COLOR MIXING

Color mixing with encaustic paints.

Our beautiful paints!

While we do offer over 100 beautiful professional encaustic paints, artists still enjoy making their own custom mixes. You use the same color mixing concepts you use in other mediums for encaustic paints. 

While we do offer over 100 beautiful professional encaustic paints, artists still enjoy making their own custom mixes. You use the same color mixing concepts you use in other mediums for encaustic paints. The more pigments you use in a mix, the more likely you are to make a muddy or dull paint color so the rule of thumb to follow is to use the least number of pigments to create your custom mixes. Our line of over 100 colors features 72 single pigment paints, allowing you use our single pigment paints together to create the rich, radiant mixes you desire. So don't be afraid to get creative and mix your Enkaustikos Original Cakes, Hot Cakes, Hot Sticks, and Wax Snaps colors! In fact, they are all made from the same paint formulas.

Encaustic Techniques 

  • You can color mix on your hot palette and then apply the paint to your substrate using a brush.
  • You can color mix directly on a heated substrate after placing it on top of your griddle to warm.
  • You can color mix on your substrate using a brush and heat from a hot air gun. Keep the brush moving to avoid singeing the bristles.
  • You can also color mix on an anodized aluminum plate placed on top of your griddle. These plates are excellent for encaustic printmaking techniques.
  • You can put an Original Cake, a few Hot Sticks, or a Wax Snaps section in an empty metal tin on your griddle for custom creations.

Unusual Color Mixes to Try

  • Try combining Alizarin Crimson and Viridian to make a deep purple hue. The more Alizarin you add to the mix, the more reddish the purple will be. Likewise, the more Viridian you add, the cooler the purple will be. Add a touch of titanium to achieve a soft grayish purple.
  • A combination of Quinacridone Gold and Phthalo Blue Green Shade will create a surprisingly stunning deep green.
  • Quinacridone Magenta and Titanium or Zinc White will mix the brightest pink, while Ultramarine Rose and either white will create the most delicate pink tone.

Technique Video

Don't forget, we also have a short youtube clip showing color mixing techniques.