Priya Kapoor
Encaustic Medium is an essential component of encaustic painting, a blend of beeswax and damar resin used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. R&F Encaustic Medium is available in block form, and can be used to extend R&F Encaustic Paint Blocks.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Composition | 100% USP-grade beeswax, Singapore-grade damar resin, and chemically pure pigments |
| Additives | None |
| Dryers | None |
| Colour | Intense and brilliant |
| Varnish | Not required |
| Reworkable | Yes |
| Shipping | Temperature-controlled |
| Form | Block or pellet |
| Weight | 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, and 10 lb bags, or 333 ml cakes |
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What You'll Learn
Use encaustic medium
Encaustic medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin, and is used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. It is important to use encaustic medium with your paints, as using only beeswax will reduce stability and produce a bloom on the painting that is only removable with heat. Encaustic medium is available in either block or pellet form.
The encaustic art form has seen a resurgence in popularity since the 1990s, with artists using electric irons, hotplates, and heated styli on different surfaces, including card, paper, and even pottery. Wax crayons are also used as an inexpensive and accessible medium for crafting and art education. Encaustic paints are a very spontaneous and versatile medium and can be modelled, layered, sculpted, textured, and even combined with collage materials.
To make your own encaustic medium, you will need to source filtered beeswax and damar resin crystals. The damar resin crystals are added to the beeswax to make the medium more durable, and to raise its melting temperature. You will also need to heat your skillet to 220°F (never above) and use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. Some people prefer to melt the beeswax first, while others melt the damar resin first with just a bit of beeswax, and still, others put them in together. You can experiment to see what works best for you.
Once the damar resin crystals and wax are combined, you can strain the medium by ladling it through a cloth into a prepared container. You can use elastic bands to hold cheesecloth in place over your container. Once filtered, you can ladle the medium into muffin cups or other moulds.
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A blend of beeswax and damar resin
Encaustic Medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin, used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. It is an essential supply for encaustic painting, as using only beeswax will reduce stability and produce a bloom on the artwork that is difficult to remove. The damar resin in the encaustic medium raises the melting temperature, making the wax less susceptible to heat damage. It also allows the medium to cure and harden over time, making it more durable and preventing blooming, a whitish haze that can appear on the surface.
The blend of beeswax and damar resin is available in either block or pellet form, with the pellets being easy to measure. The ratio of beeswax to damar resin is typically 8:1, with a minimum of 10% damar to wax and a maximum of 30%. Commercially made encaustic medium generally has a ratio of 20% damar to beeswax. When making your own medium, it is important to maintain the proper ratios to ensure the desired properties of the medium.
To make your own encaustic medium, first liquify the damar resin and immediately reduce the heat to 200°F/93°C. Add in the beeswax and stir periodically as the wax melts to evenly distribute the damar. Once the wax and damar are completely liquified and well blended, filter out any organic particles. Then, transfer the medium into a silicone baking mold and allow it to solidify before removing it from the mold.
The organic debris released from the damar will settle at the bottom of the mold and can be scraped away once the wax is cool. This process may need to be repeated several times to ensure a clear medium. The scrapings can be remelted and reused until they become too dirty to salvage.
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Prevents blooming and discolouration
R&F Encaustics are handmade wax-based paints with unique properties. They are made in the USA with traditional milling machines, a very controlled and slow process. There are no additives or dryers in these paints, so the colour is intense and brilliant, and the pigments' characteristics shine through.
To prevent blooming and discolouration of R&F encaustic paint blocks, it is important to use an encaustic medium with the paints. The encaustic medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin and is used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. Using only beeswax will reduce stability and produce a bloom on the painting that is only removable with heat.
Additionally, sealing the painting with varnish can help prevent discolouration. While encaustic paintings do not need to be varnished, some artists choose to do so for protection. Varnishing can also make it easier to clean the painting in the future. However, one should be cautious when choosing a cleaner, as ammonia and water can dissolve the wax in the painting. A mild soap or a specialised cleaner like Golden's removable acrylic final varnish can be used instead.
Discolouration can also be caused by various factors, including exposure to sunlight, mould or fungi, and chemical pollution. Exclusion from natural daylight may cause yellowing of paints containing drying oils, while exposure to bright sunlight may result in fading of some pigments. To prevent discolouration, it is necessary to establish its cause and use materials resistant to the conditions.
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Available in blocks or pellets
R&F Encaustic Medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin, used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. It is available in blocks or pellets, with the option of 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, and 10 lb bags, or 333 ml cakes. The pellets are convenient as you can easily pour out the desired quantity. However, they can soften in warm environments and stick together, forming a block. To counter this, you can place the bag in a plastic container and freeze it.
The encaustic medium is essential for encaustic painting, providing stability and preventing bloom on the painting. It is composed of 100% USP beeswax and damar resin, with the damar resin hardening the beeswax and raising its melting temperature. Beeswax is the main component of encaustic paint and is decolorized through mechanical filtration, making it less reactive to pigments. Damar resin is a hard natural resin from a family of deciduous trees in the East Indies.
R&F Encaustic Medium is a high-quality product, with users praising its colour retention and effectiveness in encaustic painting. It serves as an excellent base for further layers of paint and can be used with other waxes like microcrystalline or carnuba wax. The medium is also available in a clear variant.
The versatility of encaustic paint is enhanced by the use of R&F Encaustic Medium, allowing artists to create transparencies and extend their colours. This medium is a must-have for any encaustic artist looking to explore the unique properties of this ancient art form in the modern era.
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Extend colours and create transparencies
Encaustic paints are a type of wax-based paint that can be modelled, layered, sculpted, textured, and even combined with collage materials. R&F Encaustic paints are handmade in the USA with traditional milling machines, a slow and controlled process. They contain no additives or dryers, so the colour is intense and brilliant, allowing each pigment's characteristics to shine.
R&F Encaustic Medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin that can be used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. It is available in either block or pellet form. Encaustic Medium is perhaps the most essential encaustic supply, and it is important to use it with your paints as using only beeswax will reduce stability and produce a bloom on the painting that is only removable with heat.
To use Encaustic Medium to extend your colours and create transparencies, you can add it to either opaque or transparent colours to create beautiful glazes and extend colours. It can also be used underneath a painting to build up the surface of your substrate or cast and sculpted in any number of ways.
You can also create transparencies in encaustic paint by mixing various ratios of matte gels and mediums with different amounts of paint. This can give a more enhanced look of actual beeswax. Options include a fluid medium like Fluid Matte Medium or Matte Medium, or a thicker consistency that can be brushed or tooled with a palette knife, such as Soft Gel (Matte or Semi-Gloss) or Regular or Heavy Gel (Matte or Semi-Gloss).
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Frequently asked questions
R&F Encaustic Medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin, used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints.
Encaustic paint is a type of wax-based paint.
Using R&F Encaustic Medium with your paints is important as using only beeswax will reduce stability and produce a bloom on the painting that is only removable with heat.
R&F Encaustic Medium can soften in warm environments and stick to itself. To avoid this, store the bag in a plastic container and place it in the freezer until frozen.
R&F Encaustic Gesso is a water-based ground that is specially formulated for encaustic painting. It is a more absorbent and receptive surface for wax-based paints.
