Encaustic as a drawing technique appeared several centuries ago. Then artists and icon painters used wax technique murals to create bright pictures with 3D effect.

Previously, the encaustic technique was kept in strict secrecy and passed down by artists from generation to generation. Now this view visual arts has become widespread due to its ease of execution, and is popular among emerging artists.

Preparation for work

Encaustic is very popular with novice artists because for this type applied arts It is not necessary to know the art of painting!

If you are unable to create clear pictures landscapes or still lifes, but if you want to learn how to draw, try to paint abstract paintings that reflect your mood while creating.

materials

Encaustic implies the presence of the main material for working on a picture - artistic wax, which is specially saturated with color pigments. Wax bars can be bought in specialized art supply stores.

If you can't buy or order wax, you can use wax crayons and drawing crayons available at any stationery store.

Among the auxiliary items for encaustics, the following can be distinguished:

• drawing boards - sheets of thick glossy cardboard;

• polishing cloth;

• lining on the table - so as not to dirty the space around you while you work.

Despite the fact that encaustic suggests the effect of a three-dimensional image, after drying, the picture should be easily polished with a cloth.

The lining must necessarily be larger than the workplace in area, so as not to stain everything around with viscous wax. Change the lining every time you get it dirty.

Tools

You will also need tools for drawing a picture - in needlework stores you can buy a specialized encaustic iron. Unfortunately, the device is quite expensive. But you can replace it with a regular household iron.

The main thing is that it has the following characteristics: a temperature regulator, a small size - it will be inconvenient to draw with a large iron, a sole without holes.

Ideally, the iron should have a removable handle so that you can install it with the heating surface up, thus creating an area for melting materials. Stock up on tissues or toilet paper to clean the soleplate every time before melting a new color.

Encaustics can also be performed with a hairdryer - it is used with materials of small volumes, such as wax pencils. The main thing is that, like an iron, it has the function of changing the temperature.

Also, professional encaustic involves the presence of a special heating rod - cautery - with which you can create complex patterns and draw small details.

Cautery is sold in a set with nozzles various shapes and thickness for more comfortable work.

drawing techniques

Encaustic is based on several tricks and techniques, having mastered which, you can create your own works of art.

If this is your first time trying your hand at encaustic art, start working on artistic techniques using an iron. Then it will be easier for you to work with the cautery later.

smoothing

Encaustic is impossible without this technique, on the basis of which all the others were formed. Turn the iron upside down and melt some wax in the color you want. Adjust the temperature of the appliance so that the wax melts well and floats slightly, but does not spread.

Now turn the iron upside down and slowly run the colored wax over the paper, leaving an even streak of color. Do not apply too much pressure to the paper so as not to burn it.

impression

Encaustic in the print technique allows you to create interesting veins in the picture.

Immediately after applying the paint to the cardboard, place the iron on the surface and immediately gently lift it up without fidgeting from side to side.

Edge work

Using the edge of the iron, you can draw thin long lines. Encaustic in this technique is often used to paint grass and flowers.

Apply wax to the cardboard using the smoothing technique. Now bring the iron to the paint, set with an edge, like the tip of a skate, and draw a line. Depending on the pressing force, you can create lines of different thickness and length.

Nose work

The sharp thin nose of the iron will help you draw fine details using the encaustic technique.

Just dip it in pre-melted wax and mark the pattern on the cardboard.

Encaustic: drawing master class

This master class can be performed even by a beginner who does not have a special colored wax and a small convenient iron. You will need glue White list thick paper or cardboard, wax pencils of all colors of the rainbow, a hair dryer with the ability to control temperatures.

Thus, encaustic gives you the opportunity to create a rainbow picture for a child's room or classroom at school.

• Get your pencils ready in the colors you want. Make sure they are all the right size. Trim pieces that are too long, if necessary.

• Lubricate the top edge of the sheet with glue and glue the pencils, forming a kind of fence. You do not need to remove the labels from the pencils - they will add color to the picture.

• Wait a couple of hours for the glue to dry. Now the encaustic begins: set the hair dryer to the maximum temperature and start heating the tips of the pencils pointing down.

• To get interesting patterns, stand the sheet vertically, change the angle of its inclination and turn it from side to side.

