Thin layers of oil paint can be brushed or rubbed on to the encaustic painting… it is recommended that you fuse the paint – lightly with a heat gun or blow torch. It must be fused if you are going to continue to build up more layers on top of the painted area, if it is the top layer, then it can simply air dry, but even in this case, fusing creates a more stable surface and so is recommended. Filling gouge lines with oil paint or oil sticks is also a nice way to paint on the surface – if you want clean lines then use linseed oil to wipe the excess paint off (with paper towels) and then fuse the linseed oil traces into the wax. I find that if I don’t, the wax stays tacky in that area for quite awhile. Oil sticks are another way of painting on the surface… these are like oil pastels, but have much more oil paint in them, and less wax. They develop a ‘skin’ that has to be removed before using. Again, thin layers are suggested, as big, lumpy chunks of oil paint or oil stick will not fuse into the wax, leaving an area that will not dry or harden properly.
