The Best Supplies for Setting Up an Encaustic Studio
Gathering encaustic supplies and setting up a studio can be daunting if you don’t know where to start, and even if you know what tool you’d like to purchase, often there are multiple versions of them on the market.
I have created this detailed resource page for you to make that process a little easier.
These are the encaustic supplies, tools and products that I have used in my workshops over the course of ten years, and I find them to be the most efficient, most economical and best quality on the market.
Torch & Heat Gun:
You’ve got to fuse each layer of encaustic wax to the layer beneath, so choose your fusing tool according to the size of your work, the speed of your process, and the electrical amperage you have available. I like the clean feel of a torch, and using one allows me to move around my studio without having to think about being plugged in. It’s quieter too.
But I will use a heat gun at the beginning of a painting session, to thoroughly heat my wood board, if my griddle is covered in wax. You see, I usually lay my wood board on my griddle at the start of an encaustic painting session (and we do this in my workshops because we haven’t made a mess yet!), but once you’ve gotten into the wax, like on the second day of a workshop, then we use the heat gun to heat our boards evenly.
Here are your options:
This is the ergonomic torch I have been demonstrating to students for a decade. They love it! I have heard it called a “game changer” by professional encaustic artists who have taken my workshops, because they can get up close in smaller work, and really play on the surface of their paintings. It offers a lot of control. It’s also easy on our aging hands and has an easy on and off for the quick, repetitive work of fusing small work. It is easily filled from butane, in a canister, from either the camping or cigar section of your local drugstore. This is great for encaustic work that is smaller in size, from 5″ x 5″ to 10″ x 10″ (I use 8″ x 8″ in my workshops, so we use this torch exclusively). The bottom stand is removable to suit your unique style of fusing:
This is a much faster torch for work spanning 12″ x 12″ and up. It’s still light in the hands, but will take an extra step to turn it on. With larger work, the fusing doesn’t stop and start so quickly, so this torch stands in well with it’s larger flame:
it uses propane gas, and not butane, so it burns too hot:
The Economical Wagner Heat Gun:
I love this torch, even though I use it less often. This gun has lasted me forever (and I own like 10 of them because I taught with them a decade ago. They are covered in wax but still run great!)
You can run it at a high setting to really heating the dickens out of a wood board, or run it at a low setting for gently warming an area:
Griddle:
You’ll want to get at least one griddle to start painting. I use two griddles, side by side, for my personal work, one for holding pots of color, and one for my open griddle palette. Whenever I teach a workshop that I have to travel to by air flight, I have to, again, search out the roomiest griddles, for the least amount of money, so I am always trying different griddles. I always buy Presto brand, so that all my gear is compatible (that way if I lose a temperature gauge, another one fits):
This is the workhorse in my studio and workshops. The detachable temperature gauge is consistent with the Presto skillets below, so you can throw them all in a pile when not in use. You have to look at the temperature gauges when purchasing a griddle. They should give you full options for temperature and not just hot, medium, warm. This is currently the griddle I would select. It’s a 22″, which is as roomy as they get, and the best price. I continue to shop and compare, and I say, nothing beats the simple, Presto 22″ griddle for the pricing and compatibility with encaustics. If you need more griddle space, just buy two, and pair them side by side:
This is great for seeing the color you’re mixing if you mix on the open palette, but it’s smaller and mixing won’t matter if you paint out of aluminum pots.
This is smaller than the above griddle, for packing tons of aluminum pots on the surface:
Skillet:
This is my go to skillet if I want to warm or make large amounts of clear encaustic medium. I use three of them side by side when I make my own encaustic medium:
I found this cute little personal sized skillet, and I thought it would work great for when you don’t want to account for room on your griddle to hold your clear medium. This little skillet will give you just the right amount of medium at hand, while leaving more space on the surface of your griddle. Not bad! You just have to have enough electricity to run another piece of equipment, otherwise, you’ll have to put your clear medium into the aforementioned little aluminum pots and lay them on your griddle (the pots are listed further down under miscellaneous):
Brushes:
Long Lasting, Quality Hake Brushes
Encaustic brushes must be made of natural materials, or they melt! These are the very brushes I use in my workshops, and they are long lasting (I just refreshed my brushes after 10 years and they look not all that different after a first use by students). The short handled Hake brushes stay out of your way a little more than the long handled ones do, at least in my case. On my griddles, I can place clusters of 3-4 small hake brushes, to make some peace with all my colors! I find the solid metal ferrule keeps the sheep hairs locked down (maybe that’s why they’ve lasted me ten years in my workshops through all types of painters).
