Arts & Crafts Workshop: Cold Wax for Beginners--Getting Started

Cold wax—which is related to, but also very different from, encaustic (heated wax paint)—is all the rage these days, and it does produce some pretty amazing effects! In this fun, two-day workshop, you’ll learn cold wax basics while exploring the versatility of this popular medium.

On Day One, mixed media artist Denby Dale will introduce you to some of the many ways to work with and leverage cold wax’s malleable properties. You’ll learn how to tint the medium with small amounts of oil paint and other media and play with levels of transparency and opacity on different surfaces. You’ll also experiment with traditional and non-traditional tools for applying cold wax and explore its compatibility with other media. Finally, you’ll try using additive and subtractive techniques to create both smooth finishes and textured surfaces.

On Day 2, after consecutive layers of your work have had time to dry, you’ll build on the compositions you started on Day One, learning and practicing additional layering techniques.

You’ll leave the class with an assortment of small cold wax painting studies on various art papers and an 8”x10” original work.