Beeswax is a great medium for creating incredibly diverse art pieces. There are two distinct techniques that I will touch on in this section: batik and encaustic. These two techniques provide fertile ground for bringing out the creative spirit in everyone, and with a few safety precautions, are a lot of fun to do. There are some specialized tools that make it easier to achieve, but none of them are too exotic.
Batik is an ancient art form that dates back at least 2,000 years. It is essentially a resist technique, which means that color is being protected from additional dye by being covered with wax. Each color builds on the sum of the previous colors. It is an art form that can takes years to perfect, a vision for the end product, and patience to see the piece through all the steps needed.
Much as I would like to call myself an artist, I am not. But I do like to do artful things and this is right up my alley. I like that batik can be as intricate or simplistic as time and skill will allow. The two projects included in this section are perfect for beginners and they create items that can be used once completed.
Basic hardware and craft-store tools are all that is required, but there are some specialized tools that can be a lot of fun to play with. One that I like to use is a tjanting, which is a stylus that holds molten wax and dispenses it through a narrow tip. It is held like a pen or butter knife. The art-supply store in my area had a set of tjanting tools in small, medium, and large, which was perfect since I had no idea which size I needed to make my vision a reality.
The wax is generally a blend of beeswax and paraffin. Depending on the ratios of the two, different effects can be achieved. The more paraffin the more the wax will crackle and let some dye through. Personally, I love this effect, so my blend will do a bit of that. Adjust the proportion of the wax blend as desired—more paraffin, more crackle; more beeswax, less crackle.
Also, I encourage you to learn from my mistake and purchase new paraffin wax for batik, rather than recycling used candles. Although candles may seem like they are all paraffin, they may contain oils and other fillers. The oils will not wash out easily and may leave a permanent grease stain, in addition to making the wax more pliable, which is counter to why the paraffin is added in the first place.
For batik, I like to use specially designed cold-water dyes that do not require heat. The grocery store dyes should work as long as they are prepared according to the directions and then allowed to cool. If the dye bath is too warm, it will melt the wax. Wetting the fabric with cold water first will allow the fabric to absorb the dye more evenly. Leave it in the dye bath until the desired tint has been achieved. I recommend using fabric scraps to test the dyeing time. Have several that can be pulled out at regular intervals, given a quick rinse and tossed in the dryer to see how that color looks dry. Once the dry sample is the desired color, remove the batik from the dye bath and rinse with cold water until the water is relatively clear. This is especially important with batik, since any “free” dye remaining in the fabric may tint the areas where there is wax.
There are two ways the wax can be removed: boiling it in hot water or ironing it with paper towels. When deciding which route to go, I would suggest using the dyed sample fabric to check the dye’s colorfastness. The easier, cleaner way to remove the wax is by putting the whole piece in a stockpot and boiling it. The wax floats to the top and can be skimmed off when the pot cools. The other method is to use a hot iron and melt all the wax into some paper towels. If going with the ironing method, I would suggest multiple layers of newspaper to protect the table surface, then several layers of paper toweling then the batik piece and then another couple layers of paper towels. Keep replacing the paper towels until all the wax is removed.
INTERMEDIATE
For this project, I decided to use a stamp to apply the wax. I found some old rosette molds tucked away and thought they might work really well, and they do! But it doesn’t have to be a rosette mold. Metal cookie cutters work well as do some kitchen implements such as the old-fashioned potato masher. The important points to keep in mind, is that they need to be able to take the heat and they need to be able to be picked up and positioned on the napkin. With cookie cutters, try clipping a clothespin to the edge. For this project, we will only use one dye bath.
I will be using 60 percent beeswax, 40 percent paraffin wax blend for this project. How much is needed will depend on the size of the electric skillet and the tool being used. With my rosette molds, I found that the wax only needed to be 1/2" (1.3 cm) deep.
1. To prepare the napkins, soak the napkins for an hour or so in a solution of water with some detergent and washing soda added. Rinse well and dry.
2. To prepare the wax, add the beeswax and paraffin to the electric skillet and slowly warm until it is melted. Set the skillet temperature to between 180°F and 200°F (82°C and 93°C) to ensure that the wax stays liquid, but not too hot.
