Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Now you see it, now you don't!

Two Pears ~ Encaustic ~ 6 x 6
Well, I really did like these little guys, and did them as an experiment in the first place.  I was happy enough with them, but needed to continue experimenting.  Although I liked the texture I had created, I would have liked the piece to have been a tad smoother.  So, I had bought a second-hand iron at the thrift shop and tried to level the painting off.  Oh, the iron worked, and I was trying to get the hang of the iron on the wax, and got carried away, and I melted the whole darn thing off the board!  I am being brave about it, and not too upset.  I am getting better about pushing the envelope to see how far I can go with these new experiments.  So, this time I went too far, but will know the next time.

Just so you know, there IS a "special" iron for encaustics.  One brand is $40, and the other is $50.  Since I am on a steep, self-taught, learning curve, I am trying to keep "investments" to a minimum, so a $3 iron is what I am using for the moment.  I have read a bunch of blogs and instruction sites, and have seen most of the YouTube videos on encaustics, and some artists use a regular iron, and others say you MUST use the encaustics iron.  Do you think this is like other mediums, in that the better quality of materials and tools impact the results?  I am not sure ... yet ... but will let you know!

3 comments:

Martha Kisling said...

Dee - I seriously love your encaustic paintings better than any I have seen anywhere else. I feel like encaustics are often too bland in color and design but yours all have vibrant colors and great compositions - they jump off the canvas! You are inspiring me to give encaustics a try soon :)

RH Carpenter said...

Oh, I'm sorry to hear of the demise of this one - it really was lovely! I liked the texture and rough look of it - like a Van Gogh oil painting with brushstrokes :) Good luck on the experimentation!

Dee Doyle said...

Thanks Martha and Rhonda, I so enjoy getting such supportive comments from fellow artists. As yo uca ntell, I am still a bit tentative with these, but am pushing through. A painting friend and I are working on a group of these for a local show. Combined with my watercolor batiks [which I really feel comfortable with and love sharing] we are going to call it The Wax Works!