DIY encaustic painting

I want to start my 2nd quarter wheel class- multi media- with encaustic painting. Today I'm doing a test run and it is working out awesomely!

I broke up crayons and put them into a muffin tin. This was placed on an electric griddle set at 200 degrees. I forgot to get it at the store, but soy wax is best to clean up your brushes. Keep some melted in one of the muffin tins. You can clean it with soap and water after. If you don't have it then wipe the griddle with a paper towel till clean and keep rubbing your brushes on the griddle till most of the wax is out. They will stiffen up but the next time you use them they will loosen up. Your supposed to cure your paintings with a heat gun... This will also move the wax around and you can get really neat effects not possible with a brush

 If you want to be fancy and get official tips or buy "real" paint check out rfpaints.com they are the leaders in this field.

I think I can almost guarantee that no other middle school art class ( in polk county at least) will be doing encaustic paintings :)

I did this one at R&F Encaustic studios in Kingston NY as a freshman in college... Yes I had pink hair, what do you expect, I was an 18 year old art major from NYC!

I did this one as an example to show the kids they don't have to make something specific, abstract is fine!