So many times when I am teaching encaustic, students forget about using value in their paintings. I think that is what happens when we see all the encaustic colors, melt them in their respective paint pots and never have them mix together. We don’t melt a pot of black and white along with the colors. The set up is different than other mediums
If I was painting in my oils, whether I am painting an abstract or representational painting, I would be opening up my white, black, yellow, blue and red tubes of paint and mixing on my palette to achieve my colors. For some reason, in every class I have ever taken with encaustic, it is all about the process of making texture, mark making, fusing and all the other stuff. Since the medium has a process, we get caught up in the process. But we forget about color theory and the use of value. I know, for many, we want to take a class and get started. It is so important to learn that Value is Valuable. I have made plenty of paintings that maybe only had 3 colors, and that is fine. There is a place for limited palettes.
I also notice that when I mix my encaustic wax right onto my palette, as opposed to melting in pots, my work is different and I work differently. By working directly on the palette, I find myself mixing colors. Must be an old habit from earlier years of oil painting. Either way, I have to remember that I need to add black and white on my palette so I can make hues and shades, so I can create value in my paintings.
#encausticwax #colortheory #learntopaint
This video (and the older ones on YouTube) are excellent! Thanks so much! I’ve been wondering about value literally for years. Will definitely want to take your color theory class.