www.shawnamoore.com
Complete Workshop Schedule:
http://www.shawnamooreworkshops.blogspot.com/
Please watch my youtube video prior to attending the workshop! It will give you an idea of how I work, and the possibilities of encaustic painting! http://youtu.be/T7fkIKcET14
Shawna Moore Encautic Painter
Encaustic and Pigment Stick Workshop
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this workshop we will simplify the encaustic studio and the process of painting. Using thin coats of encaustic paint (wax and resin) applied with bigger brushes and high quality pigment in stick form, we with “trap” our marks, drawings, and mistakes under layers of wax to create rich and dynamic images. Learn how to create smooth, depth-filled paintings. Abstract, landscape and collage techniques will offer opportunities for manipulating the wax and learning about this exciting medium each day. If you are new to encaustic painting, don’t worry, we will cover the basics to get you started and then begin adding design, image and additional media to the process.
SYLLABUS
Introductions
Meet the Artists
Learning the Basics
What is encaustic?
Studio safety
Availability of materials
Tools of the trade
Materials
Demonstration - Abstract
We will all begin with a small wood panel. Use the wax bath and the wide brush to cover the panel with a couple overlapped strokes. Make sure to fully load the brush and make sure it is hot. Fuse this first layer so that the wax soaks into the wood. Continue until you have built up a thick surface of 4 or five layers of wax, fusing between each layer. If the panel gets too hot, let it cool before moving on. While the panel cools, dig through the boxes of chains, grids, and wire. Prior to making your marks you will run a hot iron over your wax surface to smooth any seams in the wax and to create an interesting painting for your under painting. The wax surface responds differently to the iron if it is cool or warm so this will affect your surface. You will now add a thin layer of oil paint. Wear gloves to keep your hands and work area clean. Use the cheaper paint as most of this will get wiped away. Use oil and a blue towel to gently dissolve the oil paint and leave just enough to reveal this initial layer. Lightly fuse this thin coat of oil paint, after making sure not to leave too much oil or any clumps of oil paint. Cover this under painting with a thin coat of encaustic paint (wax) using a thick brush. Now you can begin to press in chains or metal grids or make drawings into the surface. One rule to follow at this initial stage is to not make the painting too dark too soon. Try to stick with similar colors at this point and create a harmonious palette. Highlights and imagery can be added later. Any marks or drawings can be reinforced with a thin coat of oil paint or pigment stick, lightly fused and then covered with a thin coat of wax to seal the layer. Continue moving up through the surface, adding imagery and maintaining a sense of light from deep within the painting. Think Italian fresco, old parchment, and beautiful stone cliffs with Indian petroglyphs.
Demonstration - Landscape
You begin a landscape inspired encaustic painting in the same way you begin an abstract one. Make sure your panel is clean and begin with a coat of warm wax using the thick brush. Build up 3 or 4 layers fusing after each layer. You might want to create an under painting at this point by using the iron and a thin coat of oil paint wiping away what you don‘t need and what taking care not to make the painting too dark too soon. Don’t forget your gloves! Make sure to fuse lightly and then cover the under painting with a thin layer of wax. Fuse the wax lightly and begin drawing your landscape with the pigment sticks. Wear your rubber gloves and draw with the stick itself, your fingertip or a swap. At this point, don’t get carried away, just hint at the landscape. Remove any extra paint or mistakes and lightly fuse. Cover this first attempt with a thin coat of wax and then repeat until you have created the sense of depth and detail you desire. At this point you can draw on top of the landscape using transfer paper or add textural detail by drawing into the surface or pressing things into the wax to make marks. Think of the way trees and hills are reflected in water and the atmospheric paintings of Turner.
