Happy Friday! Since my return from the Southwest and Paula Roland’s Encaustic Monotypes Workshop this fall, I have been experimenting with my encaustic monotype process and have really been loving it. I thought it would be fun to give you peek into what I have been doing and show you the making of my newest piece, “Into the Woods.”
Encaustic monotypes require me to surrender, use tools that often result in unpredictable outcomes, and force me to stretch and grow as an artist. This past week has been cold in Philadelphia, but I have used my hotboxes to keep me warm in the studio as I work.
A bit about the process… Encaustic monotypes are prints made from wax paintings transferred onto paper.
The painting is created using solid pigmented wax sticks, brushes, sponges, and other tools on the surface of a heated metal plate, a hotbox.
The heat from the hotbox allows the artist to manipulate the paint with her tools and refine her painting before transferring it to paper.
The use of pigmented wax paint allows the artist to build layers of texture into her painting.
And repeating the process merges multiple layers of rich color and texture creating a complex, one-of-a-kind painting.
I hope you have enjoyed this little peek into my studio! I look forward to sharing more of my monotypes in the coming weeks and months.
i love it – I had a teacher once that gave us a bag of paint chips and that is what we had to paint with that week – it was a great learning experience. So I think exploring monotypes is a great idea! I love watching the process. I’d like to know about the process of transferring it to paper – that is something new for me!
I’m curious about the process as well. Do you transfer it to paper for each layer so that the complexity builds up on the paper gradually, or is the entire work done on the hotbox and transferred all at once?
I find Encaustic painting very interesting but no little about it. Thanks for the step-by-step. Your piece is lovely, Dora.
Your pictures of this process are great!
Hey Vickie,
Thank you!
What did you make with the paint chips? that sounds like a cool project!
So, I melt the wax in a hot box heated by 4 100 watt lightbulbs. I use 2 hotboxes so it’s 8 lightbulbs.
I lay the paper on the warm wax and it picks up the paint. I keep doing that for all the layers I want.
Hi Debra,
Yes, I do layer by layer and it does build up on the paper. It’s a wonderful process which I love. Thanks for coming to my blog!
Thanks so much, Mickey! Encaustic is a wonderful medium. So much you can do!
Thank you, Suzanne! I appreciate your comment!
I have local friends that do encaustic on board. I haven’t seen it done on paper. I love the look. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Barbara, I also do encaustic on panels. I started learning about monotypes a few years back and really like it. So, now I do both. Thanks for your comment!
It’s great to see and read about your process, Dora. I look forward to seeing more! Thanks for sharing.
Love learning this, it’s all so new to me…Thank you!!
Great information…Love learning this, it’s all so new to me…Thank you!!
Thank you, Joan Marie! I like that you are learning something new to you. 😊
My pleasure! Thank you for your comment!
Fascinating! Thank you for those great photos!
Fun! I loved seeing this – especially the result.
Thank you, Alyson! I’m in love with this process!
Thank, Natalya! My wonderful friend and assistant took the photos. She is amazing!!!
What a gorgeous image! And a wonderful sharing of the process!
Thank you, Liza!!!