Encaustic Photography: Behind The Scenes with Lisa Renee Wilson
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2017
- A peek into the process as I make an encaustic photography piece. (Note: While I do explain some of what I'm doing, this video is not meant to be a full tutorial.)
(Show opens June 2, 2017 at Gather in Bloomington, IN)
Lisa, thanks for your wonderful 'real life' art lesson as well as all the comments and questions below- I think that all is left now is to tell you what a beautiful and wonderful person you are! I think for many of us, one of the 'gifts' from you are to learn about the Japanese rice paper printed on an ink jet printer. Most artists will recommend transferring a laser print, but you proved here that your technique works fantastic!!! I live in South Africa and thanks to the digital age, your lesson helped me four years after it was originally posted. Please keep up the good work- I'm your latest subscriber.😁ps......I'm a male and just want to point out that you reminded me once again that 'yes, woman can multitask!!'! You demonstrated that beautifully!!! My Mom is 91 now and she don't trust me making tea and talking at the same time.....she would take over and tell me to continue talking rather.
Thank you Lisa! I've learned a lot! I like that anything is possible! A transfer as well as just put one of your favorite photo and encaustic it. I love that new medium for me. The only problem is, i need a bigger studio or really organize it to do all sort of art! I love ART!!! Merci!!!
So beautiful! Love the creative way to exhibit photographs...
sogaze Thank you so much!
what a lovely video and shows the real world of art,,thank you
Thank you!
I really like the end piece with what happened during your process
I'm so happy I found this video! Thank you!
I'm so glad it was beneficial to you - thanks!
your daughter was super with that camera! love your video!
Thanks so much for explaining your process so clearly, really enjoyed watching! Dixx
I'm so glad, thanks!
This is so beautiful!!
Thank you for the reply and info on the encaustic iron!I had purchased one of the green irons, but the plastic was defective and it fell apart, so I was hoping to find another brand but haven’t been successful.Thank you for sharing your talents!
Jane Kitchen Oh no! I'm so sorry you had that experience. There is another encaustic artist I admire, Shawna Moore, who used a different type of iron for her large work. I looked when I was trying to respond to your other inquiry, but couldn't find it. I mention her name in case you might have better luck with the search. Good luck, and thanks so much for the comments!
This is so cool, thank you for the tutorial. Your dog is adorable
Thank you for the advice Lisa! 👍🏻😊
You're very welcome!
Turned out beautifully! Thanks ...
Thanks, David!
Awesome teaching video! Thank you so so much!👍🏼🙌😉
Thank you so much. I love the results. I’ll try it tomorrow with a picture of my grandparents. Can I use an oil pastel stick like cray pas? Or do I need to kick it up a notch.
Love this I am new to this, so new as in I have the material's just not the nerve to actually start, great video, new subby xxx Hugs Dede xxx
How wonderful - materials on hand and the anxiety to go with it...it can be a great energy to channel to dive in! :) Just try turning on the dial to heat the wax, then just try setting a panel in front of you, then try just picking up a brush...one little thing at a time. No mistakes, only creative play. Best wishes with it!!
This is beautiful! I love the rice paper! What a lovely effect
Thank you, Jillian! I have a printer at home - a simple HP officejet (inket).
Lisa, really enjoyed the video. Is there an issue with the inkjet print fading over time? Did you treat it with a UV spray first? I’m always wary of using inkjet prints in collage. Perhaps I’m worrying too much:)?
Thank you for such an amazing detailed lesson. I hope to set up my studio this month. Your detailed answers to the other viewers really answered a lot of my questions. I'm sure this a stupid question but can I take a photo off my phone and have it printed and the print it onto rice paper? I'm worried about what basic supplies I have to buy in order to start trying this. Once again thank you for being so open with your techniques 👍🏼👏🏼🤗
Rita, I'm so sorry for the delay - and absolutely no stupid questions. We are all beginners. You can almost certainly take a photo off of your phone, download it onto your computer, and print it onto the rice paper. The only thing I'd watch is quality. Depending on the size that you print your image, it may appear pixelated or "noisy" depending on the quality of the image from your phone. I'd print it on regular paper first to test how the image looks.
Very greatful!! Just found you, I'm new in this technique. So beutiful and didactic, thank you, and thank you to your daughter! If I want to seal a mini clay sculpture (necklace) treated with encaustic, what seal medium do you recommend? Thank you, Lisa.
Hi from New Zealand, Great teaching video! Thank you! Just wondering what colour the oil pain pigment stick is? Thanks :-)
Love it! Doing encaustic up the road in Anderson, in. 1 question. What's your method of printing on rice paper. Love using that but I manage to get it stuck in my printer. Beautiful piece!
