unconvential tools

(posted 06/21/2025)

You might think it’s all beeswax and heat guns or blow torches in an encaustic artist’s studio, but a lot of work is also done before and after the art is created. I thought posting about a few of the more unconventional tools I regularly use might interest or even surprise you.

12 Inch T-Square

I did some cleaning up of clutter in my studio recently. Not because it needed done (which it did!), but because I lost one of my most valued tools: a 12 inch clear T square ruler. I never found it, and had to buy a new one, but I’m sure it will turn up somewhere, someday.

I bought it many years ago – can’t even remember why now – but I use it at least once a week. It’s great for marking the backs of my canvas when I need to wire them and I use it to mark lines on package inserts and labels which need cut out.

Awl

This is something I never would have thought to buy if my husband didn’t already have it (but it’s mine now hee hee). I mainly use it to pound holes into my wood ornaments and to pilot holes for screws in wood canvas.

Sandpaper

After I paste a print onto wood canvas and let it dry, I sand the excess paper off the edges. Sometimes wood canvas sides are rough, so it’s useful for that too.

Blue Tape

Some encaustic artists let the wax medium drip over the edges, building up a wrapped canvas look. I prefer a clean black or wood stained profile on my work, so I use blue tape to keep the drips from adhering to the sides.

Laptop/Photopea

My reference photos can come from several sources – photos I’ve taken, images I’ve scanned, images I created using Midjourney Ai, images from other artists on Pixabay, as well as combinations of all these sources. Photopea (an online version of Photoshop) has been invaluable to me since it’s usually a first step in being able to map out, scale, and visualize my art work.

After the work is completed, I use it to edit photos of the art and create images to use in my social media marketing and Etsy shop listings.

Old Nylons

Do they still sell pantyhose? I use old knee highs to buff a beautiful shine onto the encaustic wax surface when it’s completely finished. (If any gold leaf has been added, I avoid those areas or it might rub off.) Interesting fact here is that I wait until all my photos are taken of the work since the light reflections can look like white space in a listing photo.

Frame Glass Inserts

When creating cyanotypes (photos created with sunlight), keeping the branches or blossoms or negative films underneath a piece of glass keeps them flat and in place, especially if it’s a windy day. I have a lot of these laying around since encaustics typically are not covered with glass when they’re framed.

That’s all I can think of for now – I’ll do another list someday if I think of several more to highlight. Hopefully someone can take something from this list and incorporate it into their creative process too.