Demonstration - Collage
Prepare a panel as you did for previous paintings. You may want to repeat the step where you create texture with the iron and the oil paint, unless you think you will be covering the entire panel with collage. I like to use pages from old books, maps, and Asian papers with characters and writing. Collage with encaustic is easy. Warm the panel and then dip the paper or collage item into the wax. Gently drag it along the side of the hot plate to remove extra wax and then place it on the warm encaustic painting. Use your fingers or a flat tool and work out any extra wax or air bubbles from the center of the collaged piece. Lightly fuse here. You may want to “antique” the edges of the paper or panel at this point with a thin coat of oil paint that is gently wiped away and fused. Leaves are fun to collage with, whether you leave them in the collage or gently pull them out and just use their shape as an imprint or drawing. Take a few leaves and experiment with attaching them to the surface by dipping them and then lightly fusing. Add wax over the top and experiment with how much coverage you want between the leaves and the surface. Try to fuse the final surface without igniting the leaves. Continue to experiment with additional materials like pattern pieces or photos. The trick is to not light your collage elements on fire as you fuse and to build a them around the collage elements or drawing you choose. Think of Ashley Collin’s horse paintings and the way yellowed photographs and old paper is so interesting. The paintings could feel like opening an old trunk in an attic and coming across interesting treasures.
Review of techniques and questions.
Meet the Artists
Learning the Basics
What is encaustic?
Studio safety
Availability of materials
Tools of the trade
Materials
Demonstration - Abstract
We will all begin with a small wood panel. Use the wax bath and the wide brush to cover the panel with a couple overlapped strokes. Make sure to fully load the brush and make sure it is hot. Fuse this first layer so that the wax soaks into the wood. Continue until you have built up a thick surface of 4 or five layers of wax, fusing between each layer. If the panel gets too hot, let it cool before moving on. While the panel cools, dig through the boxes of chains, grids, and wire. Prior to making your marks you will run a hot iron over your wax surface to smooth any seams in the wax and to create an interesting painting for your under painting. The wax surface responds differently to the iron if it is cool or warm so this will affect your surface. You will now add a thin layer of oil paint. Wear gloves to keep your hands and work area clean. Use the cheaper paint as most of this will get wiped away. Use oil and a blue towel to gently dissolve the oil paint and leave just enough to reveal this initial layer. Lightly fuse this thin coat of oil paint, after making sure not to leave too much oil or any clumps of oil paint. Cover this under painting with a thin coat of encaustic paint (wax) using a thick brush. Now you can begin to press in chains or metal grids or make drawings into the surface. One rule to follow at this initial stage is to not make the painting too dark too soon. Try to stick with similar colors at this point and create a harmonious palette. Highlights and imagery can be added later. Any marks or drawings can be reinforced with a thin coat of oil paint or pigment stick, lightly fused and then covered with a thin coat of wax to seal the layer. Continue moving up through the surface, adding imagery and maintaining a sense of light from deep within the painting. Think Italian fresco, old parchment, and beautiful stone cliffs with Indian petroglyphs.
Demonstration - Landscape
You begin a landscape inspired encaustic painting in the same way you begin an abstract one. Make sure your panel is clean and begin with a coat of warm wax using the thick brush. Build up 3 or 4 layers fusing after each layer. You might want to create an under painting at this point by using the iron and a thin coat of oil paint wiping away what you don‘t need and what taking care not to make the painting too dark too soon. Don’t forget your gloves! Make sure to fuse lightly and then cover the under painting with a thin layer of wax. Fuse the wax lightly and begin drawing your landscape with the pigment sticks. Wear your rubber gloves and draw with the stick itself, your fingertip or a swap. At this point, don’t get carried away, just hint at the landscape. Remove any extra paint or mistakes and lightly fuse. Cover this first attempt with a thin coat of wax and then repeat until you have created the sense of depth and detail you desire. At this point you can draw on top of the landscape using transfer paper or add textural detail by drawing into the surface or pressing things into the wax to make marks. Think of the way trees and hills are reflected in water and the atmospheric paintings of Turner.