• Leave the painting in a horizontal position until completely dry.

Now you can admire the finished work of art! To create more complex interesting drawing check out the next video tutorial.

Encaustics can also be used for drawing greeting card for birthday. And if you made it big picture, place it in a scrapbook frame and hang it in a visible place.

The encaustic is not very well known in creative circles, although its roots go back to ancient times. And all because few people realize that melted wax can be used for drawing.

What is it and where did it come from?

Encaustic - a painting technique in which colored molten wax is used as paint. Wax tempera is a type of encaustic. Many early Christian icons were painted in this technique.

The first samples of encaustics were discovered in Egypt, in the Fayum oasis (“Fayum portraits”). These were posthumous picturesque images of the deceased. In the future, the Greeks used the encaustic technique to create early icons. The most striking iconographic example of the encaustic technique is the image of Christ Pantokrator (VI century), located in the Sinai monastery.

Features of works in the style of "encaustic"

Pictures drawn with wax are stored for a long time and do not lose their artistic qualities due to the fact that wax is very resistant to influence. external environment. In general, it is believed that wax is the most stable material for painting. The paintings that have survived to our times, whose age is more than a thousand years, are direct proof of this.

A certain charm of encaustic studies is added by the fact that the end result is difficult to introduce. Of course, if you create abstract painting, but, for example, a still life, the composition will be clear. But how the wax will fall, what unexpected combinations and mixtures will turn out - it is difficult to predict.

These days, encaustic painting requires expensive equipment and materials. But there is no need to sigh and postpone encaustic studies indefinitely. To get acquainted with the technology and development basic techniques you will need very little.

What is necessary?

Encaustic technique for long years existence has undergone many changes. Methods and materials have been modernized. Now we can talk about the technique of modern encaustics, which differs from its historical prototypes.

Both an adult and a child can master this technique. You don’t even need to be able to draw for this: you can create abstract paintings and fantastic landscapes. Paintings and postcards in the encaustic style will be an amazing gift for family and friends.

To get started, you will need paper (or cardboard), wax crayons and an iron. This set of materials is the most affordable and does not require large material costs.

The encaustic technique consists in applying to the hot surface of the iron wax crayons different colors, which are then transferred to cardboard or paper with stroking and applying movements.

Naturally, the main tool of encaustics is a special iron. He small size. Pretty light, no holes in the sole. It has a removable handle that allows you to turn the iron into a heating surface for some encaustic techniques. But this tool is quite expensive.

A special iron can be replaced with the most common travel iron: it is small, without holes on the sole and has the ability to adjust the temperature.

When all necessary tools you have - get creative! Experience one of the ancient techniques encaustic painting.

It remains only to wish you good luck in mastering this amazing and fascinating technique of drawing with hot wax - encaustic.

What is encaustic?

List of lessons:

Far from new and not quite familiar, but this wonderful hobby called encaustic - wax painting technique. Painting, where multi-colored melted wax is used instead of paints.

A bit of history

Many ancient Christian icons were depicted in this type of painting. The earliest specimens were found in the Fayum oasis of Egypt (hence the Fayum portraits). On the found samples were afterlife images of the dead.

Further, the Greeks began to use this painting technique to create the first icons. The most colorful iconographic painting of encaustics is the image of Christ Pantocrator in the VI century, located in the Sinai monastery.

WITH mid-nineteenth century there were attempts to restore the encaustic.

In the middle of the 20th century, Moscow artists V.V. and T.V. Khvostenko.

What is the originality of the work

Paintings created with wax can be preserved for a long period of time, without losing all the picturesque characteristics. The fact is that the wax is quite durable to the effects of the surrounding climate. It is considered the most reliable material for art. The evidence is paintings over a thousand years old, which have survived to the present day.

Encaustic fascination feature adds uniqueness end result, because it is difficult to guess. And this, if you do not create an abstract picture. But the still life - how the wax will behave, what surprises from mixing and combining will be - it is not possible to assume.

Drawing skill

The image of a drawing involving an iron seems to be a very unusual and impossible task. However, everything is simple, almost like elementary drawing. The iron in this special technique of painting images is a brush.