I would get one or two of these:
I would get two of these:
I would get two to four of these. This is a nice size for small paintings:
I would get two of these. This is a very convenient size for painting color with a large stroke, even on small paintings:
Inexpensive Set of Long Handled Hake Brushes
And here are the long handled Hake Brushes! These are a decent quality, in that you may get some hairs coming out, but they’re a good price. Both sets have 1″, 2″ and 3″ width brushes. These are fun to use, but their handles may get in your way, so consider how many you are going to pack on your griddle, and how klutzy you are!:
Mairtini Flat Hake Brushes, Set of 3:
Langnickel Hake Brush, Set of 3
R&F Encaustic Hake Brush, 2 1/2″ width:
Or you can just cut to the chase with R&F’s Hake Brush, which is made for encaustic painting. This is a great brush for a good price. The size is decently large, like the single hake I have listed above, at 2 1/2 inches” width. It serves up your wax like butter:
R&F Encaustic Hake Brush, 4″ width!!
This 4″ brush is the most delicious to use when laying down your clear medium. I always mark mine with a piece of tape to remind myself and students that it only carries clear. Here is a great price for this beautiful tool:
A fun little Sumi Brush for the griddle for small marks of color:
This is a lovely, buttery brush, just for pure enjoyment. I use it for filling little crevices:
Don’t be tempted by these- the hairs will fall out like crazy:
But I’ll let you know if I find one where the hairs stay intact, because you wouldn’t believe the feel…
Tools:
These come in interesting shapes so you can get different surfaces when scraping:
Awls are great for Incising. I love using a big, fat one:
This set will hold up well for a good price, for a thinner incised mark:
These are great for digging thicker trenches for filled lines, as in Intarsia. This set of ribbon tools is extra sturdy so they will hold up against the wax surface better than its less expensive counterpart.
These will hold up decently, I just don’t recommend them for instructors:
Tweezers are used for embedding fiber and paper onto the surface of your encaustic painting. You’ll need a nice big one. Here is a set of three so you always have one on your griddle, at the ready:
A Long, Thin Needle Tool, Wood Handle:
This is your tweezer’s sidekick for embedding purposes (use it like you use your left hand for lifting. It’s a high quality tool so I would expect the needle not to fall out, which happens on some. I have checked all metal needle tools and this is the most economical, longest lasting, and has the long needle to support dripping waxy papers on their way from the griddle to the painting. This is a good price!:
A Long, Thin Metal Probe Tool:
This solves any problem associated with needles coming loose from their wood handles, or even their metal handles for that matter. This is a metal probe tool, and nothing will shake loose. That said, I, myself, prefer wood tools, and I have found the kemper tool above does the job. Good to have options though, so there you go.
Encaustic Medium:
A touch of wax, this will get you through 4-6 small paintings (8″ x 8″):
A good start. You don’t have to sell the farm:
Why not sell paintings instead of your farm? Go ahead, take the plunge and buy big!:
Swan Candles has bulk beeswax and damar resin for making your own encaustic medium, and bulk encaustic medium, so if you can wait for it, or purchase large quantities to offset shipping, you can save some money:
Encaustic Paint:
R&F Encaustic Paint:
There are many types of encaustic paints, but Richard Frumess developed encaustic paint back in the 80’s, and has been so crucial to the field of encaustic art, that I don’t know where we would be without his pioneering contribution. He established R&F Paints as a leader in its field back when the encaustic ball had been dropped- when egg tempera, and then oil painting were invented. His method of development was passionate research, hands on experimentation, and trial and error. R&F is is still the leader today for the highest quality encaustic paint.
The R&F Encaustic Paints below are densely pigmented crayons, that are long lasting and gorgeous! My only advice is- don’t eat them…because, of course, you’ll want to!
Just press these crayons onto the warm griddle and pour clear medium on top for open palette mixing. Or, press and hold them in the aluminum pots (to release quite a bit more color). Then pour clear medium over the top to make little pots of paint.
By eventually owning both of these encaustic paint sets, you will have every color you’ll ever need (well, okay, you’ll need to know your color theory to mix every color, but you can just come take a workshop with me and fix that):
Translucent Encaustic Paint, Set of 6:
Opaque Encaustic Paint, Set of 6:
Encaustic Pigment Sticks:
R&F Pigment Sticks:
Speaking of pigments, well, you know how I feel about these creamy, densely pigmented oil and wax based sticks. I find myself spending more time on the surface of my paintings with these babies, than with building my wax layers! These are only for the surface, mind you, as they introduce the element of oil. Use them voluptuously, but don’t layer them. Here again, you will possess all the colors you will ever need by eventually owning both sets of these encaustic pigment sticks (and taking a few color theory workshops with me):
Transparent Pigment Sticks, Set of 6:
Opaque Pigment Sticks, Set of 6:
I use teensy bits of this blending stick when I want to pull pigment off the surfaces of my paintings, say if I want only to show off marks I’ve made, without leaving a pigment stain on the whole surface. Mind you, I prefer pigment staining, as it adds variety, but I think lots of you just want to darken a crevice or mark, and that’s when you would use this on the surface, after you rub the pigment (from the above pigment sticks) into the grooves.
