Encaustic Butterfly Garden

If you love working with a variety of art materials you will love mixed media encaustic art. Because it is compatible with so many other art mediums and because it acts as its own bonding agent, encaustic is the perfect medium to use as a starting point (and as a finishing layer) for mixed media art.

I used stencils to give this butterfly garden piece dimension and texture. The process was so simple and so much fun to do, I decided to share it here. I started with a simple base of recycled cardboard. Mine began as the backing on a watercolor pad, but practically any rigid support will do.

The first step is often about creating a smooth, bubble-free base. For this project, my cardboard is unprimed to start, and I use a white encaustic paint I mixed up myself to get the color of my base. By fusing and scraping as I add each successive layer, I am able to create a smooth, creamy base for my piece.
Encaustic application

Next, I add a graphic sun design using a stencil and encaustic paint. I usually mix up my paint colors myself, but this time I used a block of pre-mixed blue made by R&F.
Stenciled encaustic

Here it is with all three prints.
Encaustic with sun stencils

I think this looks really fun and interesting, but mixed media encaustics is all about the layers! I decide to make this into a loosely representational landscape scene, so I add my next layer using a floral stencil to create a field of flowers in the foreground.
Encaustic field of flowers layer

Now I want to add a focal point (or two). Butterflies seem to be very fitting, so I add them in.
Encaustic with embedded butterflies

A few more finishing touches to add even more interest and detail…
Mixed Media Encaustic- enhancing the edges

And the piece is done.
Butterfly Garden Mixed Media Encaustic

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about my mixed media encaustic process, and seeing the different stages it went through as I developed this piece.

To learn how I mix up my own encaustic medium, check out my video here: https://youtu.be/j1X2RBuF3Jk

Mixed Media Encaustic Butterfly Garden