Demonstration - Collage
Prepare a panel as you did for previous paintings. You may want to repeat the step where you create texture with the iron and the oil paint, unless you think you will be covering the entire panel with collage. I like to use pages from old books, maps, and Asian papers with characters and writing. Collage with encaustic is easy. Warm the panel and then dip the paper or collage item into the wax. Gently drag it along the side of the hot plate to remove extra wax and then place it on the warm encaustic painting. Use your fingers or a flat tool and work out any extra wax or air bubbles from the center of the collaged piece. Lightly fuse here. You may want to “antique” the edges of the paper or panel at this point with a thin coat of oil paint that is gently wiped away and fused. Leaves are fun to collage with, whether you leave them in the collage or gently pull them out and just use their shape as an imprint or drawing. Take a few leaves and experiment with attaching them to the surface by dipping them and then lightly fusing. Add wax over the top and experiment with how much coverage you want between the leaves and the surface. Try to fuse the final surface without igniting the leaves. Continue to experiment with additional materials like pattern pieces or photos. The trick is to not light your collage elements on fire as you fuse and to build a them around the collage elements or drawing you choose. Think of Ashley Collin’s horse paintings and the way yellowed photographs and old paper is so interesting. The paintings could feel like opening an old trunk in an attic and coming across interesting treasures.
Review of techniques and questions.
SUPPLY LIST & BIBLIOGRAPHY
These supplies are optional and just suggestions. You can show up with just panels and be just fine.
-Apron or big shirt
-Pen or pencil and paper or sketch book for notes
-Water and snacks
-Bag lunch or money for lunch
-Materials for collaging (some collage material will be available)examples: old or new photos, pressed flowers or leaves ,rice paper or specialty papers, old dress patterns, color copies, gold leaf, buttons, etc.
-Any tools for carving into the waxpencils, nails, ceramic or dental tools
-Metal objects to melt into the waxkitchen tools, old printing press letters.
-Oil sticks, paints or oil pastels which you are curious about combining with wax.
Most Important:
6 or 8 panels to work on. Remember to look for surfaces that are RIGID, ABSORBENT, HEAT RESITANT!
Good choices include:
--small pieces of plywood, scraps from a cabinet shop or carpenter3/8” thick (6x6 thru 12x12)5/8” thick (10x10 thru 16x16) thicker plywood can be used up to 24x24.
--American Easel makes a plain wood panel. Any of their panels from 7/8” deep to the thick 2” deep panels work great! Blick Art carries these also.
--Ampersand Encausicbord is a new product from Ampersand made in collaboration with R&F Handmade Paints. Made with the highest grades of engineered wood and an encaustic-specific gesso, this extremely stable encaustic support is the Cadillac of panels! Look for sales on Ampersand products from your favorite mail order catalog.
--You can prime wood with R&F Encaustic Gesso (acrylic gesso does not work!) if you would like to begin with a white ground.
--Suggested sizes are 8x10, 10x10, 12x12, 11x14.
Suggested Reading (All books available for purchase through website or at the workshop):
Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide ot Creating Fine Art with Wax by Lissa Rankin (this is the new book and features some of my techniques.)
Art and Fear: Observations on the perils and rewards of artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland (a great read when you are questioning your creativity)
Artist's Way- A spiritual path to higher creativity by Julia Cameron (always helps!)
Letters to a Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke (inspiriation for anyone, anytime)
MATERIAL SUPPLIERS
R & F Handmade Paints (encaustic paint and pigment sticks, wax, damar, encaustic medium and tools)
84 Ten Broeck Ave
Kingston, NY 12401
800-206-8088
www.rfpaints.com
Strahl and Pitsch Inc. (best source for 25kg/55lb boxes of yellow beeswax)
PO Box 1098
West Babylon, NY 11704
621-587-9000
info@strahlpitsch.com
www.spwax.com/
The last time I ordered a box of wax was $328.00 with $62.95 shipping, total $390.95
Douglas and Sturgess (good source for damar varnish, sculpture supplies, and waxes)
730 Bryant St
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-421-4456
www.artstuf.com
Ampersand Art Supply (Encaustibord panels)
-Apron or big shirt
-Pen or pencil and paper or sketch book for notes
-Water and snacks
-Bag lunch or money for lunch
-Materials for collaging (some collage material will be available)examples: old or new photos, pressed flowers or leaves ,rice paper or specialty papers, old dress patterns, color copies, gold leaf, buttons, etc.
