Encaustic and Monotypes
Encaustic consists of melted beeswax combined with pigment. Pigment gives paint its color. The molten beeswax is the “vehicle” just as oil is a vehicle in oil paint and egg is the vehicle in egg tempera, and so on. Resin is added to the wax when a harder surface is desired, as in painting.
ABOUT ENCAUSTIC PAINTING
Involves painting with molten wax, pigment and resin combined. A rigid substrate must be used or the wax could crack. The wax paint is applied with a brush, a palette knife, or poured. When painting with wax, layers must be fused with additional heat in order to bond. Care must be taken to avoid extremes in temperature (below freezing and above 140 F). Otherwise, encaustic is very stable. It does not darken or yellow. As with all paint, the color’s permanence depends in part on the light-fast qualities of the pigments used. Unlike most other paints, wax is impervious to moisture and insects! It literally “seals” the substrate!
ABOUT ENCAUSTIC
MONOTYPE PRINTMAKING
Encaustic printmaking takes place on an evenly heated metal plate. No press is needed. The Roland HOTbox™ is designed primarily for encaustic printmaking and is most commonly used for the process. It is also used to create mixed media drawings on heated waxy paper, encaustic collage work, or impregnating paper or cloth with wax. Clear or lightly pigmented wax makes thin paper or cloth translucent, allowing light to pass through. The Roland HOTbox™ also makes an excellent painter’s mixing palette.
When printing, the encaustic is most often applied to the plate’s surface in solid form- such as a block, stick, chunk, or crayon- where it melts instantly. The molten image may be further “worked” with brushes or tools. When complete, paper is laid on the plate and the image is transferred by gently pressing the back of the paper with a block printing tool, the baren, or a rag. Prints may be “single-pass” calligraphic images, which leave areas of the paper open, or the image may be overprinted many times until the paper is saturated. Overprinting creates layers of color, depth, and translucency.
During encaustic printmaking, fusing occurs as one works and no additional fusing is needed. The wax preserves the paper, giving it a longer life. If the paper is fully waxed, framing under glass is not required! This allows the beauty of the paper and image to be accessible through alternative presentations. Additionally, encaustic prints are easy to handle and store because the wax is absorbed in the paper, becoming one with it, instead of sitting on the paper’s surface. Prints will not crack and may even be rolled. Unlike encaustic paintings, encaustic prints are not susceptible to extremes of heat and cold.
Monotype vs Monoprint? Monotypes are unique images, one-of-a kind, and generally priced accordingly. A monotype is essentially a painting done on a printing plate and transferred to paper. It does not exist on the plate after printing, except perhaps a light ghost image which may be a “start” for future prints. In contrast, monoprints utilize a stencil or have an element permanently etched or applied to the plate which makes the image repeatable in subsequent editions, while other elements, like color, may vary. Encaustic monotypes are quite different than monotypes in other media and many of the techniques are not held in common.