R&F Encaustic Mediums

Fine handmade mediums for encaustic painting!

The ancient art of encaustic painting is brought into the 21st century with this excellent collection of handmade encaustic grounds, mediums, and raw materials from R&F! Enhance your encaustic paintings or make your own mediums to your specifications with this selection of fantastic ingredients.

• Encaustic Gesso - This water-based ground is a modern version of the traditional gesso mix of rabbit skin glue and chalk. Specially formulated for encaustic painting, with a lower proportion of acrylic binder to solids, making it a more absorbent and receptive surface for wax-based paints. A quick and easy brushable white gesso. Specially formulated white ground for encaustics.


• Encaustic Medium - Perhaps the most essential encaustic supply, Encaustic Medium is a blend of beeswax and damar resin, and is used to increase transparency and extend encaustic paints. It is important to use Encaustic Medium with your paints, as using only beeswax will reduce stability and produce a bloom on the painting that is only removable with heat. Available in either block or pellet form. Increases transparency and extends encaustic paints.


• Impasto Modeling Wax - This heavy body wax medium is made from a mix of microcrystalline wax and beeswax. It is excellent for thick structural application, casting, carving, layering, and modeling. As Impasto Wax has a higher melting point than Encaustic Medium, you can apply standard encaustics over it without easily blunting sculptural shapes. Use for thick encaustic paint application and sculptural styles.


• Damar Resin Crystals - A hard, clear resin from deciduous trees, Damar Resin Crystals are used to create encaustic mediums and paints. When mixed with beeswax, damar resin creates an encaustic binder that is stronger and more durable than beeswax alone, and also serves to raise the melting point of the wax. Damar is also used to create traditional oil painting mediums and varnishes.


• White Beeswax (Pellets) - This natural beeswax has been whitened by mechanical filtration, instead of standard chemical bleaching, which can lead to negative pigment reactions and break wax down. Use White Beeswax as an ingredient in creating encaustic mediums and paints, along with Damar Resin, or as an initial priming layer for paper or board. Note that beeswax used alone in encaustics (without damar) is not as stable and is apt to bloom (become foggy). Use with damar resin to create encaustic paints and mediums.


• Soy Wax (Pellets) - Made from partially hydrogenated soybean oil, Soy Wax is an environmentally friendly choice for cleaning encaustic brushes and tools. Unlike paraffin wax, which is made from petroleum products, Soy Wax is non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from an easily renewable resource. Use melted Soy Wax to remove color from painting materials, then wash tools or brushes in soapy water. Eco-friendly cleaning wax.