Cold Wax
This is a Cold Wax Painting.
 
I took a 12" x 12" board and applied collage to the surface.  (I purchased a 4' x 8' pressed fiber board at Home Depot and had them cut it into the 12" x 12" pieces. I then used inexpensive white primer to paint the boards before starting the Cold Wax painting).  What I like about cold wax painting is that it is non-toxic and you don't need a lot of supplies.  The start up is very inexpensive:  
 
1.  Dorland's Wax from Jacquard---about $25 for 16 oz. and it goes a very long way.
 
2.  Oil Paints---I bought inexpensive sets of Reeve's and Artist's Loft (Michael's Brand) and they worked beautifully.  The sets were $15 and $6 respectively.  
 
3.  Surfaces:  You can paint on any surface, so you don't have to buy expensive boards to paint upon. I suggest canvas boards or the boards I bought at Home Depot, illustration board, or any old paintings and collages that you have already created.  Since the technique works on paper, the possibilities are endless.  I don't know how this technique would work for artist's books, or journals, but you could try it.
 
4.  Palette Knives:  You can use artist's palette knives, or you can use old credit cards to create the oil paint/wax mixture.

5.  Old Brushes:  Use old brushes to paint the mixture on the surface.  Use soap, or cleaning powder for housecleaning chores plus a little water to clean the brushes when you are finished.

6.  Paper Towels:  Use wadded paper towels to apply color to the surface as well.

7.  Impress Me Rubber Stamps:  I used our rubber stamps to create textures on the wet areas and then cleaned them with a scrub brush, cleanser and water.  You can also apply color to the rubber stamps with a paper towel and them stamp the the design on the surface.

8.  Scratching elements:  I used needle nose tools and knitting needles to scratch the surface.  You can also use single edged razor blades or x-acto blades. 
 
To create this cold wax painting here is what I did:
 
1.  I took about one teaspoon to one tablespoon of Dorland's Wax from Jacquard and put it on a paper palette.
 
2.  I used a palette knife to add about a finger nail size amount of oil paint to the wax.  Try different proportions of wax and oil paint to see which combination you like the best.  I used student grade oil paint from Michael's or any other craft store.
 
3.  I mixed the oil paint and the wax together until they were blended.
 
4.  I used a brush to apply the cold wax/paint mixture over the collage and the background of the board.  You can also use a palette knife or old credit card to apply the wax/paint mixture.
 
5.  While the wax and paint were moist (it takes about 2 to 3 days for everything to dry) I pressed some of my rubber stamps into the mixture of paint and wax.
 
6.  I repeated the process until satisfied with the texture created by the rubber stamps.  I used images from set 8. (the texture is in the blue areas around the orange).  
 
6a.  You can apply the wax/paint mixture directly to the rubber stamps (I used only Impress Me rubber stamps) with a wadded paper towel and press the stamp onto the surface.
 
7.  I added more color in selected areas.  You can see sheet music collage near the top of the painting.  I used the cold wax to collage the paper to the painting and then glazed over the paper with more cold wax and paint.  A friend gave the sheet music to me in Calgary when I taught there.
 
7a.  While the wax/paint is workable, you can scratch into areas with a toothpick or embossing tool.  Again, experimentation is key here.
 
8.  After the wax and paint were thoroughly dry, I buffed the surface with a very soft cloth.
 
The possibilities with this process are amazing.  You can use cold wax paint over pieces on paper, cardstock, watercolor paper, bristol board, digital images, etc. You can press rubber stamps or textures into the wet paint/wax to create textures. You can use a paper towel to apply some of the color, etc.  Experiment and see what you like best.
 
I will be framing pieces that are done on hard board like this example in shadow box frames made for paintings on canvas so that they are set back from the surface.
 
HAVE FUN!!!
 
