Collagraph and Encaustic Techniques

Encaustic Technique

Encaustic, sometimes referred to as 'hot wax painting,' is an ancient technique used in Egyptian mummy portraits and Greek mural painting. The artist mixes pigments into the melted wax and then applies it with brushes and various tools. Then the surface is heated to fuse the layers of wax. Additionally, encaustic can be polished to a final sheen or reworked (through the use of heat, again) as much as necessary until the artist is satisfied. The technique has become popular in the last thirty years, and new ways of approaching the technique have emerged.

Collagraph Technique

A collagraph is an intaglio printing process, which uses a built-up collaged plate made from a great variety of materials (strips of fabric, thread, aluminum foils, plants, marble dust, acrylic modeling paste) that are glued onto the masonite or cardboard surface. The surface is then painted or inked and run through an etching press at several thousand pounds of pressure, thereby transferring the paint and the texture into the surface of the paper. The process must be completely repeated to create another print in the edition.