basic material checklist

Bee’s Knees Encaustic ‘Ready to Use’ Paints:
Bee’s Knees Paints are made with 100% pure-filtered local Canadian beeswax, all natural damar and premium high quality powdered pigments. Our paints are highly concentrated, you may add extra medium or beeswax to them to extend the productivity level which can make your paints more economical. Our unique beehive shape is ideal for fast melting.

Refined Beeswax : Is beeswax that has been treated to remove the natural yellowish tint, pollen and other impurities. When applied molten it appears clear on canvas. Alternatively some artists may use bleached beeswax, however, it tends to yellow over time due to the harsh chemical processing. Bleached wax also loses its natural honey smell that can make your studio smell oh so sweet.

Yellow Beeswax (Unrefined):
It has a natural, earthy yellow hue that tends to produce deeper, bolder colours. It gives you a wider range of colours when added as an addition to your colour palette.

Medium:
Medium is used to lengthen your paints or to create new colours. You can also add clear medium to any paint when you wish to turn it into a ‘wash’.

Damar Resin:
This resin is used as a ‘binder’ in encaustic paints. Damar resin, is derived from deciduous trees in the East Indies. It helps prevent the wax from ‘blooming’ and allows the wax to be polished for a more translucent finish. It strengthens and hardens the wax, giving your paintings a more durable surface.

Natural Bristle Brushes:
Natural bristle brushes are recommended for smoother application and are generally more durable. Synthetic brushes tend to melt from the heat which can leave small bristle traces in your paint and painting surfaces.

Supports:
Dense wood such as birch or regular plywood make excellent light weight panels. They provide smooth and absorbent surfaces to work from. Did you know that you can also paint directly onto unglazed ceramics or plaster and any absorbent surface. See our Reuse, Reduce and Recylce list for tips.

Stretched Canvas:
If you prefer to work on stretched canvas be sure to gesso it to a birch panel first. Canvas tends to be too flimsy which causes the wax to crack and chip away.