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Waxes and natural resins Binders and stabilizers
Waxes are an important ingredient in oil paint as a stabilizer but for
Encaustic they are the binder itself. It was the Ancient Greeks who
developed the practice of mixing pigments into refined Beeswax for
easel painting and the medium has seen a resurgence in recent years.
Dammar, more associated with varnishes and some painting mediums is an
important ingredient in Encaustic. Some other natural resins are
included here for completeness, and in case the artist also chooses to
make varnishes in the studio.
Resins are like gums, hard substances produced by trees. The difference
is that gums are water soluble and resins are not Gums are discussed here.
Related Links:
Oil binders
Eggs
Acrylic
binders
Beeswax Natures perfect
wax.
Although there are many other waxes both natural and synthetic, Refined
Beeswax remains the ideal wax for the artist making paints in the
studio, and for those artist's using Encaustic. Beeswax as supplied by
Apiarist's is a yellow colored wax that is unsuitable in that
form as it contains a small portion of honey still, and various
impurities from the lives of the bees and their environment.
Refined Beeswax has all the impurities removed and then it is poured
into thin slabs that are bleached in the direct sun. The
resulting wax is clear, pure, and has excellent plasticity and melting
temperature that is well suited to Encaustic techniques. Its pale color
is permanent and will not adversely affect colors in any substantial
way.
Carnauba wax The hardest wax
Carnauba wax is added to encaustic by some painters to increase the
hardness and therefore durability of the artwork. Carnauba wax is the
hardest wax available and is harvested in flakes from the leaves of a
palm tree that grows in Brazil. Its color varies fro a light brownish
color to a light yellow. The color makes little difference when added
as a minor portion to Beeswax. Obtainable from artist's supply stores,
especially those who specialize in pigment and paint making supplies.
Damar The best resin
Damar is the least yellowing of the natural resins and so is
recommended for varnishes. It is the one natural resin that is
comparable in quality to the synthetic alternatives for this purpose.
In encaustic it is added as a hardener, and it is this hardening that
imparts great durability to the medium as the paints are no longer
susceptible to easy mechanical damage from handling as would be the
case for Beeswax on its own.
Damar comes from a South East Asian tree and is sold in various grades
named for their point of shipping. There is quite a lot of differences
between Damar's from different areas. The best 2 are Singapore and
Sumatra which is also called Batavia. Singapore tends to be smaller
pieces and has longer fragments whereas Sumatra tends to be in larger
rounder lumps. The color of the best grades is from water white to deep
straw. The best selected grades are almost all water white lumps.
Damar is soluble in Gum Turpentine but not Mineral Turpentine. To
dissolve the Damar put the required quantity of resin into a
cheesecloth which is made into a bag shape and then tie the neck of the
bag with a length of string. Pour the required amount of Turpentine
into a wide necked container with a lid. Make a small hole in the
center of the lid and pass the string through it. Replace the lid. Tie
the string to a pencil and place across the lid. The bag should be
suspended on the string fully inside the turpentine, but not touching
the bottom of the container. It will take 2 days for the Damar to
dissolve, the cheesecloth will filter any extraneous matter with the
Damar lumps.
Varnish
A good varnish can be made with a proportion of 600g Damar to 1 liter
of turpentine (5 lb to 1 US gallon) This is then thinned as needed to
the appropriate amount to suit brushability requirements for individual
jobs.
Encaustic
Damar can be added to the Beeswax in various proportions as suits
individual requirements from a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 35%. The
Damar resin is added directly to the wax and the two are melted
together
before the addition of the pigment.
Mastic A Mediterranean
resin
Mastic was probably the main resin available to the Ancient Greeks
for Encaustic. Both are inferior to Damar. Mastic is softer than Damar
and although it starts as clear small lumps called 'tears' (the best is
'Chios' from Greece) it eventually yellows or darkens. It is soluble in
Gum Turpentine and the instructions for using Damar above apply to
Mastic as well.
References
Alberti, L B, On Painting 1435
(Penguin Classics)
Cellini, B, The Life Of Benvenuto
Cellini, finished 1562 but not published until 1730
(Heron)
Cennini, C d'A, The Craftsman's
Handbook. 1437 (Dover)
Doerner, M, The Materials Of The Artist And Their Use
In Painting, 1921 (Harcourt Brace)
Eastlake, Sir C L, Materials For A History Of Oil
Painting, 1847 (Dover)
Feller, R L, Artists Pigments 1986
(National Gallery Of Art / Cambridge University)
Gottsegen, M D, A Manual Of Painting Materials And
Techniques, 1987 (Harper & Row)
Maire, F, Colors: What They Are And What To Expect Of
Them, 1910 (Drake)
Mayer, R, The Artists Handbook Of Materials And
Techniques, fifth edition 1991 (Faber
& Faber)
Merrifield, Mrs M P, Medieval And Renaissance Treatises On
The Arts Of Painting 1849 (Dover)
Muther, R, The History Of Painting From The Fourth
Century To The Early Nineteenth Century, 1907 (Putnam)
Parkhurst, D B, The Painter In Oil 1898
(Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)
Patton, T C, Pigment Handbook, 1973
(Wiley)
Pliny, The Elder (Gaius Plinius), Natural
History, 77AD (Penguin Classics)
Taubs, F, A Guide To Traditional And Modern Painting
Methods, 1963 (Thames & Hudson)
Theophilus, On Divers Arts, 1125 (Dover)
Various, Encyclopedia Britannica,
fifteenth edition 1981 (Encyclopeadia Britannica, Inc)
Various, Paint And Painting, 1982,
(Winsor & Newton / The Tate Gallery)
Various, The Artist's Colourmen's
Story, 1984 (Winsor & Newton)
Vasari, G, The Lives Of The Most Excellent Painters,
Sculptors And Architects, 1568 (Penguin Classics)
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