I love collage! I always have. I love using found papers, fabric, buttons and breathing new life into them. This line of thinking is why I am unabashedly a mixed media artist.

Lucky for me encaustic is the “Mother of all mixed media” as I like to say when I’m teaching classes.

Encaustic works beautifully with collage if you know what items to use. There are two very important rules to follow, though. The first and most important rule is that encaustic and plastic do NOT mix. You can NOT use papers that have any kind of slick plastic coating on them (think magazine pages or photos printed on glossy paper). The second rule is that you should try not to use heavy weight paper like card stock. The wax will NOT soak all the way though the paper, which will prevent it from adhering to your painting.

Now that we have an idea of what papers to avoid let's talk about my favorite papers and other bits I love to use. The best papers to use with encaustic are tissue paper or very thin paper, think napkins or sewing patterns. These work best not only because the wax can easily soak though both sides of the papers but also because they become translucent when coated in wax. Handmade papers work very well for the same reason.

Cardboard is another fun bit I have been playing around with lately. To use cardboard, you need to tear it apart for it to be usable. I prefer the corrugated side. Lastly, I like to use wood in my collages. I have used dry bark and more recently wooden buttons. I love the natural look it gives my work and it plays well with the wax. I hope you give collage a try soon. You can view my journals on this site. Or watch my youtube video on collage with encaustic.