Art In Wax : Encaustic Art By Hazel Rayfield

Encaustic Art : Hot wax painting : tools

As an encaustic artist I have a range of tools that I use to create my paintings. I am a hot wax encaustic artist, “encaustic” as an art form covering many different types and styles of painting using a wide and varied array of techniques.

I use encaustic coloured wax supplied by encaustic.com and paint onto a specialist gloss card, I have experimented (and will be experimenting further) with other supports such as canvas and watercolour paper but most of my work is on the gloss card designed for the purpose.

I have several heat tools, a couple of small encaustic irons and two stylus tools, a hair dryer and currently on my wish list is a hot plate. I use one of the irons, as an iron to create my artwork, it is amazing what can be done with such an unusual shape for a painting tool, I love how I can create light and highlight just by the angle I hold the iron at and flow of the wax. I use another iron in its up turned, mini hot plate position which is good for use to create backgrounds on small pictures and to add effects to areas on larger paintings.

My favourite tool

I do have a clear winner when it comes to my favourite tool, the stylus heat tool with the micro iron nib.

This tool I use all the time, there are very few of my paintings that I haven’t used this on. The main part of a piece maybe done using the iron, I can add a lot of detail using the iron and I get many comments on how I must have a very “steady hand” to use the iron as I do and I could quiet happily use just my iron to paint with, but why would I, when I have the wonderful stylus too! I am very impressed with this piece of equipment and what can be achieved with it.

I have two stylus tools and one has the micro iron nib on permanently. This is a small iron shaped nib just 15 x 10 mm in size and I use it many ways, I liken it to the palette knife used in oil painting, I use it to cut into the wax, to add wax, to layer wax and add detail. I use it as a flat sided tool to create the petals for my daisies for example, the tip of the nib is my drawing tool and detailing tool, I add my birds in the distance on landscapes using this tool, it is immensely versatile I find.

My second stylus has the pen nib on most of the time, but I own and use the metal brush nib, round and mini iron nibs on occasion.

Studio set up

You can see my art studio set up in this blog post from last year showing all my tools in situ, and watch me paint on youtube to see me in action so to speak with my iron and stylus!

Please visit my website art gallery to see some of the paintings created using these wonderful waxing tools.