Over the past few years on Wax on Wednesdays, I have shown several ways of approaching encaustic and collage including several different collage styles and also using different mediums to use and incorporate within the collage . There are of course endless approaches to this which is what keeps it truly an exciting process ! This week I thought I would do a video on my "Collage Doodles " . This is a super fun and relaxing exercise that has 3 different stages of exploration. 
For the substrate for these I am using 4x4 ceramic tiles that are available at any home improvement store. I buy them by the box because it is much cheaper that way . Encaustic requires a both a rigid and porous support so I add Arches cold press water color paper to the tiles using an archival bookbinders glue and then sand the edges smooth once it is dry. I like this look better than simply trimming with a blade because it had a much neater finish . 
COLOR
For this week's palette I am using gouache and creating little blocks of color , and  having fun with color exploration . This is a really  fun way to explore different color palettes , a new medium, or even a new brand  . Perhaps you are trying to work out a color palette for a larger series of work . This is a great way to quickly explore what you are drawn to at the moment . ​ 

Pattern
Now fill in each color block with a different illustrative marks . This is such a fun way to explore patterns . I love to tell my students to do this every day for a week for just 20 minutes and see how your pattern making evolves
over that week. Where did it lead you ? I tend to draw on textures from nature when creating my illustrative patterns. What inspires you ? 

Collage

For these little collage pieces I used a 1920s magazine. Magazines are fun to use because you can use both illustrations , and text with multiple fonts and sizes  to incorporate into your collage . 
Each time you take another step with this process you will find that the composition completely changes again. First off when adding the illustrative pattern making. If you add all dark patterns to one side etc. it can completely change the composition of your piece from how it started . leaving sections un patterned again changes the direction of the composition. Adding the collage papers completely reconfigures the piece yet again depending on what you add and where you add it . Fun , fun , fun !

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Supplies I used this week:
Each week I list the supplies I used in the video here on the blog for you so that you can see and easily find the items used for that week's  technique . 

If you purchase items from the links provided it sometimes generates a few cents in commission  which goes right back in to creating videos for you on the youtube channel. It  does not raise the cost for you in any way, and is the same link you would find on a regular amazon prime search . Thank you ahead for you support of Wax on Wednesdays in any way ! Also , although the photos here can help you easily find the product . I also recommend that you look at your local art /hobby store to make sure you are getting the lowest price. Sometimes with weekly 40% off coupons basic items can be found at a better price. 
If you are receiving this blog post via email click on the live link to the post so that you can view the supply links . ​​
​Please note: I have included a link to ceramic tiles but it is MUCH cheaper to go to your home improvement store and get them by the box :)))

Encausticology Collage Journey Online Workshop
Want to dive in and explore many more ways of exploring encaustic collage  ?
"Encausticology Collage Journey " online workshop
features hours of video projects to explore and create
with lifetime access !
DetailsHERE 
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Happy New Year!
This month on Wax on Wednesdays we will be exploring the exciting world of encaustic collage. There are a million ways to approach this, just like traditional collage . You can dive in with different styles , pigments, papers, and adhesives. There is no one right way to approach encaustic collage, but there are some helpful tips to help build a successful piece  .

This week I created a collage with hand painted water color papers. Other mediums that can be used for hand painted papers are;
India inks
gouache 
watercolor
alcohol inks 
walnut ink
Oil sticks

I created the collage with an archival Pva glue and used the encaustic as a finish on the collage. Light weight papers can also be embedded into encaustic wax layers to create a collage as we will explore throughout the month. 

Layers of encaustic wax can be added over the collage to  create textures , add additional pigments such as oil sticks or pastels to further enhance the collage , etc. 

Supplies I used this week:
Each week I list the supplies I used in the video here on the blog for you so that you can see and easily find the items used for that week's  technique . 

If you purchase items from the links provided it sometimes generates a few cents in commission  which goes right back in to creating videos for you on the youtube channel. It  does not raise the cost for you in any way, and is the same link you would find on a regular amazon prime search . Thank you ahead for you support of Wax on Wednesdays in any way ! Also , although the photos here can help you easily find the product . I also recommend that you look at your local art /hobby store to make sure you are getting the lowest price. Sometimes with weekly 40% off coupons basic items can be found at a better price. 
If you are receiving this blog post via email click on the live link to the post so that you can view the supply links . ​
​

If you would like to dive in to encaustic collage exploration , "Encausticology Collage Journey" workshop is available with lifetime access ! See all of the details 
HERE