Currently, a special encaustic iron has been created, but it is both difficult and expensive to buy it.

Before starting work, the iron must be heated to the melting temperature of the wax. To check the temperature, you need to touch the surface of the iron with a wax pencil: if it spreads smoothly, then the iron is ready.

Wax must not be allowed to boil.

When the iron is ready to work, they begin to create a masterpiece. Wax of the desired color is melted on the iron and applied with gentle, gentle touches to glossy cardboard.

Learning the tricks of this painting is easy, and it is not necessary to be a painter.

The whole highlight of needlework is that you can create a masterpiece both alone and together with your child, having told him in advance about the rules for handling a hot iron.

What is the temptation

This type of needlework has a lot positive sides:

1. Great way to relax. In order not to lose heart from the monotony of everyday life, it is possible to distract yourself with encaustics, and all negative emotions transfer to cardboard.

2. The materials for this art are in the public domain. Glossy cardboard and wax crayons are inexpensive and can be purchased at any stationery.

3.You can do without a special ironing. A common Soviet iron with a smooth sole will do (this is fundamentally important). Even a travel iron will do.

4. Cleanliness and tidiness. You don’t have to wipe the paint off the floor, you don’t need to wash your hands either. Wax in different sides does not splatter, manicure does not deteriorate.

5. It takes 10-30 minutes to create a painting. Thanks to this beautiful plain sight creativity, everyone can show their individual vision and skill. This unique technique gives you the opportunity to be creative and experiment. Having mastered the art of drawing unusual method, you can decorate your home, make original gifts.

Passion for encaustic from a hobby can easily turn into small business. Everyone knows that handmade work is very valuable. Thus, it will be possible to combine business with pleasure.

The modern world never ceases to amaze us with new types of art and creativity, in which any person can realize himself. But it also happens that many types of art that have become popular and accessible only today are experiencing their second birth. One of these types of creativity is encaustic - a painting technique, which will be discussed in my article.

Encaustic (from the Greek for “burn out”) is an ancient technique for creating paintings using molten colored wax. This art originated more than 2500 years ago and was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.

Wax paintings have earned a reputation for their durability: some have been around for over two millennia! There are many portraits made with wax on wood in museums around the world. The most famous examples of ancient encaustics are the so-called "Fayum portraits" - posthumous pictorial images of the deceased. They got their name from the Fayum oasis in Egypt, where they were first found and described in 1887 by a British expedition. Scientists were struck by the fact that over the centuries they have not faded or cracked. They are also the first true "portraits" in history.

Many early Christian icons created using this technique still retain their brightness. One example is the image of Christ Pantocrator, which is currently in the Sinai monastery.

Encaustics is so exciting and exciting that you get used to it very quickly and for a long time. It does not require the ability to draw, but fantasy, a sense of color and creativity will definitely be needed. Also paper or cardboard, wax pencils and an iron. It's the iron! You do not need brushes and pencils - they will be replaced by a small iron, with which you will melt the colored wax and apply the paper. Encaustic masterpieces are simple in their creation: we take desired color wax pencil (two or three colors can be used at once), apply to a warm, slightly heated iron, which we then draw over the surface of the paper. Depending on what needs to be depicted, we draw the entire surface of the soleplate of the iron or only the edge. For example, you can draw leaves, grass with the tip of an iron.

The effect exceeds all expectations! Having mastered simple tricks, you can create drawings incredible beauty: whimsical abstractions and mesmerizing landscapes. In this way, you can make postcards and souvenirs that will delight you and your loved ones.

Encaustic is very ancient and at the same time simple technique painting, which allows each person to create stunning paintings with unusual effects. Everyone can do it, the main thing is to get down to business and you will get amazing, no matter what similar paintings, which can be created in minutes, and for this it is not at all necessary to be able to draw! All it takes is a little effort and perseverance! One application - and as a result, moments remain in bright wax on cardboard. For centuries. After all, wax paints do not fade over time and will last for many years.

And today, on the advice of our Lyudochka Martynova ( Thanks a lot, dear!) I will tell you about the drawing technique, which in Lately became popular with our and foreign craftswomen - encaustic!
(If you have any ideas for a little bit of everything or finished material for her - write to us!)

