Making Encaustic Paints

Here is my studio, and here I am preparing my encaustic paints... to paint with. I am going to show you the process. I use bees wax, dammar varnish, and powder pigments. I need proper ventilation, so I open the window above, despite the cold (-15 today...)

 I use stainless steel cups to melt the wax on a heating tray, on a muffin tray and on a melting pot for larger amounts of encaustic medium.

Once the wax is liquid I add the dammar varnish, and last I add the dry pigments. I combine all with the end of an old brush, making sure it is dissolved and uniform. Then I let it cool down, and once the paints are cold I can begin working. I will tell you about how I use them in another blog.