The document provides instructions for students on the encaustic art process. It explains that the process involves layering heated beeswax or paraffin wax combined with pigment or oil paint onto a substrate. Students are warned about fire safety and keeping the heating trays below 400 degrees. The instructions describe how to apply a base layer of wax, add color using oil pastels or hand-mixed pigmented wax, and fuse each layer before adding the next. Proper cooling is emphasized between layers. A toner transfer technique is also outlined to embed printed images under the wax. Cleanup responsibilities are noted.

1. Encaustic Process
Debora Supplitt
M.A.A.Ed./M.Ed.
Tukes Valley Middle School
Grade 7th & 8th

2. Safety First
No Smoking Trays, No Fires!!!!

3. Keep tray temperature
around 200 degrees

4. Heat Trays and paint strippers
(NOT A HAIRDRYER) will burn your
fingers!!!!
400 degrees or
higher!!!

5. If you spill wipe it up
with a paper towel!!

6. Now for the Fun!

7. First!!!!!
Put your name on the back with a
Sharpie.

8. Warm up the board

9. Coat with first layer with a
thin coat wax

10. Fuse the top layer of wax to the
substrate.

11. Cool the substrate and image with the
ventilation fan.

12. Color background with oil pastels or
blend your own color

13. To blend your own color add a chunk
of oil pastel to a tin, add some clear
medium (wax) and stir with a wooden
stir stick until melted.
Amazing colors can be created!

14. Create your Background Design with
oil pastels or paint on using the
colored wax.

15. Fuse your colored background to the
bottom layer or wax.
• Think Wax Layers.
• You must fuse each layer you put on to the
layer below.

16. Think…..
Fuse-cool-color-fuse-cool
• Cool down
• Add another
thin layer
of clear wax
• Fuse together

17. When the surface is cooled
Buff each cooled layer with the soft
pads of your hand run your hand
through your hair to pick up a bit of
hair oil.

18. Toner Transfer
Encaustic Image Transferred:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJkKERU_Sx
4

19. Cut all the extra paper off of your
mummy portrait.
•
•
•
•
•
Place your picture face down.
Make sure your board is cool.
Burnish your picture with a spoon.
Keep burnishing.
Lift a small corner to see if the transfer is
adhering.

20. To Transfer image
Rub Back of image with spoon
Wet entire back of surface and slowly/gently rub
dissolving the paper.

21. Wet entire paper, Burnish Again…
• Wet the paper
• Burnish again.
• Slowly work the paper off with the pad of your
fingers.
• Work gently.
• If picture starts to lift, stop and burnish more.
• Work in another area.

22. Throw your paper pulp in the trash not
on the floor!

23. Transfer image needs to be toner
based

24. Gently Fuse Toner Transfer
Cool and buff!!!!
• Cool and buff…
• Cool and buff…
• Cool and buff…

25. Add color with oil pastels or paint with
your created colors.

26. Gently, Gently Fuse!!!!
Or your lips will be where your eye
once was.
• Fuse just to set the oil pastels.
• If you overheat you will make it run.
• Cool and buff.

27. Touch up with oil pastels

28. Great Backgrounds

29. More
Embedded images 8th grade

30. Seventh Grade

31. 8th Grade Female Students
Exemplar
Exemplar

32. 8th Grade Males
Exemplar

33. Epic Over Fuse
and Fails

34. Wax under fused
• Bumpy surface
• Wax not transparent

35. Clean up after yourself!
I will shut the studio down!

36. Have A Waxy Good Time!