Enkaustikos Hot Cakes & 7 Gypsies Conservatory Papers

Enkaustikos Hot Cakes & 7 Gypsies Conservatory Paper

I've never tried my hand at encaustic art before, so this was all new for me. Enkaustikos Hot Cakes have such an amazing range of uses. What I've done only begins to scratch the surface. I hope this small project piques your interest and shows you just how easy it is to work with.

The new 7 Gypsies Conservatory line of papers and embellishments is beautiful and exactly my style.
I couldn't wait to coat it in wax see what happened!

Using ClayBord as a base, I cut a piece of paper from the Conservatory Collection to size. Using the Wax Medium as a primer, I coated the ClayBord and used a heat tool to keep it warm while I brushed it evenly on the surface.

I spread some Wax Medium on the griddle and placed the paper right onto the griddle surface. As you can see, the paper immediately starts to soak in the wax. I spread the surface with more wax medium until is was thoroughly coated and soaked.

I placed the paper on a the primed Claybord and adjusted it, using a heat tool to keep the wax liquefied until I was happy with the placement. When it was in the right spot, I brushed out all the air bubbles and smoothed the wax, using the heat tool periodically. The ClayBord holds the heat, so it helps keep the wax soft and allows a longer working time.

The wax layer was too thin to hold the beads and pearls, so I added some extra wax, placed the beads where I wanted them, heated everything up and then hoped for the best when it cooled. They wax was just thick enough to hold the beads, but they weren't on there very good. And anything heavier will need a better solution...

I didn't get to finish the previous panel with the butterflies, but I did work on two others. This one layers multiple pieces of torn and cut paper in the same manner as above, working on layer at a time and fusing each layer with a heat gun. To hold the key in place, I layered up a good amount of wax and let it cool. I heated the actual key by placing it on the griddle for a period of time. When it was good and hot, I transferred it to the ClayBord with a pair of tweezers and pressed it in.

Here are some close-ups of that panel...

Here's the third panel...

I'm really loving all the texture that you can create, especially as the wax just starts to cool on the brush.

Inspired but don't have the first clue how to start? Terrified of working with wax? We've got you covered! Check out our section of quick but informative video tutorials to help get you started. When you're done, browse our selection of encaustic art supplies.

Enjoy!