Wax on Monday
Today started with a drawing and a Diet Mountain Dew. I’m doing a simple drawing, actually a rough plan, on tracing paper. Then I put four layers of wax medium on my 9” x 9” board.
In the center,here, you can still see the board through unpigmented wax. Above and below, I’ve cut away areas and filled with pigmented wax. The color is added to the wax with R&F encaustic paint and oil paint. It has taken a while to get the hang of mixing color in containers on a heated palette - I’m beginning to have a system so I can get what I want.
At this point, I added a layer of clear wax medium to level the surface and protect the work I’ve done so far. This layer was scraped back with a razor blade until it was very, very thin.
After scraping, I added some more detail. After each level, I fuse with a heat gun.
The center part is added. I’m applying the wax with a 1” hake brush and pulling it directionally to simulate wood texture in some areas. I don’t want realistic wood but I want a directional design and textural look.
This is where I left it today. Actually, I added a layer of clear medium before I left and will scrape it back in the morning. Tomorrow I’ll keep adding elements and shadows.
While I worked, Jelly was getting ready for the storm. It finally arrived around 5pm. I love working with wax while it’s storming. My watercolor work depended so heavily on good natural light. I get a kick out of working right through the thunder and lightning. The only thing that stops me is losing power!
