float. The work became a process of discovery."-Elise Wagner "I like encaustic because it's somewhat outta control! I tend to overthink, so I specifically like media that adds a surprise, that doesn't let me be too tight."Paula Roland "Civilization is based on misunderstanding. I have tried to misunderstand it as best I can." -Pamela Blum Form like shape, size and color interacts with content. Form can be part of the content. Technique can distract from the work. A lot of the artists at the conference said, "Call yourself an artist, not an encaustic artist." -Pamela Blum. What are ways to look at a piece? • Emotional • Symbolic • Intellectual • Metaphoric • Intellectual • Narrative How to Make Encaustic Art Page 16 "Art can inspire an awareness, help us question, ponder and feel." -Pamela Blum "If we connect with our pure beliefs and interests pain is not merely decorative." -Pamela Blum "Doing your art is a way to discover yourself." -Pamela Blum Do you like these quotes? It definitely helped me think about art in a different way. How about you? How to Make Encaustic Art Page 17 Teaching Encaustic If you've ever wanted to teach encaustic, or you know some people who are teaching, they might be interested in some of the discussion that went on at the conference towards creating standards and practices in teaching. We had a lot of different people in the room that helped us think about how to teach workshops from your studio, or how to teach at the high school, middle school, or college level. People all came away with a better understanding of ventilation, and some ideas of how to help people understand encaustic and art. Here are my notes from the talk. It was presented by Cherie Mittenhall, ED of Truro Center for the Arts and Sara Mast Professor of Art in Montana. Towards Standards and Practices in Teaching! What should we teach when we try to teach encaustic? 1. Safety. How to easily set up ventilation 2. How to set up stations and be fastidious 3. How to prep your painting surface 4. When you're teaching, how do you teach without people copying what you're doing? Teach the technique. Do demos. Let them copy you if they want. They're learning the technique. It's not your job to help them fit it into their own work. 5. Immerse the students in the language of being an artist. Teach about How to Make Encaustic Art Page 18 values, and shapes. Give them a list of vocabulary to carry with them, and use it over and over. 6. At the college level, students develop several ideas, and figure out which idea is the most productive. It takes 3-4 weeks for someone to develop an idea. 7. You might start by teaching art history. Help people get the concept of what art is and our place in the bigger picture. 8. Then give an introduction to contemporary artists working in encaustic. 9. Then teach people what it means to be a conceptual artist 10.THEN how to use encaustic to present their concepts 11. Go through the foundations, give them several processes, then take them to the next level. 12.Teach content all the way. Say, next class, your job is to use this medium to express your ideas. Ask students to take responsibility for their own learning. The thing about encaustic is it's just another medium, says Joanne Mattera. The nice thing about it is that it helps us really think about materials, be more conscious about what materials we're using. What did you think? Would you add anything to this list of things you would teach in an encaustic class? How to Make Encaustic Art Page 19 Making Encaustic Gelatin Monotypes When i first saw Lisa Zukowski's incredible gelatin monotypes, I asked myself, "HOW WAS THIS ACCOMPLISHED?" And then, wonder of wonders, she showed us how, at the encaustic conference! and NOW I'm going to share with you what she did. Making gelatin monotypes with Lisa Zukowski Ingredients: 8 cups of water 1 cup of gelatin (ratio: 1 tablespoon gelatin to 1 cup of water) Cheap non-drying Kids' Modeling clay and a cookie sheet 8 colors of Encaustic Cuni Paint Spray bottle full of water A plexiglass plate Paper towel Paper: You can use cardstock computer paper, it has a hard, cold surface that works really well. Wallpaper rollers Speedball extender to extend the paint and keep the viscosity consistent. Stencils made from 4 mill double mat mylar How to Make Encaustic Art Page 20 Instructions: 1. Mix up your gelatin, 1 cup gelatin for 8 cups water, she mixes the gelatin in 2 cups cold water and then 6 cups boiling water. 