I've been wanting to take an Encaustic Class for years. I want to see how well Silk Painting can be married to encaustic. Last weekend I got to finally take my first class and get my toes wet so to speak. We took pictures with mobile devices, extreme close ups, which I love, and turned them into great Abstract Art.
How to Transfer a Photo to Wood then make an abstract Encaustic Tile.
Transferring a photo to wood is a great crafting technique. Transferring any image from paper to another surface is fun and surprisingly easy to do. I’ve transferred images to fabric (transferred images of a friend's granddaughters to silk) and even on to other surfaces (encaustcbord) and Ampersand's Artist Wood Panel.
To begin with, you can use an image that comes from your ink jet printer at home just make sure that the ink is the brand of your printer and that the paper is a lower grade. You can go to a copy shop and have them print your image then photocopy it for you, just make sure that they use 24 lb. paper or less.
Supplies needed to transfer a photo to wood:
Ampersand Encausticbord Panel or Ampersand Artist Wood Panel
Photocopied Image on Regular Copy Paper
Mod Podge Matte
100% pure beeswzx or encaustic medium
Other light objects to embed: feathers, leaves, small beads, painted and steamed silk
Step 1: Tape the edges of your wood panel with blue painters tape.
Step 2: Apply a generous amount of the transfer solution to the wood panel. You’ll need a medium thick layer.
Step 3: Press the image, photo side down, onto the wood panel. Rub firmly to smooth out the image and remove air bubbles. Let it dry completely. (Use a hairdryer if you have to.)
Step 4: Use a damp finger to wet the image. Begin rubbing gently to remove the paper and expose the transferred image below. Have a plastic container with an inch of clean water and rub the paper into this. Keep wetting the image as you rub to remove all of the paper. It's a very fine line between rubbing too hard and not hard enough. Some paper will be left on the image, but ths will be absorbed by the beeswax or encaustic medium. Try removing the top layer first, let it dry slightly, and then repeat the process as needed to remove the “fuzzies” that are left behind.
Step 5: Once you are satisfied with the image, once again let the entire wood panel or encausticbord dry before applyng the beeswax.
Then follow the steps used in encaustic painting in applying wax. You will need a good quality heat gun, an electric frying pan for melting the wax (make sure you keep it at the proper temperature), and brushes for applying the hot wax. 3-5 layers of beeswax or encaustic medium should be good. It is my recommendation that you take an Encaustic Class with a trained artist before attempting any project with hot wax. If you live near Asheville, NC check out the classes at 310 Studios at Riverview Station in Riverarts . The class I took by Erin Keane was wonderful!