The main thing I use this for, and this is when I apply it more heavily, is onto my wooden batik stamps, after I warm them on the griddle, and before I smash them into my surfaces. So there you go.
Cradle Boards:
Birch Wood Cradle Boards, All shapes and sizes!
I am working on these links to take you to quality boards that have a deep cradle size. Of course, you can find wood cradle boards at Craft Stores in your area. See what you like. Then check back and compare!:
Wood Cradle Boards, 5″x 5″ (cute and tiny- can work 4 at a time)
Wood Cradle Boards 6″ x 6″ (I love this size- cute but makes a statement- work 2-3 at a time)
Wood Cradle Boards 8″ x 8″ (this is the size I use in my workshops- work 2 at a time)
Wood Cradle Boards 10″ x 10″ (getting bigger- just work the one by itself)
Wood Cradle Boards 12″ x 12″ (when you want to work large-yes this is large for encaustic work!)
Pouches to Transport Paintings:
These are great little 12″ x 12″ foam pouches (thank you Sheila Avsec) for transporting encaustic paintings. As you know, we must temperature regulate our paintings continuously, and support them in storage, or when dropping them off or shipping (!) to a gallery. (We will need to address shipping later- I’ll insert a link here when I write about that). Alternately, and environmentally, if no one will see your pouch, you could re-use Amazon shipping pouches that have a foam liner, but they run smaller than 12″ x 12″:
Miscellaneous Needs:
These are the gloves I use because they fit just about every woman’s hand (with a few exceptions), and this 100 pack (if you’re doing pigment rubs, you’ll want the 100 pack!) is the best price I’ve seen. Remember, gloves make your hands heat safe as well as protecting you from the heavy metals in pigments:
Mini Aluminum Pans:
These are the mini loaf pans that you will use for holding clear encaustic medium on your griddle, but also for keeping many vats of encaustic paints warm and ready to go.
The standard method of encaustic painting is to lay an encaustic brush in each of the many vats of warm encaustic paints on the griddle, and each one holds a single color. This is a great method for 1) larger paintings 2) speed of color choice 3) layering single colors 4) saving on griddle space. In this method, you premix your encaustic paint crayon with the encaustic medium, and then paint from the pots, layering your single colors.
The method I use in my personal work, however, incorporates open palette mixing, and I teach that in my workshops as well, so that you will mix color right on the surface of the warm griddle, scribbling the crayon and mixing it with the other crayons, and altering its transparency, opacity and hue right there on the spot. It is a fast, intuitive work, and leads to many happy accidents and color morphs. It works best, however, on smaller paintings, like the kind we make in workshops. What does this have to do with aluminum pots you ask?
Well…If you want to paint in the standard way, with brushes poking out of pots, choose this set (and buy more brushes to go with them):
Aluminum Mini Loaf Pans, Set of 100:
And if you like my open palette method, then choose this set, (along with the tiny aluminum paint cups further down) (and choose less brushes):
Aluminum Mini Loaf Pans, Set of 35:
Tiny Aluminum paint cups for colors:
I use these a lot in workshops- they are great for mixing tiny amounts of color (you don’t have to be so sure of your color because when you mix your own colors, there is no going back):
Oil painters use these shop towels (or a cloth rag). Now that I have tried them in my encaustic studio, I won’t go back to paper towels! (thank you Sarah Sedwick) You will love how well these towels soak up your waxy mess! You won’t go through as much waste either:
Ventilation:
Make sure your griddle sits between you and your ventilation system. You don’t want to stand between the trail of fumes, though encaustic wax is organic and smell like incredible aromatherapy. As artists, we have to protect ourselves from every medium that we will be exposed to on a regular basis. That said, I teach in hotels and art rooms all over the country, and never have had any trouble. These locations have circulating air systems to keep the air moving, and that is all that is required. Do what you can.
At any rate, here are some quick fixes that will turn your existing studio into an encaustic studio:
Kitchen Range Hood Exhaust Fan:
You can cut a circular hole into your studio wall for the round exhaust pipe and Voila! You now own an encaustic studio! My fan just cuts out right to my garage. So simple:
Next best case scenario, or perhaps, along with the above exhaust fan, is the boxed fan. This sits right in your window:
Just For Fun:
Use the above with the Double Ball Stylus Tool:
Remember to Save your Tea Bags for embedding as aged rice paper, but also…
Here is the Mulberry Paper I love for it’s great texture:
And this rice paper has a nice selection of colors:
