REVELATION

encaustic
REVELATION
Cutting-Edge Techniques from the Masters of Encausticamp
BONUS DEMOnstrationS AND MORE
Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch
Cincinnati, Ohio
artistsnetwork.com
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Shary Bartlett
lutradur photograph shadow box
When briefly and lightly distressed with a heat gun, Lutradur melts to create evocative organic, crusted lace patterns. Printed with a photographic image, dipped in wax and nestled into the reverse side of a cradled wood panel,
printed Lutradur images allow light to shine through, giving them luminous dimensionality. Here’s a project to
get you started on your discovery of this versatile spunbonded fiber!
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Supplies Needed
bristle brush (to apply
encaustic medium)
copy paper/carrier sheet
Jacquard Pearl Ex pigment
powder and/or Jacquard Lumiere
metallic/pearlescent paints
cradled panel (10" × 10")
Lutradur (approximately 81⁄2" × 11")
digital photo (high contrast,
black-and-white or color)
masking tape
electric skillet
paint brush (small)
encaustic medium
printer
glue stick
protective gloves
hammer
scissors
nails (4, decorative or upholstery)
heat gun
Cut a piece of medium-weight Lutradur slightly smaller than a sheet of standard-sized printer paper. Tape the
Lutradur with masking tape ½" from one end of a sheet of paper. Be sure no fabric extends past the edges of
the paper. For added adhesion, run a glue stick around the inside edges of the fabric to more firmly attach it to the
carrier sheet of paper. You will still be able to easily remove the fabric from the paper when the time comes. (As an
easier alternative, use C&T Publishing’s Lutradur Mixed Media Sheets, which are formatted 81⁄2" × 11" for ink-jet
printers. [Follow printed directions.])
Prepare your own digital photo or copyright-free image for printing in high contrast black-and-white or color; ensure it
has several areas of negative space, which will lend it to being burned through with lacy holes. Print your image onto
the Lutradur and remove the it from the carrier sheet of paper. Allow the ink to dry.
Trim the printed Lutradur to fit the reverse side (the well
side) of a cradled wood panel. A 10" × 10" cradled panel fits
a standard printer sheet nicely, with an inch gap to spare
on two sides to allow light to shine through. If you wish to
soften the four edges of the fabric with a melted deckled
edge, cut two edges slightly longer than the box (i.e.: to an
8" × 101⁄2" sheet). Stretch the print over the well and secure
it to the panel with tape.
With a heat gun on a low setting held 6" from the Lutradur,
slowly heat the areas of the image you wish to melt. You may
wish to practice on a scrap a few times before committing
heat to your treasured image! Begin slowly and keep the heat
source at a distance as the fabric can melt quickly. Carefully
approach and retreat the gun from the fabric to discover the
effect. Try to remove the heat just before you achieve the
perfect-sized lacy hole, as the fabric can continue to melt
even after you stop heating it. You will discover that Lutradur
transforms to a delicate lace-encrusted look and texture.
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Remove the Lutradur from the cradled panel. Melt
encaustic medium in a deep electric skillet. Dip the Lutradur
photograph in molten wax medium.
Allow excess wax to drip off, holding the Lutradur parallel to
allow wax to drain off evenly. Allow the wax to firm up.
For added flair, highlight the fabric’s outer edges and the
insides of the lacy holes with a hint of Jacquard’s Lumiere
metallic/pearlescent paints or Jacquard’s Pearl Ex pearlescent
powdered pigments. Fuse lightly with a heat gun.
Add a deckled edge to the Lutradur by heating the edges of
the sheet.
Tape off any edges or sides of the panel that you wish to
remain unwaxed. Then prime the edges surrounding the
well and the well itself. You may add additional layers of wax
(fusing after each layer) if desired.
Highlight the edges with a bit of Jacquard’s Lumiere metallic/
pearlescent paints or Jacquard’s Pearl Ex pearlescent
powdered pigments. Fuse lightly with a heat gun.
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HOT TIPS
• P
rinter ink colors should not run in the wax,
during the dipping or fusing stages. However,
shades may change somewhat when heated. If
this happens, be open to happy accidents and
the serendipity of creativity!
• A
ffix your Lutradur photograph shadow box to a
wall using picture wire, or stand it on a table.
When the wax has cooled, attach the fabric tautly and firmly
to two sides of the panel using decorative or upholstery nails.
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Kathryn Bevier
encaustic monoprinting
Color mixing has always been fascinating to me. Endless color worlds can be concocted from just three colors.
My adventures with encaustic monoprinting began because, at the end of my painting sessions, I would have
the hardest time disposing of the paints that remained on my palette. So I began t o collect them with different
papers, mostly printmaking papers. I did this by laying the paper over the puddles of paint and letting the paper
absorb the liquified wax. I wasn’t thinking in terms of printmaking … yet. But in essence that is what I was doing.
I use these “gatherings” as I call them as starting points for my paintings, books and soft sculpture. What follows is
a slightly more formal and effective way of bringing the printmaking component into your work as a final piece.
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Supplies Needed
hog bristle and hake brushes
raw wood panels
anodized aluminum printing
plate
wax medium
pottery tools
Slick Wax
Princeton Catalyst tools and
Color Shapers
a variety of printing papers
a variety of encaustic paints,
including Wax Snaps
heat gun
pancake griddle
Set up a registration guide and prepare the papers you will
use for printing. Your registration guide can be as simple as a
sheet of paper at least 1" greater in size (on each of the four
sides) than your anodized aluminum printing plate.
Placing the plate in the middle of the registration paper
and mark off the outside edges of the printing plate with a
pen or pencil, making sure you have at least 1" excess paper
all the way around the plate. Prepare your printing paper so
it is the same size as your printing plate. This will allow for
a border should you need one.You will use the top corners
of your registration paper to serve a guide as to where to
line up your printing paper. This is especially useful for when
multiple lifts are desired.
Set the temperature of your palette between 150–165°F.
The lower the temperature, the more control you will have
over your paints. At lower temperatures, your paints will still
be liquid and you will notice that any detail you create in the
paint will remain in the wet paint.
Draw or paint your design onto the printing plate with
encaustic paint. The paint will easily melt onto the heated
surface of the plate. The slower you move the paint across
the heated surface of the plate, the more paint will melt.
Move quickly for thinner lines and strokes.
HOT TIP
While the paint is on the plate it will stay
liquefied. You may use a brush at any time to
add more paint to your printing plate or to
move the paint around to create detail.
HOT TIP
For free form prints, registration is not
necessary.
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Carefully place your paper over the printing plate, using the
registration marks to ensure your paper is properly placed.
Gently press the paper onto the melted encaustic to transfer
it to the paper. If the paper is thin and/or highly absorbent,
you may not need to use any additional pressure to facilitate
the paint transfer.
If you use a thicker printing paper, you may wish to use a
baren or brayer to apply extra pressure. In this case, lay a
piece of newsprint over the back of the printing paper and
gently roll or rub over the surface of the paper. Remove the
newsprint, and gently peel the paper away from the plate to
reveal the printed image.
Clean any paint residue from the printing plate. (A paper
towel works just fine.)
Apply a second color of encaustic paint to the printing plate
as desired.
Use soft silicone tools and items such as cotton swabs and
paper towels to remove paint from the plate and further
build your design.
Determine how you want to place the new color and repeat
the process of transferring the paint.
Gently peel the paper away from the plate to reveal the
printed image.
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Continue adding and marking into paint ...
... and transferring paint to your paper until you are satisfied
with your print.
HOT TIP
Clean the printing plate between lifts by
using paper towels to wipe off plate while it
is still warm. Use Slick Wax or Soy Wax and
paper towels to clean your brushes and tools.
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