As a photographer I'm out taking images all the time. Sometimes one grabs my attention and I know it's a perfect image for my encaustic process. Once the image has been edited it's printed on a high-quality 100% cotton photo paper. After sitting overnight to "breathe" it's time to start.

 

First, the paper has to be thoroughly soaked in hot encaustic medium. I do this with the image side down so I have a better look at how the wax is being absorbed.

 

 

You can see the paper darken as the wax sinks in.

 

The next step is to blot any excess wax off the image to get it ready for step 2.

 

After a quick buffing it is ready for the cold wax to be applied. I use a couple different tools for this application starting with using a sponge to make sure I get into all the nooks and crannies of the textured paper that I use.

 

 

The cold wax gives a softer sheen than using encaustic wax alone, which is very shiny. Because cold wax contains mineral spirits, each coat has to be dried for 48 hours before the next is applied. Two to three costs are what I normally use to protect the images fully.

 

The last step is buffing. Using a soft cloth the art is buffed to a satin shine. The resulting texture is almost like leather.

 

 

The result is a flexible piece of art that can either be framed or adhere to a panel.