Glenda, I'm sorry for the delay! (Hello, fellow Hoosier....) As far as getting it stuck, I've been there, done that many times. I've found the most success with using a single sheet of rice paper on top of a stack of regular paper. It seems to feed through nicely when doing this. I still have the occasional wrinkled paper (maybe 1 out of 15 times or so), but this seems to work well for me. Thanks for the feedback!!
Thanks for sharing your process with us. I loved that you used Japanese rice paper! I've been a photographer most of my adult life and recently started playing with encaustic photography. I'm curious to try Japanese rice paper. Did you tape the paper onto regular inkjet bond paper and then run it through your printer? Also, does any type of rice paper work? Hope to see more of our work.
Julie - how wonderful! Encaustic definitely adds a new dimension to photographic creativity. With the paper, I actually just fed it through like normal. After a lot of trial and error, I found that putting a few sheets of the rice paper in a stack with regular printer paper helped the paper to feed through. I average about a 99% success rate this way. :) As far as other types, I've not tried them - I would guess some would take both the ink and the wax slightly differently.
Very beautiful! That photo alone is excellent. How did you get the sky to look so nice? Almost looks like wax itself. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Gil! Most of these photos were slightly edited in Photoshop to give a more aged look even before adding the wax. (This was just the look I was going for for this show. High contrast photos also work great, and create a very different effect with the wax.) Thanks again!
Wonderful video! I have seen other examples where people "build up" the wax in order to add texture, while others like to polish the final layer to make is glossy - I assume that is the artists preference on how they want their pieces to look. Do all of your encuastic photograph pieces have a smooth finish to them?
Thanks, and great questions! Yes, it is the artist's preference as to what look they are going for. That is the beauty of wax...it can be applied in so many ways, resulting in completely different looks. Almost all of my encaustic photograph pieces have a smooth finish because I tend to want to highlight the photo with the wax serving as an accent. I do other encaustic play, though, where I use multiple layers of wax that results in a very textured surface.
So, I take it that because the rice paper is so thin, it's not necessary to adhere your photo with any kind of adhesive first? Does the photo stay embedded without bubbles for the long term? So far I've just used either regular computer paper or matte presentation paper to print on...either of those seem too thick to just use the wax to hold the photo in...but I'm having trouble with small air pockets showing up down the road a while. Def trying to trouble shoot with varying adhesives or in this case perhaps trying thinner paper. Do you anchor your rice paper to computer paper before putting it through the printer, or does it hold up on its own? Thanks for showing your process!
Great questions. I've not had any troubles with the rice paper bubbling up, as it is more porous (and thinner) than other papers - thus, soaks up more wax and doesn't fold up on itself. With regular computer paper, I've had the same troubles - primarily with it curling up on the edges. I've found I really have to soak that type of paper in the wax first, which requires many layers underneath the paper itself.
What adhesives have you tried to use? I've found that the wax itself is generally enough with the right type of paper. (If you want to continue to use thicker media, you may want to try more layers of wax underneath to leave plenty to press into and/or putting wax on the back of the paper first before fusing it to the layers below).
As far as anchoring, I've found if I put one sheet of rice paper on top of a few sheets of regular paper, my printer takes it through just fine...MOST of the time. I wanted to avoid having to use adhesive to "tape" it to a regular piece of paper so that I didn't have to worry about removing the rice paper after and having it tear. I'd say it works about 99% of the time (and the rest of the time, I use the wrinkled rice paper for other creative projects!)
Just beautiful!What brand of encaustic iron do you use.Thanks!
Jane, thank you so much - and I apologize for the month delay in response! I use an older one that is almost identical to this (www.amazon.com/Encaustic-Arts-Crafts-Iron-Painting/dp/B007SPQ3HY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515164469&sr=8-1&keywords=encaustic+iron) ... I believe I found it on Amazon years ago at a much cheaper price. There are a wider variety of options now, so you might want to just do a web search (as many local stores are limited in what they carry). There is a great one I'll try to find that I haven't used, but that acquaintances have had great luck with...
Your hands (all four!;-)) did good! Two question: 1. @ Durability issues of jet printer inks: Having seen in a review of high end Epson P 600, talking about the need to use a UV protecting glass frame, in order to avoid color fading, I wonder, as to whether the wax layers above the print, can have, a mitigating effect. Do have experiences with that?2. Is it possible to use "classic" dark room prints (those on paper like baryt paper)?PS: This "improvised" video was nicely done, and a real pleasure to watch! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much! (All hands are clapping) :) As far as your questions go, I have to throw up those hands and say, sorry - no idea! Seriously, though, I have not had any experience with different printer inks nor the classic dark room prints (as much as I love them). To be honest, I am not as concerned about my children's children's children's children being able to view my art as it was created. I love embracing the impermanence of all things. While I make my pieces with as much care and interest in them lasting for their owners as possible, I'm in a different camp than archivists. More power to those, though, that study such things - it will allow those future generations to experience the archived pieces! I do thank you for your question, and sorry I couldn't be more help with the answers.