 


Hi from Sherrill:
January 25, 2013
Hi Everyone,
 
I hope that you are having a wonderful New Year.  I have been experimenting quite a lot with different techniques.  I've been asked to do online classes by many of you.  I thought about it a lot and decided that I want to give you my information as a gift and not create online classes for sale.  This is my first email along those lines.  
 
I will send more ideas to you through the weeks and months.  Feel free to share them with others and to teach the techniques yourself.  I was inspired by Judy Wise to do Cold Wax and I loved the technique immediately.  
 
I still love teaching in person and love the interaction with my students.  I am booking classes and might be teaching in Fresno this year.   I am teaching in San Antonio and Houston in April.
 
I lost one of my students for the Abruzzo class in July.  If I don't get one more student (to make five in the class), there is a chance that the class will be canceled.  If you know someone who would like to attend that class, here is the link:  www.abruzzoschoolofcreativeart.com  This will be a fantastic class in an incredible setting.  I am also scheduled to teach here in September of 2014.  The school is located 2 hours from Rome, Italy.
 
I will be sending information about the Houston and San Antonio classes in a separate email.
 
I send warm hugs to all of you,
 
Sherrill

More Cold Wax Examples:
Cold Wax

This example was created over a previously collaged and painted piece on a canvas board.  I layered oil/wax over selected areas.  You can see how rich a surface you can create.
 
Cold Wax  
 
This is another example of applying cold wax over a collage.  The face was created digitally on my iPad.  It was collaged to illustration board.  There are other pieces of collage on the surface.  Layers of cold wax were applied over the collage and I scratched into the surface in some areas to create the finished piece.
 
Cold Wax  
 
I applied molding paste to a piece of illustration board, let it dry, and then applied layers of cold wax with a brush to the surface.  I added darker colors to selected areas to make a more dramatic composition.  When using the molding paste, I applied some of the textures through brass stencils, and also pressed our rubber stamps into the molding paste.
 
Cold Wax one  
 
This piece is also created on a piece of illustration board.  The textured piece on the bottom is from packing tape on a box.  I have layers of collage and gesso on the illustration board and then applied the cold wax over the collage.
 
Cold Wax  
 
This is another example of using molding paste and collage on a piece of illustration board.  I applied the cold wax over the collage and did quite a bit of scratching into the wax/paint.  Molding paste is a product you can buy at an art store.  You apply it to the surface with a palette knife or old credit card.  You can press our rubber stamps into it while it is wet.  When it is dry, you do the painting.  The strips that look like grids are from the tape that you use for wallboard.  It is sticky on both sides.  The tape is yellow and is found in home improvement stores. When I taught in Australia, I found that the tape is white.  I painted gesso over the tape.  (Gesso is a product used to prepare surfaces for painting by artists.  It is very opaque and I used it also with my paints to create paler colors).
 
Cold Wax  
This example shows applying the cold wax mixture over digital images and the triangle stamped areas.  The piece was created on illustration board.  You can see the wrinkles of the collage I used.  I found that I could take old work and apply layers of cold wax to make the work more exciting and rich. Cold Wax
 
This final example was created on a piece of illustration board.  I started with some marker lines and completely obliterated them with layers of paint. You can barely see the marker lines in the center of the painting.  I did a lot of scraping and scratching on this piece.  I created the circles by using a flat, thin scraping tool and swirled it in a circle.  The lines were created with embossing tools.  I subdued some of the designs with more paint to make a more interesting composition.
I hope that you enjoyed this lesson.  Watch for more and tell your friends.  Don't forget to visit our website: http://www.impressmenow.com  Also, don't forget that my book "Creative Embellishments" is still on sale for $17.  Get them while they last.  I will be previewing my new book in the next newsletter.  I will show you some of the work and the cover.  You will be able to pre-order the book for $25.
 
Warmly,
 
Sherrill (and Joel) 
Impress Me | 818-788-6730 | impressme@earthlink.net | http://www.impressmenow.com
17116 Escalon Drive
Encino, CA 91436/4030

Text | Link


Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.