Thursday, January 21, 2010

beeswax




... this is before beeswax


















... and this is after beeswax. The thing with beeswax is that it makes your paper more transparent or translucent and it enriches the colors. You can see how the swirls on the background paper show through where the bird is - and the text, because it came from a book, has faint text showing through because of what is printed on the reverse side. 










... here is a closeup of before

... and here is a closeup of after. You can also see some of the white color of the solidified beeswax showing up underneath the raised parts of the text and in among the string.



I'll show you more about the process I used here tomorrow. Today I just wanted to point out the differences.

9 comments:

Terri Kahrs said...

Kimmie, this piece is outstanding. I, too, am a HUGE fan of beeswax. It give a wonderful 'look', but also smells soooo yummy too - an added bonus for sure! Can't wait to see your process. Hugs, Terri xoxo

Rosie said...

Oooh that's great! I got given a lump of beeswax and never knew what to do with it, so can't wait for help with that.

ooglebloops said...

Very pretty - looking forward to the how-to!!!

Unknown said...

I love this piece!

I have so much admiration for artists.
This is beautiful.

nancy neva gagliano said...

wonderful vertical piece!! love the phrase and images, and ... a friend just gave me a bunch of beeswax! and i have the tools, i think, and want to coat this big piece i did two years ago, so i will tune in tomorrow! perfect timing, and warm enough to heat the little crockpot up in the garage! i know. TMI..but exciting to see what you've done!

ELK said...

i love this...is bees wax for rookies like me?

Renee Howell said...

Gosh Kimmie - this is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing the information. Your blog always makes me smile and think. Thanks for sharing yourself with us!

Gaby Bee said...

This piece is amazing, Kimmie! You've outdone yourself.

~*~Patty Szymkowicz said...

there is something oh so magical and wonderful about beeswax ... you've used it brilliantly Kimmie and how you've framed your collage is excellent too!

great tip on popping it in the oven for leveling!!!!

someone gave me a good tip on breaking the wax bricks into smaller chunks ... put your beeswax in the freezer in a plastic bag for several hours, then place it in another sturdy plastic bag and drop it onto a hard surface, smacking it down hard several times...good therapy to get the wild out!
we have a concrete slab and quarry tile floor in our kitchen, it works like a charm
whatever doesn't break up, pop it back in the freezer and repeat

I'm scared of knives so I go with the smack it method :)

looking forward to more of your TIPS :)
oxo