One of the nicest things about mixed media encaustic art is that many of the tools can be found in the kitchen department in just about any big box store. What this means is that you don’t need to pay the higher prices normally associated with specialty art tools. Now, many of the specialized-for-art versions of the items below do offer some advantages. For example, the electric pancake griddle is a substitute for a pricier encaustic hot plate. The main difference is that the electric griddle has a black non-stick surface while the hot plate offers an aluminum surface. The advantage here is that when using the hot plate as a painting palette, you have a better view of the colors you are mixing. You also don’t need to worry about marring the surface. However, if you are just starting out and not ready for a long term commitment, the kitchen section just might do the trick to help you start outfitting your studio with encaustic tools.
Below are some of the key tools you can find in the kitchen department.
The electric skillet is my favorite tool and the one that I use the most. I use it to prepare my encaustic medium, and as warming pot to keep a good amount of medium at the perfect temperature when I am building up my base wax layers.
The digital scale allows me to measure out my wax and damar resin to the correct proportions, ensure a consistent blend every time. This isn’t the exact model I have in my studio, but it provides everything you need at a super-affordable price. Since it’s not critical to get the proportions exactly right (in fact, many encaustic artists have varying preferences), you can always try to measure out your beeswax and resin ratios by volume instead of by weight.
The pancake griddle is probably the most versatile of tools. You can melt and mix encaustic paint blocks right on the surface, or place the encaustic paint and medium in little pans, pots, and muffin tins and place those right on the heated surface. The only downside to this, as compared to the electric skillet, is that the melting time is slower because the heat has a bit further to travel through a few more interfaces. The temperature control is for the surface, but the temperature in the pans can vary so you’ll definitely want to get both a surface thermometer and one to use in your containers to make sure you don’t exceed safe working temperatures.
This little green pot can be used on the pancake griddle, is inexpensive, and offers all the features you need (nice handle and pour spouts on two sides) for doing an encaustic pour on smaller images.
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