3. Place the first napkin in the embroidery hoop, centering the area where the wax resist will go in the frame. The embroidery hoop is used to keep the fabric tight and to raise it up from the table so that the wax can go all the way through the fabric. Keep in mind that if the hoop is smaller than the intended design, you will need to move the hoop to complete the design. I would suggest a pattern that will work with the size embroidery hoop you are using. Trapping a waxed area between the hoop parts will probably leave a mark.
4. Now for the design, I like to have a concept in mind, but I tend to leave the actual details of the design to the moment. I love a bit of serendipity in my designs. For this project, I have chosen to do a repeating pattern with my rosette mold. Move the napkin as close to the hot wax as possible to prevent the stamp from cooling enroute to the napkin. Cool wax doesn’t penetrate the fabric as well as hot wax. Also, work quickly. The longer you take to line up the stamp, the more likely it is to drip where it doesn’t belong. Let the stamp warm up in the wax for a minute or two. Especially with napkins, which tend to be a slightly thicker fabric, it is important that the wax be hot and plentiful. Practice on a scrap piece of fabric before starting on the actual napkins.
NOTE: I like to use a large flour sack towel as a sample piece to try out different ideas, either stamps, or patterns or brush techniques. Once the fabric is filled up, I put the whole thing in a dye bath to see what the finished effect will be.
5. Once all the napkins have been printed, allow them to cool completely and prepare the dye bath according to package instructions. Submerge the napkins in cold water to get them completely wet and place all the napkins into the dye bath at once so that the color will be the same for all of them. Also throw in a couple sample scraps of fabric to use to check the color periodically. Once the color is the right density, remove the napkins from the dye bath and rinse them in cold water. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear.
6. Gently squeeze out the water and hang the napkins, allowing them to dry completely.
7. Once dry, iron or boil the napkins according to the instructions on page 105 to remove the wax. When deciding which method to use, consider the color fastness of the dye. Fragile dyes are probably best ironed to remove the wax.
INTERMEDIATE
For this project, I decided to use a free-form technique that works well for brushes or tjanting tools. As with the napkins, I will be using 60 percent beeswax, 40 percent paraffin wax blend. How much is needed will depend on the size of the electric skillet and the tool used to apply the wax. If a brush will be used, the wax level should probably start out at about a 1/2" (1.3 cm) deep. To use a tjanting tool, the wax level needs to be deeper in order to be able to fill the tool with wax.
1. Follow steps 1 through 3 of Batik Napkins on page 106 to prepare the dish towel, melt the wax, and place the dish towel in the embroidery hoop.
2. For this project, I have chosen to do a wavy lines motif. It is easy to do with minimal tools and doesn’t require a lot of artistry. I do suggest that you place a sketch of the motif next to the towel to use as a reference while brushing on the wax. For my wavy lines project I didn’t need this and used freeform lines.
3. There are a few things to keep in mind before actually putting wax to fabric.
• First, the wax will bleed a bit, so choose a brush size that is slightly smaller than the desired stroke width.
• Second, a brush does not hold much wax, and the start of the brush stroke will probably be fatter than the end. This can be used to an advantage, but needs to be taken into consideration when planning the start and stop of the line. This is less of an issue with a tjanting tool, since it has a built-in reservoir for wax.
• Third, the wax needs to be hot enough, probably between 180°F and 200°F (82°C and 93°C) to create a wax layer that goes all the way through the fabric. As soon as the brush is removed from the electric skillet, the wax will start to cool and at some point the wax will no longer penetrate the fabric. Ideally, this happens after the wax on the brush runs out.
Place the brush in the hot wax for about 15–30 seconds, or until the bristles heat up and find their natural shape. Paint the wax onto the towel, moving the hoop if needed. Once the design is completed, let the wax cool and prepare the dye bath.
4. Wet the waxed fabric with cold water first so that it will absorb the dye more evenly. Transfer the wet towel to the dye bath and soak it until the desired tint has been achieved. Then remove the towel from the dye bath and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
5. Hang the towel until it is completely dry. Once dry, it can be ironed or boiled to remove the wax depending on the preferred method and color fastness of the dye (see page 105 for details on wax removal).
Encaustic comes from the Greek word enkaustikos, which means “to burn in.” The concept has been around for millions of years and it involves painting with hot beeswax, which may or may not have color added to it. Today, artists are doing more than just painting with it; beeswax is being used for collage and mixed media art pieces our forefathers never dreamed of.