2. Put it on a cookie sheet or use a plexiglass sheet with cheap modeling clay around the edges. 3. Keep the gelatin in the fridge. It sets relatively quickly. 4. Put dabs of encaustic cuni paint on your plexiglass plate, and 5. Mix the paint with transparency or speedball extender to keep them going longer. 6. Keep them wet with a little spraybottle full of water. 7. Coat the gelatin plate with paint with a brayer or a brush 8. Work from light to dark, work with the white of the paper. If everything has the same value, it looks muddy. 9. You can use a pallette knife to remove color. 10.Put the paper down, tape the edge, and roll over the paper. Stencils! Use 4 mill double mat mylar for your stencil. Remove ink from the plate. Can put the stencil down on plate 2, roll another color, put a little pressure on and press it with your hands. Textures: You can use a mop head, kids stencils, sponges, Clean your plate: Water and paper towel. Make sure you dry it. Asides: Make consistency go from paint to ink by adding water and extender. Extender is good for the base layer. Some pigments are drier than others. Ultramarine is dry, for example. The heat of your hand will melt the gelatin, so you need to not touch it too much. The First couple prints are usually dreadful. The gelatin has a breaking in process. You don't have to fuse it but you can throw on hotbox for 10 minutes or less. How to Make Encaustic Art Page 21 Instructions for making a Gelatin Plate You will need: ordinary children’s clay, plate glass or Plexiglas, level, Unflavored gelatin, water, heat source To prepare the mold • • • • • Roll the clay into a coil about 1/2" diameter and press onto the clean glass or Plexiglas sheet. Make sure the clay is firmly adhered, with no gaps. Place on a level surface. (Check with a level). Pour prepared gelatin mixture into mold, in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight, and allow to set undisturbed for several hours or overnight. Once the gelatin is set, you may remove the clay from the gelatin (pull away slowly and carefully), or cut out your desired shape and size with a thin sharp knife. Large Quantity Method Ratio is 1cup gelatin to 8 cups water • Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. • Mix 1 cup of gelatin with 2 cups of cold water in a separate container • Add the gelatin mixture to the boiled water and stir well, until lumps are dissolved. • Allow the mixture to cool. • Skim off any foam or bubbles. • Pour into mold, thickness according to your preference, 3/8" is good • Coax any bubbles to the edges with newsprint or paper towel so the surface is smooth • Allow the gelatin to set, then cut plate to your desired shape and size. To Yield One 6x8" Plate 2 Rounded Tablespoons Powdered Gelatin + 1 cup water • Place water into pan. • Slowly sprinkle gelatin over water, and stir in gently. • Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring gently. How to Make Encaustic Art Page 22 Remove foam and bubbles, and allow the mixture to cool slightly. • Pour into mold, thickness according to your preference. (3/8" is good) • Coax any bubbles to the edges with newsprint or paper towel so the surface is smooth • One cup of prepared gelatin will be enough for a 6x8 inch plate. Three cups will make a 12 x12 inch or 11 x 14 inch plate. How to Make Encaustic Art Page 23 Conclusion This book is only the beginning. I can’t wait to hear about YOUR encaustic journey! Feel free to email me at [email protected] Peace, Mazarine How to Make Encaustic Art Page 24 Ink Suppliers for gelatin monotype Cuni Water Soluble Encaustic Paint This new product when modified produces excellent results. The paints are highly saturated, and can be thinned with water, or made transparent by means of Cuni medium. Custom colors can be created by adding pigments to the untinted medium. The retarder also serves to make transparencies and increases the open time. They can also be intermixed with acrylic screen ink extenders. Available at Cuni Encaustics at http://www.encausticcuni.com or from Miles Conrad Encaustics at https://www.custom-encaustics.com/store/catalog/index.php? cPath=93_90&osCsid=0grkn22i6b5iuoap9fe0nesl26 Daniel Smith Water Soluble Relief Inks Daniel Smith water soluble relief inks are highly saturated, of professional quality, but are only available in a limited range of colors. They can be used with a gelatin plate, but need to be adjusted somewhat. I prefer to thin them until they function like thick watercolor paint. All in all, they are a definite improvement over other