Artist Bossom's slim guide provides basic information on the necessary tools, materials, and processes of encaustic, a craft-heavy, process-oriented painting technique that uses melted colored wax in place of watercolor, acrylic, tempera, or oil paint. Readers can follow detailed exercises to get a feel for using encaustic irons and styluses to melt and apply wax as they might use a paintbrush to apply paint. Other instruction guides readers through basic and more advanced techniques to produce realistic landscapes, fantasy scenes, and abstractions in the vivid, luminous hues encaustic affords. A section on transfers demonstrates how to produce transfers on paper and fabric. VERDICT Readers of beginning and intermediate skill level who are interested in both crafts and fine art will want to check out this guide.



VERDICT Readers of beginning and intermediate skill level who are interested in both crafts and fine art will want to check out this guide. * Library Journal * I have a few kit basics to hand, and have merely dabbled with this ancient artform; barely 'scratching the surface' so to speak, but I don't think there is any easier way to paint amazing fantasy scenes or create impressive landscape formations in the form of colourful and vibrant pictures than using molten wax, an iron and a just a few basic tools on card or special papers. It was quite coincidental that a craft book called Encaustic Art PAINTING WITH WAX was in my book box of new craft book releases, and, curiously, I fetched out a project book that I already had in my possession called Encaustic Art Project Book and saw it was another Search Press publication and by the same author, Michael Blossom. Obvious it is then, that if you have any mind picking questions to do with the art, then encaustic artist and demonstrator Michael Blossom is your man! In his sessions and in his books Blossom explains the tools needed to do basic technique and beyond, from creating simple abstracts to more delicate works of art using further techniques * Not Compulsory * Encaustic art, as you probably know, is painting with wax. Michael introduces the basic techniques and demonstrates with a minimum of excess detail what you can do with the medium. If you're new to this, you might find that it progresses with somewhat breakneck speed, though apart from hot irons instead of brushes, the creative process is no different to conventional painting. On the other hand you might feel heartily glad not to have the blindingly obvious spelled out at every step.



Combine this with the associated Project Book and you'll have plenty to keep you happily occupied. * Artbookreview.net *