Be Art Happy
Recently I decided to marry my love of art with my love of books by creating a series of artful journals. Sometimes I use my art to create the journal’s cover and sometimes I use my art to fill the pages inside. Oftentimes, I simply start with pretty printed paper or a plain cardboard cover, and use colorful string in beautiful patterns to make the book a piece of art that stands on its own. One of the best aspects
When I walk into a bookstore or a library, the first thing I do is close my eyes just for a moment and breathe deeply, allowing the scent of the books fill my lungs. I’m not sure what it is; Perhaps it’s the binding glue, the paper sizing, the chemicals in the shiny plasticized covers or a combination of them all. Practically speaking, it’s not the healthiest air to breathe nor is it a scent
R&F Damar Resin (01100-2001) Added to beeswax as a hardening agent to help make encaustic pieces more durable.
R&F White Beeswax (01100-1025) The main ingredient in encaustic medium, this product can be found in block or pellet form.
R&F Pigment Sticks (01107-8053) Use for creating your own encaustic paint colors, or to draw directly onto the surface of your encaustic pieces to add color and to accent texture.
R&FEncaustic Paint (01101-5114) Encaustic paint can be found in a variety of beautiful colors. These are a blend of encaustic medium and pigment and must be melted prior to being applied. They are often used to add 3 dimensional, textural color to encaustic pieces. If you enjoy mixing your own paint colors, you can always mix up your own with dry or oil-based pigments and clear medium, but if you like having a selection of your favorite
Presto 06852 16-Inch Electric Skillet with Glass CoverThis kitchen appliance is one of the most-used tools in my studio. It is great for those who would like to save money in the long run by preparing their own encaustic medium. It is also great for holding and maintaining the correct temperature for your encaustic medium when you are building up those beautiful, translucent layers on your artwork. For more information and recommendations check out this article: Encaustic Tools from
R&F Hot Plate, 12″ x 12″ (01112-1212)This provides a warm, flat surface that can be used as a palette for blending your encaustic paints directly on the surface or you can use it to heat up individual trays of encaustic paint in your favorite colors. When blending directly on the surface, the light-colored aluminum surface makes it easy to see the color of your paints.
Presto 23″ Electric Griddle This handy device was designed as a cooking surface for grilling food, but works perfectly as a less-expensive hot plate option for the encaustic studio. You can use it to heat small containers of individual wax colors or melt wax directly onto the surface for use as a hot palette. The dark non-stick surface makes it a little tougher to see the true colors of any encaustic paint on the surface, and the temperature