What I love about encaustic is its diversity of uses. Encaustic can be used to create bold pieces with saturated colors; create light, ethereal works; or spare and monochromatic pieces that can all be equally stunning and highly individual. Pieces can be very dimensional or completely smooth. Encaustic can also be used to create mixed media pieces utilizing found objects to create one-of-a-kind works of art.
Although one can buy encaustic medium and encaustic paint ready-to-use, I have included the basics on how to make it here. Encaustic is essentially just beeswax and resin, but pigment may be added as well. The resin increases the melting temperature and adds luster, hardness, and shine once the piece is fully cured. The added resin also makes the paint more brittle, which is why I recommend using a nonflexible substrate, such as wood, tile, or a specialized encaustic board, for this project.
Although it is possible to use traditional yellow cappings wax, I strongly urge the use of “white” beeswax. When I first tried encaustics, I used yellow beeswax, which was what I had on hand. I added my pigments and thought I could work with the yellow undertones, but all I ended up with was muddy colors and very childish-looking artwork. It was a waste of wax and pigment! I now use only white, bleached beeswax and have had a much easier time creating works that I am proud of.
INTERMEDIATE
There is artistry even in the making of the medium. The desired finished effect will determine the exact ratios of beeswax to resin. But keep in mind that if too much resin is used, the medium will become too brittle and could flake off. If not enough resin is used, the piece will be a bit soft and prone to dust accumulation. I like the proportion of 9 parts beeswax to 2 parts damar resin. Others prefer a ratio of 10:1.
1. Melt the beeswax in the electric skillet, heated to the 180°F–200°F (82°C–93°C) range. Once the wax is melted, add the resin and stir until all the resin is melted and incorporated. This will take a half hour or more, so be patient. There will be some impurities in the resin that will not melt. Ignore them for now.
2. Pour the wax and resin mixture into the loaf pan and allow the wax mixture to solidify. Cover the work surface with a layer of wax paper. Once the wax is hard enough to remove from the loaf mold, but still slightly warm to the touch, invert it over the wax paper.
3. The impurities that were in the resin sunk to the bottom and are now visible. Use the large knife to cut or scrape them off. I like to keep the wax scrapings and add them to the next batch of encaustic medium that I make so nothing goes to waste.
NOTE: Damar resin can be purchased at art supply stores either locally or online.
4. Use the knife to cut the clean portion of the beeswax/resin block into smaller cubes that are easier to use as is, or are the perfect size to toss into a tin and mix with color.
INTERMEDIATE
In many ways, encaustic paints are like watercolor and oil paints. When there is just a tiny bit of pigment used, the end result is more of a wash, as with watercolors. If a lot of pigment is used, the end result is more like oil paints, creating super-saturated vibrant colors. I use French mineral pigments, which have some transparency and a nice range of colors, but any kind of powdered artists’ pigment will work.
1. Heat the electric griddle to 200°F (93°C). Make sure the temperatures does not rise above 220°F (104°C), or the wax may begin to smoke and degrade.
2. Since I make my own medium and I have already cut the beeswax/resin blocks into manageable pieces, I just toss a couple of chunks into a mini loaf pan and put the pan on my hot griddle.
3. As the beeswax/resin blocks melt, I add a touch of artists’ pigment to a 4 oz (113 g) flat-bottomed tin.
NOTE: If I am making saturated, super-strength colors, I like to mix them in 4 oz (113 g) flat-bottomed tins, either blending them with encaustic medium directly on the electric griddle or adding the concentrated color to a mini loaf pan and diluting it as desired.
4. Then I add pigment to the melted beeswax/resin and stir with my brush until it is fully mixed. I keep a piece of absorbent paper on hand to test the color density. It is much easier to add more pigment than it is to increase the size of the color batch by adding additional encaustic medium. Now you’re ready to paint!
BEGINNER
This is an easy beginner project that utilizes the paints you just mixed. Since this is artwork, there are no rules on what can or cannot be done, but there are a few guidelines.
After applying each layer of wax, it must be fused to the layer below it using either a heat gun or a small butane torch. I prefer the latter for most of my work. Fusing the wax is as easy as quickly moving the torch over the wax and watching it go from matte to shiny. That’s all the heat that is needed; any more, and the wax will move or develop heat spots. It takes a bit of practice to master the amount of heat and the methodology, but it is a fairly easy learning curve.
Observe proper safety precautions. Make sure the space is properly ventilated. Wear gloves to protect hands from hot wax and concentrated pigments. Never leave the electric griddle or any other electrical tools plugged in and unattended. Never let the encaustic medium and paint exceed 220°F (104°C). Keep a fire extinguisher on hand, just in case.
