Author: Andrew_Gott, Contributing Editor

Then, pour it into the cups or pans that you have ready to accept it. I use small muffin pan liners or paper candy cups, and try to pour a consistent amount in each one. That way, I can make up color 'recipies' later, using a pre-known amount of encaustic medium. Set these aside and let them cool. You now have encaustic medium ready to use! You can use it straight, as is, if all you want is translucent wax, or you can add pigments if you want color.

You are probably going to have some impurities in the medium, depending on the damar and wax that you use. You can see them in the pic on the left- they are bits of plant material that were in the Damar crystals. I find that most of the impurities either float to the top of the medium, or sink to the bottom. Usually, the last cup that you pour, or the 'dregs' in the bottom of the pan, are where most of the impurities will be. My medium is usually pretty clean, but you can pour it through a filter (cheesecloth or coffee filter) if it bothers you.

The pic on the left shows a block of medium ready for use- Just peel off the paper, and have at it! There are a variety of ways to add pigments. Some people use dry powdered pigments, which work quite well, but are a hassle to work with. If you go this route, make sure you know how to handle the pigments, and use respiratory protection, as they are very fine powders and many of them are actually quite toxic. I prefer using oil paints to pigment my medium. They do tend to soften the encaustic a bit, and it is advisable to get as much oil out of the paints as possible before you add the pigments. I put the paint on a small piece of oil absorbent material (sold at auto shops and boating supply stores to clean up spilled oil) for a while until the oil is leeched out of it. You can also do this with paper towels, although it isn't quite as effective. I have also added the paint straight from the tubes, it results in a slightly softer final product, but it does work if you are in a hurry! There is a LOT more to be said about adding pigment, so much more that it deserves another article- But that will have to wait for another day.

I hope that this has inspired and enabled you to try making encaustic medium on your own. Remember, there is no absolute 'right' way to do it- This is how I do it, after experimenting with various methods and recipes. I encourage you to experiment on your own, and find what works best for you and your particular style of art!