ASLD Summer Camp- Encaustic Essentials: The Art of Working with Wax (Ages 14-17)

This camp is designed to give students an overview of encaustic painting while exploring basic techniques. On the first day of camp, students can expect a brief discussion about history, safety, and equipment before diving into all that encaustic has to offer. Students will learn how to apply and fuse encaustic paint, as well as create their own colors and learn the difference between opaque and transparent colors.
All students will start on a practice board that will allow them to play without pressure, and use 2-3 additional boards as they progress. The instructor will start each day with a demo, focusing on 2-3 different techniques to allow campers ample time with each. The camp will cover various techniques including mark-making, glazing, image transfers, stenciling, scraping, and accretion. Students will also experiment adding different media to their encaustic work, such as paper, charcoal, graphite, or pastels. Throughout the week, the instructor will provide the campers with various prompts or example art to inspire their work. The final day will be used as open studio time allowing the instructor to assist each student where needed. No new techniques will be demoed unless requested, and students can use this day to work on their final masterpiece.