Modesty liberates creativity. That's not only lovely, but also very clever! Keeps the eye on the brush :-)
Sorry if I missed it, but which rice paper do you recommend? Beautiful piece, thank you for sharing!
Hi Nicole, and thank you! I actually don't have a particular recommendation for rice paper. I'd searched on Amazon and found one with a higher review, then just tried it in my printer at home. I think any type would work ... just, as I offered in a few comments, be mindful of how you feed it into the printer. I've found that putting one sheet of rice paper atop several sheets of regular paper tends to help it run through the best. (If I do a stack of rice paper, it inevitably gets caught in the printer) :(
Hi Lisa. I'd like to start doing this process. I do not have a big space though and would need to use my kitchen. What is the encaustic that you use and the heater to keep it melted (Budget)? What do you do for the ventalation aspect? I want to be conscious of the health aspect when working in my home. Thanks.
Hello Diane! Space is definitely something I struggle with as well. I like using that griddle (a pancake griddle with adjustable heat) for a heating surface and the pre-made encaustic mix (damar resin+beeswax) so that it stores in one bag instead of two. Ventilation is important more so when you are working with pigments (as certain ones can be quite toxic and lead to eye issues, headaches, etc). I used to have a rather elaborate cross ventilation system set up with fans and a window unit, but have found that in working solely with the damar resin+beeswax mix and the oil sticks, I've not had any issues. A simple fan (small that sits on the desk) that blows the heated mix towards an open window has sufficed. Good luck!
What is the name of the Japanese rice paper, and where do you buy it? Beautiful work!
Thank you so much! I just purchased the rice paper off of Amazon. I know there are many types that will work well, but this is the one I purchased: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00552JBQW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hi Lisa - Love this!!! What color pigment stick did you use? It really does a great job "aging".
Hi Sophia! Thanks so much, and sorry for the delay in response. I'm actually not sure, unfortunately. It is an older one I've had for awhile, and the color label is gone. It is an R&F pigment stick, and is mostly likely a burnt or raw sienna. Sorry I can't help more on that!
Actually that helps a good bit. Thanks for getting back to me.
Of course! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
How could you have made it a more shinny last coating? Thank you!
Hi and thank you for sharing this! What setting do you choose when printing on the rice paper? mine seem to come out very dull. I was trying "matte"
Did you mention what type of ink printer your are using, ie., pigment or dye based print? Thanks!
I'm not sure if I did, Daniel! It is a standard ink printer - an HP printer. According to what I was able to find, black inks for this printer are usually pigment, while the color ones are usually dye based. That means that either type of ink should work, at least in this type of set up.
Hi cool what was the color of the pigment stick that you used?
Красота! Скажите пожалуйста, чем полировать в конце работы поверхность?
Seems like more of a craft than an art form.
👏👏👏👏👏Bravo!!!
Please, Where do you find your encaustic irons?
Jane, I'm so sorry for the delay in response! The iron, I believe, I found on Amazon.If you search, "encaustic iron", you'll find a few. Unfortunately, we are limited in craft stores that carry materials for encaustic around here.
Did you print your photo with ink jet or laser? Thank you!
K. Leigh Winters It is printed with an inkjet - just a regular HP officejet and on that rice paper. No color smearing!
wow awesome! Thank you
do you use just a block of wood sanded?
Hi Angela! I used a cradled wood panel purchased from Michaels. (If you search "cradled wood panel" via Amazon, Cheap Joes, or Dick Blick Art Supplies, you can also find some good deals on these.) Hope that helps!
I am in uk ,,is cradled wood ply wood ?
No - it is a flat piece of wood backed by a wooden frame. Does that make sense? You can make your own (though I haven't tried), but you'll want to use an absorbent wood for the surface (so not MDF, for example). IF you look at the video, you can get an idea of what the front + 4 sides look like, or Google "cradled wood panel", which will bring up some images of what I mean. I hope that helps!
J’aimerai avoir la version française.
Beautiful. Would a brayer help.
Thank you! A brayer for adhering the image? Yes, it certainly could. I would not mix it with the wax, though.
It is actually an amazing peace...art never ends up the way we wanted to be and that's the beauty of it because the art itself decides what it wants to be and you let it
I'm so sorry for the delay, and thank you! Yes indeed - a beautiful life lesson, no?!
PLEASE learn to use a tripod with the camera. The movement is causing vertigo and I can't watch without getting sick. Would love to watch - but the motion is not allowing it.
Willie, I thank you for your comment. As I mentioned, this video was never meant to be a professional tutorial - simply one I shot intentionally with little preparation and shared in order to give a few people a peek into some of my creative processes. I would recommend a search for many of the other fantastic encaustic tutorial videos on CZcams that are made specifically for tutorial purposes in mind, during which a tripod and more advanced film-making techniques are used. Good luck!
I don't think you know what "messy" means... I am a gross old man btw...