My first encaustic canvass

Cast your mind back 15 years...what were you up to? My hair was extremely short and spikey and I lived in black and purple striped tights with teeny tiny demin shorts, purple and green (hand painted) doc martins and a hand painted leather jacket!!!  (no there are no photos!!).

At this time I discovered encaustic painting.  I used to paint with wax, an iron and a paint stripper.  After a couple of years I must admit I wasn't too bad.  I was lucky enough to be awarded a permit by Bath chamber of tourism and commerce to sell them on the streets of Bath.

Wind forward 15 years and after a clearing out session I came across my old kit!  Now, I am not really into this sort of thing any more (they still look great, its my tastes that have changed) but after doing a bit of research (mostly on Cloth Paper Scissors site, SO love that magazine) I realised that I could use the clear wax blocks as a way of finishing off some of my collage work that I have been experimenting with (I have never tried collage before and I must admit I am loving the experimenting!) as an encaustic top layer.

So, a few weeks ago, my mum went to Ecuador for my brothers wedding and I took a day off work and spent it painting with my dad.  It was a fabulous day, we are both reasonably new to acrylics so we are learning things together.

I built up layers on the canvass with acrylic paints, acrylic inks and some dylusion ink sprays through a stencil.  I added some black paint through some sequin waste and distressed the edges with some vintage photo distress ink.

I then added some torn vintage music paper (again dyed with DI) and adhered them with multi medium.

I stamped the heart and the saying onto tissue paper (I am constantly saving tissue paper when I find any...on birthday gifts, wrapped round cosmetics....if its free I try to use it!!) and once again stuck it to the canvass. The tissue paper literally "disappears" into the canvass and you hardly notice the edges at all!


I added some charcoal around the music paper and heart to add a little depth.

I then melted the encaustic wax with my iron and dripped it all over the canvass.  Once covered I then ironed the piece to smooth all the waxed layers and gave it a final buff to bring out the shine.

For a first attempt I am quite pleased I will definitely do it again. My dad painted a fabulous blue canvass which he later added stamped flowers and butterflies onto.  It was a great day and one I hope to be able to do again.

Kyla