wax experiments

i spent a little bit of time with my new waxmelter yesterday.....ooooh, it's fun, and really easy to use! i decided to do a little experimenting using different types of paper. this heart doodle was "drawn" onto white cardstock using the waxmelter.....i used beeswax and it hardens on the paper fairly quickly. just as with batik, i painted in the open areas with watercolor, let it dry, and then placed paper towels over the paper and put a hot iron on top to melt the wax. the paper towels absorb the melted wax, while some of it bleeds out into the paper......

then i used a white uniball signo pen to do a little doodling.

this was drawn using the waxmelter and beeswax onto fabriano medioevalis paper and painted with watercolor and diluted acrylic paints......

and then i used a 4B pencil and a paper stump to shade the white areas.

this was drawn using the waxmelter and beeswax onto a piece of light orange paste paper that i had in my paper stash, and then painted using watercolors. the wax really bled out into the arches textwove paper when i melted it, making the paper darker in some areas.....

then i used my uniball signo pen and an orange pencil to do some highlighting and doodling.

of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg......i'd love to see the results using different types of wax (you can melt crayons in the waxmelter, too!) and different types of dyes.

ooooh, and then try all of this using fabric instead of paper......i've got a few ideas for some small art quilts.....

does anyone have any extra time i can borrow.....?!!

click on any image to enlarge

inspiration monday

meet the waxmelter.

at first glance, the design might remind you of a re-worked woodburning tool that your brother may have created in his high school shop class....and the delightfully charming retro-just-pulled-it-out-of-a-1974-time-capsule-packaging helps to keep the concept of melting wax onto fabric and paper nice and simple.....and these days, i'm really into simple. i've tried using these tjanting tools in the past, but my lack of patience with all of the dripping wax left me frustrated and disappointed in the results, not to mention a few burned fingers. so, in the spirit of always-willing-to-try-something-new (and after watching this video), i'm happy to have this new toy in my toolbox......now i just need to find some time to play!

for more info about the waxmelter, click here and here