-Any tools for carving into the waxpencils, nails, ceramic or dental tools
-Metal objects to melt into the waxkitchen tools, old printing press letters.
-Oil sticks, paints or oil pastels which you are curious about combining with wax.
Most Important:
6 or 8 panels to work on. Remember to look for surfaces that are RIGID, ABSORBENT, HEAT RESITANT!
Good choices include:
--small pieces of plywood, scraps from a cabinet shop or carpenter3/8” thick (6x6 thru 12x12)5/8” thick (10x10 thru 16x16) thicker plywood can be used up to 24x24.
--American Easel makes a plain wood panel. Any of their panels from 7/8” deep to the thick 2” deep panels work great! Blick Art carries these also.
--Ampersand Encausicbord is a new product from Ampersand made in collaboration with R&F Handmade Paints. Made with the highest grades of engineered wood and an encaustic-specific gesso, this extremely stable encaustic support is the Cadillac of panels! Look for sales on Ampersand products from your favorite mail order catalog.
--You can prime wood with R&F Encaustic Gesso (acrylic gesso does not work!) if you would like to begin with a white ground.
--Suggested sizes are 8x10, 10x10, 12x12, 11x14.
Suggested Reading (All books available for purchase through website or at the workshop):
Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide ot Creating Fine Art with Wax by Lissa Rankin (this is the new book and features some of my techniques.)
Art and Fear: Observations on the perils and rewards of artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland (a great read when you are questioning your creativity)
Artist's Way- A spiritual path to higher creativity by Julia Cameron (always helps!)
Letters to a Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke (inspiriation for anyone, anytime)
MATERIAL SUPPLIERS
R & F Handmade Paints (encaustic paint and pigment sticks, wax, damar, encaustic medium and tools)
84 Ten Broeck Ave
Kingston, NY 12401
800-206-8088
www.rfpaints.com
Strahl and Pitsch Inc. (best source for 25kg/55lb boxes of yellow beeswax)
PO Box 1098
West Babylon, NY 11704
621-587-9000
info@strahlpitsch.com
www.spwax.com/
The last time I ordered a box of wax was $328.00 with $62.95 shipping, total $390.95
Douglas and Sturgess (good source for damar varnish, sculpture supplies, and waxes)
730 Bryant St
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-421-4456
www.artstuf.com
Ampersand Art Supply (Encaustibord panels)
1500 East 4th Street
Austin, TX 78702
800-822-1939
www.ampersandart.com
Blick Art Supplies (good source for panels, Encaustibord, frames, paints and encaustic supplies)
www.dickblick.com
American Easel (cradled panels at a reasonable price)
www.americaneasel.com
In Montana:
Arlee Apiary: 406-726-3331 - honey and yellow wax, nice natural wax.
Western Bee, Polson: 406-883-2918 - yellow beeswax, unfiltered (make sure to clean it a bit by melting and filtering).
Austin, TX 78702
800-822-1939
www.ampersandart.com
Blick Art Supplies (good source for panels, Encaustibord, frames, paints and encaustic supplies)
www.dickblick.com
American Easel (cradled panels at a reasonable price)
www.americaneasel.com
In Montana:
Arlee Apiary: 406-726-3331 - honey and yellow wax, nice natural wax.
Western Bee, Polson: 406-883-2918 - yellow beeswax, unfiltered (make sure to clean it a bit by melting and filtering).
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