water based relief inks. A starter set is available, but these inks are only sold through Daniel Smith. They have a mail order catalog, and a web site. Daniel Smith PO Box 84268 Seattle WA 9812-5568 800-426-6740 www.danielsmith.com Createx Monoprint Inks, pigments, and fabric dyes Createx makes a line of monoprint inks and pigments that you can mix with their monoprint base. Although they are usually used for monotypes by allowing the ink to dry on the plate and then printing with wet paper, they work well with direct application. However, they do not work for an intaglio or off set process. They can be found in most art supply stores. There is a How to Make Encaustic Art Page 25 good selection of colors. I find these to work well, but the finish is a bit flat for my taste. I know of some artists who swear by them. The one benefit is that they are readily available, unlike the previous two inks. Createx Color Craft, Ltd. 14 Airport Park Road East Granby, CT 06026 800-243-2712 www.createxcolors.com Speedball Permanent Acrylic Screen Printing Ink Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink for Fabric Speedball Water Soluble Screen Printing Ink http://www.speedballart.com/ Also available at most art supply stores. The fabric ink stays open longer, and the water soluble has a matte finish. Versatex Screen Printing Ink http://www.jacquardproducts.com/products/paints/versatexscreenink/ Similar to Speedball. Can be thinned with water, or create transparencies with extender. Available at better art supply stores. Work on fabric, but must be heat set for permanence. Other Choices Most water-based media are also compatible with the gelatin process. Some additional options would be: Akua-Kolor Water Based Inks Rostow & Jung 214 East 4th Street New York, NY 10009 212-473-4670 www.waterbasedinks.com Gouache and Tempera Watercolors Mimeograph Inks How to Make Encaustic Art Page 26 Golden Paints Open Acrylics show promise for use with gelatin printing. In addition, their line of fluid acrylics also can be incorporated into the mix. I would not recommend the heavy body acrylics, with the exception of an accent here and there, and only as a top layer over a wet ink base. Suggested Reading : There is only one book that I know of on the Gelatin Process. It is Making Monotypes Using a Gelatin Plate, by Nancy Marculewicz. Unfortunately, the book is currently out of print. It may be obtained by some booksellers, but the last time I checked it was selling for $150. Gelatin Suppliers: Knox unflavored gelatin (available in supermarket) I buy my gelatin from www.bulkfoods.com. You may buy gelatin directly from Knox, but only in very large quantitites (25 lb minimum). How to Make Encaustic Art Page 27 Papers Several papers are compatible with the gelatin process. The papers listed are by no means the only ones you could use; there are several papers that will be suitable. The choice of paper is one of individual taste: experiment and choose ones that suit your personal aesthetic. Johannot Arches Cover Folio Hosho Professional Lenox Mulberry Stonehenge Rives BFK Rives Lightweight Somerset Japanese papers Paper Sources Here are some suggestions for paper suppliers: Dick Blick http://www.dickblick.com/ New York Central Supply 62 Third Avenue New York, NY 10003 1-800-950-6111 http://www.nycentralart.com/ Renaissance Graphic Arts, Inc 69 Steamwhistle Drive Ivyland, PA 18974 1-888-833-3398 www.printmaking-materials.com Japanese Paper Place http://www.japanesepaperplace.com/ How to Make Encaustic Art Page 28 Artist and Craftsman http://www.artistcraftsman.com Paper Connection http://www.paperconnection.com Hiromi Paper Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan Avenue, G-9 Santa Monica, CA 90404 1-866 HP WASHI (1-866-479-2744) or 1-310-998-0098 http://store.hiromipaper.com/ Pearl Paint www.pearlpaint.com 308 Canal St. New York, NY 10013 212-431-7932 Daniel Smith PO Box 84268 Seattle WA 9812-5568 800-426-6740 www.danielsmith.com How to Make Encaustic Art Page 29 Bibliography Books: Embracing Encaustic: Linda Womack The Art of Encaustic Painting: Joanne Mattera Groups: International Encaustic Artists Websites: Examples of Encaustic art: http://encausticarts.net http://jefgunn.com http://andreabenson.com http://elisewagner.com http://joannemattera.com Encaustic Art Material Resources: http://dedant.com Beeswax http://Sinopia.com Pigment Eduardo Espinosa [email protected] 512-293-5363 does cradled boards for cheap. 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