Make sure that the encaustic medium or paint has turned matte before adding another layer. A matte finish means it has cooled enough to apply more wax.
1. For this project we will put down lots of translucent layers to give the piece depth. To start, pick a color palette of three colors. I chose turquoise green, lavender blue, and blackcurrant red and I mixed just the amount needed for this project in my mini loaf pans, adding just a touch of color and painting it on my sample Kraft paper to make sure it was what I wanted—a light wash.
2. Warm the panel with the heat gun to make it \easier to apply the wax. Brush the encaustic paint onto the panel in the three colors selected, covering the whole panel from left to right in random stripes.(A) Fuse this layer with the heat gun or torch. (B)
3. Rotate the piece clockwise 90 degrees and paint similar stripes going the other direction. Fuse to the layer below.
4. Apply multiple layers on top of the first layers, always turning the panel clockwise 90 degrees and fusing with the heat gun before adding the next layer. Since the colors are somewhat translucent, they can be layered with great effect. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Notice that with each layer the color gets darker and a bit more saturated.
5. Once all the layers have been painted on and fused, I added a small square of silver to float on top. It is a fun, visually interesting touch that you can add using silver leaf, but I have chosen to use Joss papers. Joss papers, which are made to be burnt as offerings in various Asian religious ceremonies, can be found at Asian grocery stores or online. Ignore the fact that some are silver colored and some are gold. All will yield a silver result.
6. To do the transfer using the Joss paper, cut out a square of silver to the desired size. If the panel is still very hot, allow it to cool a bit, but if it has been sitting longer than 30 minutes, use the torch to warm the spot where the silver will go. Be careful to just warm the wax, making it slightly sticky, not so soft that it will move around when applying the silver. If using silver foil, no additional sizing is needed, just apply according to directions.
7. Place the Joss paper piece face down on the artwork and rub with a burnishing tool. Once the whole square has been burnished, remove the backing paper by adding a couple drops of water and rubbing the paper gently with your fingertips. It will start to ball up and lift off. Continue until all the paper has been removed.
8. Make one more pass over the silver square with the torch to remove any residual paper fibers that could cloud the piece later.
9. Set the piece aside to cool and cure completely for a couple days and then buff it with a paper towel or nylon stocking. Stand back and admire!
INTERMEDIATE
For this project, I use a collection of printed paper napkins and uncolored encaustic medium. There are some wonderful graphic napkins out there that can easily be turned into works of art. Look for napkins with a good proportion of white space and great graphic elements.
1. To prepare the napkins for use, first remove the backing paper. Most commercially available napkins have one or two layers of white paper attached to the graphic paper on the front. Remove those extra white sheets. An easy way to do this is to take a piece of painter’s tape or masking tape and stick it to the white backing paper and pull. The paper will rip, but that’s okay, since it will not be part of this project. If there is another piece of white paper, remove it the same way. Now, all that’s left is the super thin, graphic paper that can be added to encaustic panels.
2. In order for the paper to stick, the panel needs to be sized with several layers of encaustic medium. Warm the encaustic medium and the brush that will be used for applying the medium in a mini loaf pan on the electric griddle.
3. Before applying the wax, warm the panel with the butane torch or heat gun. Then cover the panel with medium using brush strokes that go from one side of the panel to the other until the entire panel is covered. Use the torch to fuse the medium to the board. Turn the piece clockwise 90 degrees and repeat, adding another layer and fusing with the torch. Keep doing this until four or five layers are built up. The piece should be relatively smooth. (See photos at right.)
4. With napkin pieces torn or cut into interesting shapes to capture all or part of a graphic element, begin to plan the arrangement of the pieces on the board. Keep in mind that the white areas will be almost transparent when medium is applied, so adding just a couple elements with each layer works well. Then, as the layers progress, the overlap of papers becomes really interesting. Elements that got added early on will start to recede into the background as additional layers of wax are added to the top. This can be used to great effect.
5. Toward the end, consider adding other elements to the collage. Most, if not all, of the elements need to be embedded in wax to hold them in place. Take care when fusing around protruding elements that are not completely waxed, such as dried leaves, since they might burn. It is best to wax the element and then apply at least part of it to the art board.
6. Once the work is complete, let it cure for a couple days and then buff it with a nylon stocking or paper towel.