In the list of women's hobbies, this very encaustic takes pride of place - a kind of painting that was used in ancient Rome, Egypt and Greece.

Encaustic (from other Greek - burning) is a painting technique in which binder paints is wax. Painting is done with melted paints.

The history of encaustics or the art of waxing, as we have already said, has its roots in hoary antiquity. The first works of art created in this way date back to the era ancient rome, but the technology of drawing with hot wax for a long time remained a secret behind seven seals. A variety of encaustic is wax tempera, which is distinguished by its brightness and richness of colors. Many early Christian icons were painted in this technique.

The first samples of encaustics were discovered in Egypt, in the Fayum oasis (“Fayum portraits”). These were posthumous picturesque images of the deceased. In the future, the Greeks used the encaustic technique to create early icons. The most striking iconographic example of the encaustic technique is the image of Christ Pantocrator (VI century), located in the Sinai Monastery (lower left).

The first attempts to revive ancient art were done in the middle XVIII century, and the third wave of encaustic popularity came in the middle of the 20th century. However, she is not very widely known in creative circles.

In ancient times, people took colored wax and polished wooden planks as a basis. Today everything is much easier. As a canvas, ordinary glossy cardboard is used, and instead of colored wax, wax pencils (or crayons), which can be easily purchased at an office supply store, are perfect.

As for the brush itself, here, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, you will need an iron. Yes, the most common iron with a smooth sole. Such a tool is now available in the bins of every hostess. Of course for modern technology encaustics have already invented a special professional iron, but it is quite expensive, and it is not so easy to get it.

By the way, today this art is so popular that special kits are even sold in stores for creating encaustic paintings at home.

What is the drawing technique?

At first glance, painting a picture with an iron may seem like a strange and impossible task. However, in fact, everything is much simpler and no more complicated than ordinary drawing.

The iron in the encaustic painting technique acts as a brush. It must be heated to the melting point of the wax. It is not difficult to determine this, just take a pencil and touch it to the sole of the iron. The chalk should flow smoothly over the hot surface. Do not allow "boiling wax". As soon as the temperature regime is set, you can safely take on the creation of a masterpiece.

On the heated sole of the iron, wax of the desired color is melted and applied to glossy cardboard with light movements. You can apply several colors of wax crayons on the sole of the iron, they do not mix, but very interesting transitions are obtained. The wax is transferred to the cardboard by stroking or applying movements. Small parts draw with the tip of the iron, and the veins are created by imprinting (the iron is applied to the cardboard and lifted). Grass, bushes, trees are drawn with the edge of an iron.

Mastering the secrets of encaustics is quite simple, it is not at all necessary to be an artist, and the beauty of this activity lies in the fact that you can create both alone and with your child. And age special significance does not have. So, for example, if the baby is 2 or 4 years old, then he can search for and give a pencil of the desired color. Thus, the mother will calmly draw, and her baby will study colors and shades. If the child is already older, then he can safely be connected directly to the process, having previously explained all the safety rules (after all, the iron is hot).

The attraction of encaustics.

Encaustic drawing technique has many positive aspects. First of all, this is a great way to calm down, a kind of antidepressant, however, like any other needlework. Drawing will help you get distracted and leave all your experiences on cardboard.

Second positive side this wonderful craze is the availability of materials. Glossy cardboard and wax crayons do not need to spend a lot of money, but you can buy them at the nearest stationery store. You don’t need to buy a special iron; old-fashioned Soviet-made equipment will do just fine. If this is not the case, then you can purchase a small road-type iron. Here it is fundamentally important that the sole is smooth, that is, without the steaming function.

The third advantage of encaustics is cleanliness and order. After it, you do not need to wipe the paint off the walls and floor, you do not need to run to the bath and wash your hands. Wax does not splash around, does not spoil the manicure, and even if a drop falls on the surface of the table, it will quickly cool down, turn into a solid state, and it can be easily removed like a mote.

And another plus for an exciting hobby. It doesn't take long to create a masterpiece. One painting will take only 10 to 30 minutes. In addition, your hobby can be turned into an additional source of income, so to speak, to combine business with pleasure. Why not?