The ancient Egyptians used encaustic paint methods to decorate their sarcophagi.
Encaustic painting is the ancient method of painting with purified beeswax, to which a particular tree resin and pigments have been added. Developed by the ancient Egyptians, the encaustic wax method was used to paint ancient Egyptian sarcophagi, Greek and Roman frescoes as well as early Christian icons. Many contemporary artists use the same encaustic methods as their ancient counterparts. They find that the results are soft, translucent colors than cannot be achieved with other mediums. Premixed encaustic wax is commercially available either online or at many artists' supply stores.
Choosing a Surface
Suitable surfaces for encaustic painting include wood, stretched canvas and canvas board. While stretched canvas may provide the look you want to achieve, you should know that because it is so highly absorbent, you will probably require more wax than you would with another surface. Nonabsorbent grounds such as metal are not suitable because the wax will not adhere to them.
Heating the Wax
To heat the prepared wax, place small tins of your chosen colors on a heat source. Many artists use an old electric frying pan or electric griddle, as it provides a safe, controlled heat source. The heat should not exceed 220 degrees F. You can actually blend your colors directly on the heat source, as though it were a palette, using natural bristle brushes. Do not use synthetic brushes because they will melt into the wax. After you have mixed your colors you can begin to paint.
Fusing the Wax
One of the difficulties with encaustic painting is that wax tends to separate when it is layered. If this happens, various parts of your painting may lose cohesion. To avoid this problem, periodically fuse the pigmented wax with a heat gun or a tacking iron. This method will make the reheated wax layers permanently bond together.
Floating Images
Create the illusion of floating images by drawing with permanent markers or oil pastels on paper, embedding the paper between layers of encaustic wax. The translucent wax will make the paper look as if it is floating. You can similarly suspend small objects within your work. Glitter, sequins, fabric and thread are all good choices.
