About Encaustic Wax Painting

Series Summary

Encaustic painting is an art form which involves heating and shaping beeswax then adding color to it in order to achieve the final appearance of the work. The wax can be shaped with custom tools such as heat guns or by more common means such as a clothes iron or hot plate. A variety of materials such as photographs, cards, even pottery, can be waxed onto the painting to give it a collage effect. The technique dates back to ancient Egyptian mummy portraits, though can be seen in the works of 20th-century artists such as Jasper Johns.

In this free series of art lessons on video, you will learn the basics of encaustic wax painting. Expert John Vandebrooke will tell you the tools you need, then demonstrate how to set them up for your first wax painting masterpiece. Learn how to make the wax as well as how to choose a surface conducive to this new medium. Once you get started, John demonstrates how to manipulate your work-in-progress a number of ways, including with a tissue and with a stylus. He also shares tips on how to utilize this fun new skill to perk up your scrapbooking projects!

Video Transcript

"I want you to take a look at beginning encaustic painting. We're here at Gallery North, which is an artist owned co-op in Edmonds, Washington. And I've invited you here to talk to you about encaustic painting. Now, encaustic painting means melted wax painting and it's a very old ancient art form. The Egyptians were doing it 2000 years ago and if you're a traditional encaustic painter, you usually have a hot plate like a pancake griddle on which you put a whole bunch of pots, melt different colored waxes, dip brushes into it and begin to put very heavy layers of wax on usually a wooden board. Then they will carve into that wax, put things into that wax, pour different colors into it and sometimes build up a quarter-inch thick of wax. I use a different method. I call it a European encaustic painting method that I learned from Michael Bossom in Wales, and this is all done with hot tools."