Difficulties with Encaustic Dry Shellac Burns

I have really been struggling with dry shellac burns recently. Every encaustic painting I try to create with a dry shellac burn just does not turn out well. This is the first positive result I've gotten in months, but at least I've been teaching myself some good habits so I can create better paintings in the future!

[@christimartin8512]

I have had really good luck mixing alcohol ink in with the clear shellac, in small condiment to-go cups. That allowed me to have multiple colors and they were very vibrant.

[@thefarpavilion]

Yes! Love using alcohol ink with shellac, though purples always end up as pink...

[@letajones8556]

It's beautiful!!!😍

[@thefarpavilion]

Thank you! 😊

[@wingnutbert9685]

Some things to consider are: It may not be you but your Shellac. Age can degrade the Shellac. Maybe get the smaller cans so you get a fresh can sooner. Also buy from a place the sells more of it. This means the stock rotates faster. Wood working store might go through way more then a craft store. May be the pigment isn't playing nice with the Shellac. This could be brand related or color related. If the brand and/or color has worked in the past, then try a fresh can. You can also make your own Shellac using dry Shellac flakes. YT will have vid's on this. Then you get the amount you want and fresher then canned.

[@thefarpavilion]

Awesome tips!! Thanks so much!! Making my own shellac sounds pretty awesome, actually...

[@thefarpavilion]

Also, I think you're right about the age of the shellac. I need a fresh can. I have noticed too, that I tend to add too much pigment, and this definitely leads to terrible results. I've been working hard on doing light pigmentation- I think I'm starting to get there!

[@wingnutbert9685]

@@thefarpavilion Maybe look at it like baking. Ingredients need to be just right for stuff to turn out consistently. I started always going by measured weights, even for liquids. Maybe get a little scale that measure down to a hundredth decimal point or even a thousandth as pigment powders are so light. I keep a recipe book in the shop when I hit the perfect amounts. Takes all the eyeballing out of it and things like spoons or scoops or cups are pretty inaccurate. Grams are easy but oz. would work too is that's what you're use to. :)

[@wingnutbert9685]

@@thefarpavilion Plus you can do various "cuts" (Shellac flakes to Denatured Alcohol ratio) of Shellac to get different effects/thicknesses. Whole new world to play with! Not to mention different natural colors of Shellac too.

[@natalietarrant6268]

Thank you for sharing your process. Slow is good! Can you share about your color platte? Do you make your own? I am especially interested in the white.

[@thefarpavilion]

Yes, I do. I start with clear encaustic medium, and then I'll add a little bit of powder pigment. This is where I've gotten the powder if you're wondering. I always start with less, and then if you want more color you can always mix more in. www.earthpigments.com/dry-powder-pigments/

[@nofishing5616]

So do you let the shellac dry so it does flame up? I’ve seen some where they actually flame it and some where they say to let it dry first. I don’t want an open flame just for safety sake. I really love the effect you get here. I look forward to your videos!

[@thefarpavilion]

Yes, I have done that a lot, where I'll spray shellac over color and then immediately set it on fire. I always do this outside, though, on a concrete slab. I've started to differentiate these two processes by calling the one wet shellac, and the one where you let it dry first, dry shellac.

[@nofishing5616]

Does spray shellac work at all?

[@thefarpavilion]

Yes, I have used it many times.