Encaustic Painting - 1st Attempts

Recently I've discovered ENCAUSTIC painting and I prefer the European method of using a small, hot craft iron and special encaustic wax blocks ... in my case, I've begun by using a box of my daughter's old Crayola crayons!

They say it's important to begin learning the techniques by using 4" X 6" glossy paper and to produce TONS of practice pieces so you learn what each technique can produce on paper.

Both images here are ATC or ACEO sized [2.5" X3.5"] and to begin with, BOTH were together as one scene to begin with -- 

I basically laid the exposed crayon AGAINST the hot iron and let them melt and meld, using whatever colours suited my fancy at that moment.

Then, I lightly ran the iron over the paper for the various parts -- sky, horizon, front landscape.  You never know what's going to happen until you LIFT the iron and you may or may not be happy with it.

The beauty of this method of painting is that you can ALWAYS REWORK the wax even after it's heated!

I could even learn to add detail with a special stylus tool but considering that I've just begun and don't yet have any special supplies, I'm having LOTS of fun making do with what I have on hand :)

If you've got a minute, let me know if you see anything interesting in the TOP image -- I keep wondering if it's just me :)